Western Wall

High Court grills state, Jerusalem over years-long holdup at egalitarian Western Wall Plaza

The “Kotel Agreement,” a compromise approved by the government in January 2016, has been systematically pushed and held up by the government and the Jerusalem municipality.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
A FAMILY prays at the section of the Kotel designated for non-Orthodox worship.
THE TEMPLE MOUNT, which Muslims call the Haram al-Sharif, is holy to both Jews and Muslims and has been a flashpoint since 1967.

Jews pray on Jerusalem's Temple Mount as decades-old status quo begins to shift

Police are allowing limited Jewish prayer on Temple Mount, marking the most significant shift to the status quo since 1967 - and stirring quiet tension on one of the world’s most contested sites.

|ByLINDA GRADSTEIN
THE RITUAL purification bath (mikveh) from the Second Temple period.

Israel uncovers Second Temple-period mikveh beneath Western Wall

The ritual bath was found sealed beneath a layer of destruction dated to 70 CE, in which researchers found burned ash and numerous artifacts that offer a snapshot of life just before the city fell.

|ByJOANIE MARGULIES
Some 120 Holocaust survivors lit the fifth Hanukkah candle at the Western Wall, December 18, 2025.

Over 100 Holocaust survivors light fifth Hanukkah candle at Western Wall in ceremony of resilience

Claims Conference and Western Wall Heritage Foundation hosted the ninth annual event honoring survivors, October 7 victims, and the fight against rising antisemitism.

|BySHIR PERETS

Western Wall Rabbi urges stone be returned from airport display

On Wednesday, Ben-Gurion Airport launched a new exhibit showcasing archeological artifacts, among which was a five-tone stone from the Western Wall. 

FEBRUARY 14, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A stone from the western wall is rolled through Ben-Guiron Airport.

Thai delegation visits Western Wall after five nationals released from Gaza

Last Thursday, Thenna Pongsak, 36, Sathian Suwannakham, 35, Sriaoun Watchara, 33, Seathao Bannawat, 27, and Rumnao Surasak, 32 were released from Gaza captivity. 

FEBRUARY 4, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Delegation of Thai representatives visits the Western Wall. February 2, 2025.

Ohel Yitzchak: Jerusalem synagogue combines the old and the new

Ohel Yitzchak is an old synagogue in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It has since been refurbished by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

JANUARY 11, 2025ByLEAH ABRAMOWITZ
The renovated interior of the Ohel Yitzchak Synagogue.

Israel to fly stone from Western Wall to 2025 Osaka World Expo

Representatives of the Israel Antiquities Authority are expected to aid in the removal of the stone from the southern area of the wall. 

JANUARY 9, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A nearly empty Western Wall plaza is seen in Jerusalem's Old City amid the coronavirus pandemic, on January 4, 2021.

Holocaust survivors light fifth Hanukkah candle ceremony at Western Wall

This year’s ceremony focused on “Unity and Hope,” reflecting the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel and the ongoing global surge in antisemitism.

DECEMBER 29, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Holocaust survivors light the fifth Hanukkah candle at the Western Wall, Jerusalem, December 29, 2024.

This week in Jewish history: Jordan & Jerusalem, Tel Aviv & Egypt

A highly abridged weekly version of Dust & Stars.

DECEMBER 15, 2024BySTEVEN DRUCKER
NAZI TROOPS and students gather seized papers and books to burn, in the Opernplatz, Berlin, 1933.

The lessons of Haim Taib’s Torah

The scroll, donated in memory of the victims of October 7 and Operation Swords of Iron, calls for unity, attentiveness, and mutual respect.

DECEMBER 1, 2024ByALAN ROSENBAUM
Haim Taib: ‘In the same way that the Torah unites the Jewish people, this scroll became something that united the Jewish people.’

The cradle of the conflict: An ex-religious Jew climbs the Temple Mount - comment

Going up to the Temple Mount – the place of God’s presence on Earth – in the middle of this painful Jewish era.

OCTOBER 17, 2024ByYONATAN VERSTANDIG
The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Sukkot fun in Jerusalem: Family activities for the holiday

We all need a break: A sneak peek at some of the fabulous family activities happening in Jerusalem this Sukkot.

OCTOBER 13, 2024ByRONIT ANSBACHER, JOANNA SHEBSON
The world's largest sukkah is seen in Jerusalem's Safra Square, home of the Jerusalem Municipality, for the Sukkot holiday.

Torah scroll dedicated at Western Wall to honor October 7 victims and fallen soldiers

A special Torah scroll was dedicated at the Western Wall, honoring October 7 massacre victims and fallen soldiers, symbolizing resilience and unity.

OCTOBER 8, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Haim Taib, Yaacov Argamani, writing the last letter on the Torah Scroll.