On Monday, a massive boulder fell next to a lady praying at the holy site
One of the most-visited religious sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, the Western Wall is a 2,000-year-old remnant of the Second Jewish Temple. On Monday, it showed signs of its age when a large stone dislodged and came crashing down onto an egalitarian prayer platform adjacent to Robinson’s arch, where a 79-year-old woman—who was not injured—was worshipping.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation (WWHF), a governmental body that “cultivates, develops and preserves” the site, confirmed Wednesday that the large boulder was transferred to one of its nearby offices for inspection and “safe-keeping.” Experts estimate the stone’s weight at approximately 400 kilograms, or about 880 pounds.
The Foundation’s press release also revealed that Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites of Israel, will conduct discussions with the nation’s leading religious authorities to devise engineering options to inspect the site, in accordance with Jewish law, a task that will be undertaken by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
Similar incidents have occurred in the past. In 2004, for example, a worshiper was injured on the Jewish fast day of Yom Kippur when large pieces of rock tumbled onto the prayer section in the main Western Wall Plaza.
“However, we have never seen such a thing in 20 years,” according to Amik Re’em, an archaeologist at the IAA responsible for the Jerusalem district.
He speculated that the stone became detached due to pressure caused either by plant growth or the accumulation of water in small cracks between the blocks. Re’em stressed that the IAA and municipal authorities are treating the incident “seriously” and as a “wake-up call” for examining the safety of other ancient structures in Jerusalem.
The Western Wall is considered the holiest place for Jews to visit, as they are largely restricted from ascending the Temple Mount—known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, atop which sits al-Aqsa Mosque—due to religious tensions. Given the sensitivities surrounding the complex, the government has long adhered to a so-called “status quo” regarding the holy sites and is therefore careful when dealing with incidences such as Monday’s.
“We hear and understand religious views, but we are professional and will do what is necessary to preserve the historic site,” Re’em said in reference to the wide-ranging pressures associated with such important work.
Professor Eilat Mazar, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and grand-daughter of pioneering Israeli archaeologist Benjamin Mazar, explained to The Media Line that the original Herodian section of the Western Wall requires “constant monitoring.” She also believes that “construction in the Temple Mount needs to stop,” as this could be causing stones within the wall to move, thereby rendering the structure unstable.
“The reaction would have been bigger if someone was killed, but the fact is that we cannot know if there are going to be fatalities tomorrow or in the next decade due to stones falling from the wall,” warned Zachi Dvira, Co-director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project.
Dvira noted to The Media Line that he has observed many cracks in other stones near the one that just fell.
“We are undermining the danger by saying we are doing everything we can, when, in fact, the whole Temple Mount should go through close observations,” he concluded.
Millions of people from across the globe visit the Western Wall each year, which accounts for the widespread interest in Monday’s events.
“France also has ancient stones falling from time-to-time,” Clement Simiz, a tourist from Brussels, told The Media Line at the holy site. “The people come here to pray, not to be safe.”
Nor was Eyal Manas, a frequent visitor from Tel Aviv, fazed by the news. “It was one stone, so why should we be so worried?
“I don’t put any religious connections to the event, but it’s interesting that it happened after Tisha B’Av,” he said in reference to the Jewish fast day—during which tens of thousands of people converged on Robinson’s Arch—that ended just hours before the incident.
“If you live in Israel, you are not afraid so fast,” said Manas.
(David Lee is a Student Intern in The Media Line’s Press and Policy Student Program)