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
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Fast Forward Rival Women’s Groups Feud Over Prayer at Western Wall
On the morning of July 8, at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Av, the Western Wall plaza was a cacophonous mess. Women of the Wall, the activist group that holds women’s prayer services each month at the site known as the Kotel, loudly sang festive prayers at a spot far from the wall…
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The Schmooze And on The Ninth Day, They Prayed
Yesterday evening marked the beginning of Tisha B’Av, the annual fast day which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the subsequent exile of the Jews from the Holy Land. Regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendars, all pleasurable activities are forbidden. As in a period of mourning, there is…
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Opinion Ultra-Orthodox Win Race to the Kotel
Today, Haredi activists headed en masse to the women’s section of the Western Wall before the interdenominational feminist group Women of the Wall (WOW) were due to assemble for their monthly prayer service. Citing concern for the women’s’ “personal safety” police said that the high concentration of Haredi opponents to the group assembled by the…
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Fast Forward Ultra-Orthodox Block Women From Praying at Western Wall
Several thousand ultra-Orthodox protesters effectively blocked Jewish women activists campaigning for equal worship rights at the Western Wall from holding a monthly prayer session on Monday at the holy site. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said members and supporters of the Women of the Wall group were escorted by police to a spot a short…
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Fast Forward Women of Wall Forced Far Away From Kotel
Women of the Wall conducted its monthly prayer service at the Western Wall plaza with occasional disturbance from protesters, but were quarantined far from the wall itself. The women, who came to the holy site Monday morning to mark the beginning of the Hebrew month of Av, were blocked with barricades in the northeastern corner…
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News As Sun Drops on Western Wall, Pondering the Difference Change Could Make
Jane Eisner’s special report, A Day at the Kotel, is running in three parts, ending today. Each piece focuses on a different time of day at the Western Wall, and the implications for the battle over the future of Judaism’s holiest site. By early evening, a summer breeze is making its way across the Kotel…
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News Why Are Some Spots at Western Wall More Holy Than Others?
Jane Eisner’s special report, A Day at the Kotel, will run in three parts, starting yesterday and continuing tomorrow. Each piece focuses on a different time of day at the Western Wall, and the implications for the battle over the future of Judaism’s holiest site. Now, the sun is high in the sky and boys…
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News Rhythm of Day at Western Wall Driven by Timeless — and Disputed — Tradition
Jane Eisner’s special report, A Day at the Kotel, will run in three parts, starting today and continuing tomorrow and Wednesday. Each piece focuses on a different time of day at the Western Wall, and the implications for the battle over the future of Judaism’s holiest site. The shops are still shuttered as I walk…
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