This is the Forward’s coverage of the Western Wall, also called the Kotel, a Jewish holy site in Jerusalem adjacent to the Temple Mount.
Western Wall
The Latest
-
Fast Forward Haredi Woman Shot By Israeli Police Near Western Wall
woman that police said was dressed in blankets was shot in the leg by an officer at a security checkpoint at the entrance to the Western Wall. The woman, who was later identified as being a member of the extreme “Jewish Taliban” sect, did not stop at the checkpoint Wednesday evening when asked to by…
-
Fast Forward Max Steinberg Family Consoled at Western Wall
The family of the late American-Israeli soldier Max Steinberg visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Evie and Stuart Steinberg, and their remaining son and daughter, who came to Israel last week for the funeral of Max Steinberg, 24, a southern California native who was killed in Gaza in an attack on the armored personnel carrier…
-
Fast Forward Over 25,000 Gather at Western Wall To Pray for Kidnapped Teens
Thousands gathered at the Western Wall to pray for the safe return of three teens kidnapped in the West Bank. More than 25,000 people attended the Sunday evening service led by Chief Rabbi David Lau. Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef also was at the service, as were members of the Chief Rabbinate council and Knesset members….
-
Fast Forward 14th-Century Hall Unearthed Beneath Kotel in Jerusalem
A grand hall from the early 14th century was fully excavated in the Western Wall tunnels. Excavated for more than four years under the supervision of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the hall was inaugurated Sunday by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The hall, located underground adjacent to the Western Wall Plaza — including beneath the…
-
Fast Forward Pope Francis Leaves ‘Lord’s Prayer’ at Western Wall
Pope Francis wrote the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish on a note he left in the Western Wall. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation released the contents of the note placed between the stones of the Kotel during the pope’s visit on Monday. The note, signed “Francis,” was written on papal letterhead. The Lord’s Prayer, also known…
-
The Schmooze Justin Timberlake Prays at Western Wall
Justin Timberlake landed in Israel and went straight to the Western Wall a day before his scheduled Tel Aviv concert. Timberlake avoided most of the paparazzi, landing at 3 a.m. on Tuesday and heading straight to the wall with his wife, actress Jessica Biel, and his parents. He posted a photo of himself at the…
-
Opinion Anat Hoffman’s Daughter Puts Women of the Wall to Film
Tanya Hoffman is the daughter of Women of the Wall leader Anat Hoffman. / Haaretz “How I Stopped Hating Women of the Wall and Started Talking to My Mother.” That’s the title of an upcoming film by Tanya Hoffman, the 26-year-old daughter of firebrand feminist and Women of the Wall leader Anat Hoffman. The summer…
-
Fast Forward Western Wall Is Cleaned of Notes Before Passover Starts
The Western Wall was cleared of notes in advance of Passover. Workers used sticks Sunday to remove the hundreds of thousands of prayers and requests written on slips of paper that worshippers stuff into the cracks between the wall’s stones. The papers will be buried out of respect for their contents. The Western Wall also…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Sports First Puka Nacua, now Mookie Betts: Why do sports stars keep getting antisemitic around a Jewish streamer?
- 2
Fast Forward After MIT professor’s killing, Jewish influencers spread unverified antisemitism claim
- 3
News Christians are displaying menorahs in their windows post-Bondi Beach attack. Why some Jews object
- 4
Politics This politician refused to say ‘Happy Hanukkah,’ then blamed ‘political correctness’ for the backlash
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture How the next generation of rabbis is preparing for the age of A.I.
-
Fast Forward Just before Hanukkah attack, Jewish mayor of Bondi Beach region had been praised for fighting antisemitism
-
Fast Forward Vance says ‘religious liberty is a Christian concept.’ Where does that leave Jews?
-
Culture 26 conceivably believable pop culture predictions for 2026
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
