The Kotel
(The Western Wall)
The Western Wall is a sacred stone wall for Jews around the world. The most sacred in modern times.
Jews, in Israel and abroad, almost never use the translated term in English or any other language. Among themselves, they speak of "Hakotel HaMa'aravi" in Hebrew words, and in short: "The Kotel."
The Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
It has no beauty or splendor. It's just a huge wall, towering 40 meters high and 32 meters wide, made of very large stones that have stood for two thousand years since the destruction of the Jewish Temple. The original carving of the stones has worn down and roughened over the years, and between them have grown small bushes and wall vegetation, and pigeons' nests find refuge there—none of these things diminish the power that this place holds for Jews, and perhaps even contribute to and strengthen it. No one would dare to touch the stones or maintain them or give them a more aesthetic look.
The sanctity of the Kotel has been accepted by all Jewish denominations throughout the years.
The historical story that accompanies it has been passed down from generation to generation and has accompanied the Jewish people throughout their years in distant lands, in exile. There, they turned their eyes toward the Wall, dreaming of reaching it and touching its stones—the last remnants of a glorious period in the life of the nation two thousand years ago, the period of "the Temple."
A non-Jewish stranger will not understand the electrifying power of the place—the meaning of the spiritual experience that Jews have in its vicinity, its unquestionable holiness, the thousands of believers who tuck notes between the stones of the Wall, in which a plea or a request for help or success from God is written, in every aspect of life.
The Kotel is a central part of "The Western Wall site."
At the foot of the wall, a huge plaza stretches out, and adjacent to it are small synagogues, tunnels and halls, and reconstructed ancient structures.
The site is open 24/7 all year round, on days of rain and stormy winds as well as on sweltering summer days. There is no hour of the day when it is completely empty—millions of believers flock there, from Israel and around the world, to pray and have a mystical and religious experience.
The Kotel plaza is divided by a partition into sections for men and women. The men's section is the largest, and on regular days, men gather there in small and large groups to pray, one of the three fixed prayers in the Jewish religion. On Saturdays and holidays, the plaza fills with thousands of Jews who come to offer a communal prayer.
The Kotel is a religious and national symbol in Israel.
At the site's plaza, IDF soldiers' swearing-in ceremonies are held, and the state ceremony for Memorial Day for fallen IDF soldiers and victims of terror is conducted there. Leaders from around the world come there as a gesture to the Israeli public; politicians and public figures come as a gesture to their constituents, and they make sure to document the visit with a photograph to be published in the media.
The site is also one of the most important heritage sites in the Israeli experience.
Students from the education system, employees from organized workplaces, families, and tourists from Israel and abroad visit it. Religious and traditional families hold "Bar Mitzvah" ceremonies there for a Jewish boy on his 13th birthday.
The location of the Kotel, in the Old City of Jerusalem, influences what happens in the city and the country as a whole.
The site is located on the slopes of the "Temple Mount," which is in itself a holy historical site for both Jews and Muslims. The proximity of the two to each other makes the entire area particularly volatile from a security standpoint, as the Jewish-Arab conflict in Israel intensifies, and extremists from both religions escalate the struggle at this point of connection.
Therefore, it is highly fortified—security cameras on all sides, magnetometers at the entrance, and hundreds of soldiers and security personnel equipped with live weapons patrol its length and width and are positioned at observation points on the roofs of the crowded buildings surrounding the site.
Increased security, both overt and covert, is also deployed along the routes leading to the Kotel. All those who come to it daily walk along these routes—in the alleys of the Old City in the heart of the colorful market of East Jerusalem Arabs, in the crowded quarters, and on the narrow and busy roads.
The security tension prevailing in the place increased greatly at the beginning of the 21st century and led to a decrease in the number of Israeli visitors to the site. Especially among large parts of the secular sector—those who do not feel a special excitement from the visit and are not willing to risk it for a visit that "doesn't do it for them" anyway.
The fact that many Israeli residents do not feel the need to visit the Kotel does not diminish its importance and significant place in the Israeli experience.
At the country's 75th anniversary, the Kotel is still one of the most visited sites in Israel, and millions of Jews in Israel and around the world make sure to visit it from time to time—to be part of the Jewish heritage that has been passed down from generation to generation for 2000 years.
An iconic image in Israeli heritage photographed by David Rubinger in 1967.
The photo was taken during the Six-Day War, a few hours after the Old City of Jerusalem was captured by IDF forces, and the Western Wall was returned to Jewish/Israeli hands.
This is part of "The Israeli Story 1948-2025" project.
What is The Israeli Story ?
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