No more panhandlers
Photo: Reuters
Western Wall area cleared of beggars
Were you harassed by beggars asking for tzedaka during your visit to the Western Wall? Not any more
Were you harassed by beggars asking for tzedaka during your visit to the Western Wall? From now on, beggars and panhandlers will be turned away when they arrive at the popular holy site.
Owing to the steep rise in the number of visitors to the Wall over the past year, the presence of beggars at the site increased considerably. Some 300 beggars settled in the area and were hassling visiting tourists.
One beggar even approached a group of tourists from Germany and hurled at them, “You killed our people, now give some money.”
The Western Wall Heritage Fund decided to put an end to the phenomenon, and with the help of police, the beggars were removed from the area.
Beggars returning to the site will be sent away by law enforcement.
Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch responded to the move: “For the Jewish people, prayer and tzedaka come together. However, the way in which the beggars conducted themselves at the Wall was a desecration.”
