JERUSALEM (JTA) — Visitors to the Western Wall will be informed of the beginning of Shabbat with a new public announcement.
In addition to the traditional siren heard throughout Jerusalem at the start of Shabbat, an announcement will be made over the public address system, beginning this Friday, according to Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
The announcement will say: “Dear guests, welcome to the Western Wall. In a few minutes the Sabbath will begin. Please respect our traditions and avoid taking photographs and refrain from using mobile phones at the Western Wall. Shabbat Shalom! ”
The announcement will be delivered in Hebrew, English and Russian in the moments before the start of Shabbat.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation said in its statement that it “believes that it is appropriate to apply the sanctity of the Sabbath properly to the Western Wall, a holy place.”
The foundation said it will distribute leaflets to visitors that talk about “the honor of the Sabbath.”
