Officials of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation have retrieved a note placed in the Kotel by Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney – not to read, but to protect from prying eyes. According to accounts, the Foundation workers retrieved the note minutes after Romney placed it into the wall, and later placed it back inside the wall, in a manner that would ensure that it could not be identified by members of the press.

The Heritage staff were keen to prevent a repeat of an incident in which Presidential candidate Barack Obama, who visited the Kotel, had his note exposed in the media. The note was grabbed by a young man, who auctioned it off to the media. The youth was never arrested or prosecuted, and his identity remains unknown.