Was Ivanka Wrong About Judaism’s ‘Holiest Place’?

Ivanka Trump at the Western Wall, May 23, 2017 Image by Getty Images

By Nathan Guttman May 23, 2017

Ivanka Trump just wanted to share her emotional visit at the Western Wall with nearly 4 million Twitter followers. But what ensued was a social media storm questioning her understanding of Jewish history.

“It was deeply meaningful to visit the holiest site of my faith and to leave a note of prayer,” Ivanka Trump tweeted Monday, following her visit to the Wall.

But the first daughter, always under the magnifying glass of public attention and always having her critics waiting for any stumble, found herself in a world of Jewish trouble.

Is the Western Wall indeed the “holiest site” of Judaism?

Some on Twitter weighed in, reminding Trump that the holiest place for Jews is in fact Temple Mount, which is the site of the first and second temples. The Western Wall is a relic of a retaining wall built to support the second temple.

Is the firestorm justified?

Historically, Temple Mount is the holiest site to Jews, but in practical modern day Jewish life, the Western Wall, to which access is easier and which has become the center of Jewish worship in old Jerusalem, has become synonymous with the faith’s most holy place. So maybe she got it right, after all.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO