The Significance of the Western Wall

 

The Western Wall (Kotel in Hebrew)

This week in Armstrong’s Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths  we covered Jerusalem during the Ottoman period, which started in 1516. In doing so, I want to focus on the Jewish attachment to Jerusalem during this time. Which greatly changed especially due to the rise of the Western Wall’s importance in Judaism, and set a precedent for the future of the religion. 

Until the Ottoman conquered Jerusalem, the Western Wall was not much of a significant site for Jews. Actually, the “Jews had previously never shown any particular interest in this portion of the wall” (Armstrong 327). They had been praying at the eastern wall and the Mount of Olives, but those places were often dangerous places for Jews. So the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman, encouraged Jews to start congregating at the Western Wall by building a small place for prayer in front of the wall. This way Jews would have a meaningful place to pray and appreciate their history, and it would also avoid conflict between Jews and other religions. Therefore, this was a strategic move by Suleiman. 

This move nonetheless turned Suleiman into an important figure in Jewish history. This is because he was later hailed as a “friend and patron of Israel” (Armstrong 327). Not only had Suleiman attracted more Jewish migrants to Jerusalem which had been his goal, but he had turned a somewhat previously insignificant structure into the center of the Jewish world. Because of that, Jews from Israel and all over the world would come to pray at the Western Wall. They even believed that the “Gate of Heaven was directly situated above the Western Wall” (Armstrong 327). The Western Wall subsequently became the closest spot that Jews could come to revisiting the Temple, and this would mark Judaism until our present day.

The Western Wall nowadays is still the center of Judaism, as many Jews see it. Making its significance unparalleled. I can attest to this after having visited the wall in the summer of 2023. Not only did I marvel at how big Herod’s stones were, but I felt how much the Western Wall meant for the Jewish people. The best way to put it is that “touching the stones, they seemed to almost swell with significance. It was hard not to be awed” (Nanos). Ever since the Ottoman Period in Jerusalem, the Western Wall has therefore made an impact on the religious lives of millions of Jews. But it is not only exclusive to Jews. The Western Wall is a part of an even more significant history. Therefore, I believe that it is holy because it captivates people all over the world and unites them under this one place of worship. 

Reference(s):

Nanos, Janelle. “Visiting the Western Wall.” Travel, 3 Apr. 2009, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/the_western_wall.