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
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The Schmooze ‘Sorry, Not Sorry’: Demi Lovato Visits Western Wall, Sings With Israelis
Sing with us! What’s wrong with bein’ — what’s wrong with bein’ — what’s wrong with being con-secrated? “Confident” singer Demi Lovato visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem this week. The lovable diva, whose powerful vocals and public vulnerability have made her a particularly endearing star, is not in Israel for a tour or performance….
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Fast Forward Likud Politician Offers Deal That Would Nix Egalitarian Prayer At Western Wall
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Likud lawmaker close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered to prevent egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall in exchange for a small ultranationalist faction dropping out ahead of this month’s Knesset election. The move would anger non-Orthodox Jews in Israel and the Diaspora, for whom the right to pray at…
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Fast Forward 104-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Celebrates Birthday At Kotel With 400 Descendants
A 104-year-old Holocaust survivor wanted to celebrate her birthday by praying with her descendants at the Western Wall — and 400 people showed up, leading to a massively viral photo, the Algemeiner reported. For her 104th birthday, Shoshana Ovitz had initially asked her eldest granddaughter, Panini Friedman for “a list of all the grandchildren and…
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Fast Forward Nikki Haley, Israel’s Sweetheart, Visits The Western Wall
In the United States, Nikki Haley is known as a Republican former governor and former ambassador to the United Nations. In Israel, she’s a “superstar” celebrity who has received the red-carpet treatment on her current visit, The Jerusalem Post reported. Indeed, Haley’s image was recently painted on a mural in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market. Prime…
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The Schmooze Jenny Mollens Got Bat Mitzvahed At The Western Wall, In A Shawl Embroidered With Her Dog’s Name
Today, in news our ancestors couldn’t have dreamed of: Jewish comedian Jenny Mollen approached the mixed-gender prayer space at the Western Wall, holding a Torah and wearing a sheer tallis-like shawl, embroidered with the name of her deceased dog, “Teets.” It was her 40th birthday, and she was having her bat mitzvah. View this post…
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Fast Forward Western Wall Egalitarian Prayer Section Expanded Thanks To Loophole
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A plan to expand the Western Wall’s egalitarian prayer section received final approval, using a special regulation to authorize the work in order to make it a handicapped-accessible site. The approval was first reported late Sunday in Haaretz, which did not say when the meeting to approve the work took place. Approval…
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Fast Forward Stone That Fell From Western Wall Removed For Examination
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The large stone that fell from the Western Wall to the egalitarian prayer plaza was removed for examination and preservation. A crane was used by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Wednesday morning to remove the stone, which weighs about 400 pounds. It was transferred to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which will…
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Fast Forward Stone Dislodges From Western Wall, Crashing Down On Egalitarian Section
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A large stone dislodged from egalitarian section of the Western Wall and crashed down on one of the platforms designated for mixed prayer. The incident on Monday morning came less than a day after the prayer platform known as the Ezrat Yisrael near Robinson’s Arch at the southern end of the wall…
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