They say that walls can talk, but when it comes to the Kotel, or Western Wall, they may give, as well. Orthodox Jewish groups are reporting that a 22-year-old man, who made a habit of rummaging through the prayer notes wedged in the wall's cracks, discovered a signed check for $100,000 lodged between the stones. Hundreds of people write notes of prayer and place them between the stones of the Western Wall each day, asking God for everything from health to love and livelihood. One particular worshipper, Orthodox Jewish media sites are reporting, chose not to rely on luck alone and attached a check for $100,000 to his prayer note. On Wednesday morning, Western Wall rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz received an urgent phone call from a Jerusalem resident, explaining that his 22-year-old son had found a signed check from an American donor. The news traveled fast through the Orthodox community. One website, "Scoop Hotline," even published an interview with a friend of the young man who found the check. The friend said that the young man often searched through the Western Wall stones, and that this was not the first time he had found money -- he had once before discovered a check for $600. "He is like a regular yeshiva student in every respect," the friend said. "He comes to the wall late at night and opens the notes. During the early morning hours he found a folded note and when he opened it, saw a check for the amount of $100,000 made payable to the Holy Western Wall." According to the same friend, the idea to pick though prayer notes at the Western Wall occurred to him when U.S. President Barack Obama's note was filched from the wall and made public. The friend said that the young man took the check to an attorney in Haifa, and that the lawyer said the check is valid and redeemable because it does not bear a mark at the top indicating that only the beneficiary can redeem it. Since the news became public, the young man is suspected of having gone into hiding, fearing that police or other authorities will demand he return the money. "Extra measures are taken to maintain the privacy of worshippers," said Rabinowitz, who has handed the matter over to the police. "That includes the confidentiality of the prayer notes they leave in the Western Wall. If there is any truth to reports that something was removed from the wall, this is clearly a regrettable one-time occurrence, and precautions will be taken to ensure the incident does not happen again." Rumors began to circulate on Wednesday that the entire incident was a hoax and the check never existed. Rabinowitz did confirm that he received an unusual phone call, however, and police are investigating the scope of truth behind the story.
