The Wailing Wall is considered by Jews to be one of the holiest places on earth. Also called the Western Wall, the wall is actually the remains of a great temple.
In 19 B.C., Herod began building a great temple. The additions and building of the temple wasn’t complete until 50 years later. The temple was mostly destroyed by the Romans only a few years after its completion. The wall is all that remains of the original site.
Those who pray at the Wailing Wall consider themselves to be in the presence of the Divine; in fact, the temple was believed to be the home of God on earth. At the Wall, one is thought to immediately have the attention and ear of God, and the prayers made there are said with a hopeful heart. Those who cannot come to the Wall send in their prayers, which are written on a small piece of paper and tucked between the stones. These are known as tzetzels.
Over time, the Wall has been the site of much strife, disagreement, and even war. The Islamic religion also considers the Wall sacred, as it is believed to be at or near the place where Mohammed ascended to heaven. Catholics, who mistakenly attributed the death of Jesus to the Jewish, cut off access to the wall for a long period of time during the Crusades. When the control of the wall was contested in the 19th century, both Jews and Muslims tried to purchase the area. The Muslims won the right to the wall, and Jews were forbidden to go there. However, when Israel was established, Jews were again welcome to come to the Wall and pray.
The Wall has also be the site of reconciliation between Jews and Catholics. Pope John Paul II was the first Pope to come to the Wailing Wall to pray. He also visited a synagogue, where he apologized to the Jews for the history of strife between the two religious groups, and called the Jews the “elder brothers” of the Catholics.
Today, anyone can visit the Wailing Wall. Security is kept very tight, however, and everyone is asked to respect the rights of others, especially by wearing modest clothing and consenting to a thorough search. Even those who have no religious affiliation often report feeling a spiritual touch while at the Wall, and even though only the bottom seven layers of the Wall remain, the size and history of the area is definitely impressive to anyone, whether they are religious or not.