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Kotel - The Western Wall - Wailing Wall Jerusalem by night Qtvr by
A quote from The Paratroopers Cry by: Haim Hefer
This Wall has heard many prayers
This Wall has seen the fall of many other Walls
This Wall has felt the Touch of mourning women
This Wall has felt the petitions lodged between its stones.
This Wall saw Rabbi Yehuda Halevi trampled before it
This Wall has seen Caesars rise and fall
But this wall has never seen paratroopers cry.
On June 7 1967 only 2 days after the start of the Six Day War Israeli Paratroopers entered the Old City of Jerusalem and the first place they searched for was the Kotel - in most European countries known as the Wailing Wall.
In Jewish history this place is the most holy place just as the the Church of the Holy Sepulcher only a few hundred meters from it is the most holy place in Christianity.And also behind the wall a few hundred meters away is the Al Aqsa Mosque. For Muslems the third most holy place in the Muslim world.Let's hope that some day soon the Muslims and the Jews will be able to share this areas in peace.
The Kotel also has an inside area which is entered in the left corner of the wall.
That is where your Virtual Tour at the wall starts. The cabinets you see contains the Torah the Five Books of Moses which is Judaism's "holiest" bookYou stand right at Wilsons Arch which is named after a British explorer who found it in the 1860s. For more info about the history of the Western Wall here are some links.
Swiss-American-Israeli, living in Jerusalem. Born in Switzerland, grew up mostly in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 1999. Working with visual communication as a photojournalist, photo editor, photo researcher, photography instructor, and graphic designer.
Week 25 2003 Kotel the Western Wall Jerusalem by Michael Fankhauser © Michael Fankhauser
view the Kotel inside area with Wilsons Arch