The Western Wall

The Western Wall (ha-kotel ha-maaravi in Hebrew) is the holiest site in Judaism. It is said to be a remnant of the original retaining wall of the Temple Mount, built by Herod the Great in 20 BCE. The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, and the wall became a chief place for Jewish pilgrims to come and lament the loss of the Temple. This is how it became known as the Wailing Wall. Today, there was not much wailing, but there was a large number of soldiers with backpacks. I'm still not clear on what was happening, but I think the Western Wall might be their point of departure when they are called up. I was there for over an hour, and during that time, several groups of soldiers hurried to buses and sped away.

The Western Wall is also the spot where soldiers are sworn in for military service. The use of this religious site for many political activities (swearing-in ceremonies, visits by heads of state, etc.) is the source of some controversy in Israel. If you would like to see the live Western Wall-cam (24 hours a day, what's going on at the Western Wall), click here. To read more about the significance of the wall in Jewish tradition, click here.


Security and metal detectors at the entrance to the Western Wall plaza. Note the separate men's and women's entrances.


The Western Wall. In this picture, you can see the large men's section on the left, and the small and crowded women's section on the right.










A soldier writes a prayer before approaching the wall.