Israel's Western Wall underwent a thorough inspection on Tuesday in preparation for the Passover holiday, which begins April 15, when thousands of worshipers are expected to visit the site.
The stones of the Western Wall undergo a comprehensive manual inspection twice a year - once before Passover and once before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The examination is conducted by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which takes on the responsibility of maintaining the wall and its stones in order to avoid a potential disaster during the busiest times of the year.
The inspection team is led by engineers, who use a crane to move from stone to stone, checking the durability of each one.
Inspections take place under the supervision of the Western Wall rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority and engineers of the foundation.
In July 2018, one of the stones was dislodged from its place above the pluralistic prayer space and fell to the ground below.
Although the incident occurred the morning after the fast of Tisha Be’av, one of the most crowded days of the year at the Kotel, nobody was harmed.