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The Western Wall
by
Jonathan Tate
The Western Wall was constructed in 19 B.C.E. by Herod the Great. It is in the midst of the Old City of Jerusalem. It has remained completely intact since the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in 70 C.E. It has become a sacred spot in Jewish religious consciousness, due to the proximity to the Western Wall of the Holy of Holies in the Temple. It has hence been associated with Israel’s exile (and hope for restoration). Because of this, it is known in some European languages as the “Wailing Wall”.
The wall aboveground consists of 24 rows of stones, varying in height and measure, but measuring 18 meters (54 feet and 9 inches) high. In 1867, much archeological excavation revealed that 19 more layers of rock lay beneath the ground.
Since 132 C.E. (the failure of the Bar Kokhba revolt), the prayers of Israel, both in Israel and throughout the Jewish Diaspora, have been directed toward this wall. The wall has been incorporated in Jewish tradition since approximately 1520, probably due to either the immigration of the Spanish exiles or due to the Turkish conquest in 1528. Jewish sources in Jerusalem up to the 16th Century have noted an attachment to the Holy Place, although the Western Wall is almost never specifically mentioned. However, Benjamin from Tudela mentioned the wall in his writing in the 12th Century. Also, the scroll of Ahimaaz in the 11th Century also made reference to a synagogue by the side of the Western Wall. No Muslim sources indicate any Arab interest whatsoever in the Wall. Despite this, the nearby area became Muslim religious property in at the end of the 12th Century. The Muslims often used it as a garbage dump to humiliate the Jews who were visiting there. Jews, however, were later allowed to hold their prayers at the Wall undisturbed.
As the Israeli Jewish population expanded, so did the popularity of the Wall among Jews. During the 19th Century, the Jews attempted to gain control of the wall. Despite their numerous efforts to obtain it by any means (Hakham Abdullah even attempted to buy it), the Jews could not gain control of the Wall. Occasionally, a table for reading the Torah was placed near the Wall, but was forcibly removed by the Waqf (Muslim religious authorities). During the British Mandate, there was much fighting between Jews and Muslims over the wall. After the Balfour declaration, which gave Israel independence, the Wall obtained significance both nationally and religously.
In 1930, during the period of the British Mandate, a committee (consisting of a Swede, a Swiss, and a Dutchman) was set up to resolve the conflict between Jews and Muslims over who had what rights to the Wall. The committee came to the conclusion that while Muslims had absolute ownership of the Wall, Jews had an unlimited right to worship there (but not to blow the shofar there). The Muslims objected, but the Jews agreed, however they objected to the last part, considering it to be an insult.
After May 1948 (the submission of the Jewish Quarter), Jews were forbidden to even look at the Wall from afar. However, Israel seized the Wall on the third day of the Six-Day War when Israeli parachutists broke through the “Bloody Gate”. The Moghrabi Quarter was subsequently demolished. On the first day of Shavuot, 250,000 Jews flocked to the Wall. The entire area in front of the Wall was leveled and converted into a paved open space.
The Western Wall is generally considered to be among the holiest places in the Jewish religion. It has a very extensive history and remains to this day a topic of contention between Jews and Arabs.