Contents | Index

  1. Wailing

THE WESTERN (WAILING) WALL

jesus00000102.gifTHE WESTERN (WAILING) WALL "Hakotel Hama'aravi" is all that remains of the Jerusalem temple where Jesus taught and prayed. This wall formed part of the plaza upon which stood the remodeled temple of Herod the Great. Herod's vast remodeling project began in 19 BC, and continued long after his death. It was completed only 7 years before the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD. It acquired the name "Wailing Wall" because during the long exile of the Jewish people from the city, they could return only once a year to mourn the destruction of the Temple. When Israeli tanks rumbled into Jerusalem's Old City in June of 1967, it was the first time, except for a brief period in 135 AD, that Jews controlled the site since 70 AD.