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Rules and Procedures for Filming at the Western Wall
We are pleased about and appreciate your desire to film at the Western Wall. The Western
Wall is precious and sacred to all of us, and in your request to us, you emphasize and
strengthen this fact.
Though the Western Wall Plaza is "public domain", for the thousands of visitors and
worshippers every day at the Western Wall, this stone plaza is an intimate place to which they
come with their prayers, their joys, and their sorrows. Every man and woman who made their
way to the Western Wall, sometimes from distant corners of the globe, should be able to pray
at the Wall in a manner which is private and respectful, as though they were standing there
alone.
Out of respect and a sense of obligation to those who come to the Western Wall, we must set
up rigid and clear rules for television photography at the Western Wall Plaza. These rules are
meant to safeguard both the visitors' privacy and the experience of visiting this sacred site.
The filming permit is contingent on following these procedural rules in their entirety.
The rules are:
1. Terminology:
a. "The Western Wall Plaza" is the entire area beyond the security gates of the
Western Wall Plaza.
b. "The Prayer Plaza" is the plaza earmarked for prayer and adjacent to the
Western Wall.
2. News filming is permissible only in the Western Wall Plaza (and not the Prayer Plaza)
and only with the permission of the Rabbi of the Western Wall.
3. Documentary filming will be allowed on the basis of presenting a declaration of intent
and a summary of the entire film, as well as the complete script of the scenes to be
filmed at the Western Wall, only in the Western Wall Plaza (and not in the Prayer
Plaza)
4. No entertainment programs of any kind can be filmed at the Western Wall.
5. No directing of any kind can take place in the Western Wall Plaza.
6. Filming at the Western Wall can only be done with a shoulder-held camera. There
will be no filming from a tripod or any other device in the Plaza.
7. Worshippers
are
not
to
be
filmed
without
their
consent.
8. No male crew members are to enter the women's section and vice versa.
9. Permission will be given for entering the Western Wall Plaza to only a restricted
number of photography and production crew members. There is not to be any
production set-up in the Western Wall Plaza.
10. All filming in the Western Wall Plaza can only be done with the accompaniment of a
representative of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
11. Filming at the Western Wall Plaza can only take place during the hours when ushers,
responsible for the filming, are present – which is between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
12. No interviews are to take place with people in the Western Wall Plaza. The permit is
only for filming.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation is responsible for the Western Wall in the name
of the Government of Israel. With your signature, you are attesting to the fact that you
understand the significances of filming at the Western Wall in their entirety, and that you
accept the authority of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation ushers to stop filming at
any time based on their own discretion. Needless to say, not following the above rules
means transgressing the regulations on safeguarding the sacred sites to Jews, 5741-1981.
It must be emphasized that any inquiries regarding filming must be posed before filming
to receive written permission from the Rabbi of the Western Wall.
I will uphold the above rules and procedures:
Name: __________________ Name of company / organization:
Job: ___________________ ID / Passport #:
________________
____________________________
Address: _______________ Phone #:________________ Signature: ______________