Prayers from afar

A new web service allows people around the world to pray at some of the holiest sites in the world. Pray Over IP (Internet protocol) lets people record two-minute prayers that can be sent to eight sites in Israel, such as the Western Wall and the Sea of Galilee, via Internet phones and webcams. Users—of which the company estimates there are 1,500 a day, both Christian and Jewish—record their prayers using a POIP phone card or send an e-mail or video. A speaker from the webcam will then play this prayer at the site, which can be viewed on the website.

Not all support the technological advances in prayer. Some religious leaders say it doesn't belong near holy sites, and others fear people, already wary of violence in the Middle East, won't feel compelled to visit Israel in person.

POIP, however, thinks it promotes the holy sites to potential visitors and provides a service for those who cannot travel to the holy land. "It's just $5 or $10, and you get eternal life," said Hanan Achsaf, chairman of POIP, in a Wall Street Journal article about POIP.