Western Wall Museum Plan Gets Green Light

Image by getty images

By John A. Oswald December 2, 2015

A Jerusalem planning board has granted final approval for a museum and educational center near the Western Wall and now opponents may petition Israel’s High Court to block construction before it starts.

The facility, reports Haaretz, will encompass an area of about 16,000 square feet above ground and also have “an archaeological floor and an observation deck.”

The plan has the backing of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and the Western Wall’s rabbi.

It is to be called “Beit Ha-Liba” — the House of Core Values.

Haaretz says opponents, including senior archaeologists, are worried about potential damage to antiquities at the sacred site.

John Oswald is The Forward’s deputy digital media editor.

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