Pop singer Justin Timberlake holds up one of his MTV awards backstage at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York, August 28, 2003. PHOTO – REUTERS

JERUSALEM – Thinking of writing a letter to God? The address, according to those who regularly write to the Almighty, is „God, Jerusalem, Israel“. Alternatively you could try: „God, the Wailing Wall“, a reference to the Jewish holy site known as the Western Wall. Either address will ensure your letter ends up in the sorting room of the Israeli post office‘s Dead Letters Department where it will be collected, placed in a velvet bag and posted to God through the cracks of the Western Wall.

Hundreds of people every year jot down their prayers, wishes or problems and mail their notes to the Holy City where the creed of the Dead Letter Department‘s postmen is to ensure that every piece of mail reaches its destination – rain or shine. „We are going through a peak period at the moment,“ said harried Dead Letters Department manager, Avi Yaniv. The usual trickle of letters to God has become a torrent before Yom Kippur, the holiday where Jews atone for their sins. „Dear God…Once a long time ago I stole ashtrays from hotels and glasses with advertising logos. At the time I didn‘t think much about it,“ wrote one woman. „Now I would like to ask for your forgiveness.“

Letters to Jesus and a greeting card celebrating the Jewish New Year addressed to „The Angels in Heaven“ are also delivered to the Western Wall, one of Judaism‘s holiest sites, where Jews traditionally insert notes with prayers and wishes. „We squeeze the letters in between the gaps,“ said Yaniv. The latest letters collected in a plush bag, normally used to store Jewish prayer shawls, come from as far as Australia, India, Ghana, France, Nigeria and the United States.

Reuters