I don't really know how to explain what the western wall means to the jews and why it's special, so here is a paragraph I found on the internet , then I'll tell you about my experience:
It has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries, the earliest source mentioning Jewish attachment to the site dating from the 4th century. From the mid-19th century onwards, attempts to purchase rights to the wall and its immediate area were made by various Jews, but none were successful. With the rise of the Zionist movement in the early 20th-century, the wall became a source of friction between the Jewish community and the Muslim religious leadership, who were worried that the wall was being used to further Jewish nationalistic claims to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Outbreaks of violence at the foot of the wall became commonplace and an international commission was convened in 1930 to determine the rights and claims of Muslims and Jews in connection with the wall. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the wall came under Jordanian control and Jews were barred from the site for 19 years until Israel captured the Old City in 1967.
Usually people write notes to God and put them in little cracks and crevices in the wall, then they pray to god, so I wrote a note and put it in a small crack. Jonah and me praying at the wall:
I want to thank Wikipedia for the article and I'm glad we are finally in Israel
Hope nobody misses me too much,
Micah
It has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries, the earliest source mentioning Jewish attachment to the site dating from the 4th century. From the mid-19th century onwards, attempts to purchase rights to the wall and its immediate area were made by various Jews, but none were successful. With the rise of the Zionist movement in the early 20th-century, the wall became a source of friction between the Jewish community and the Muslim religious leadership, who were worried that the wall was being used to further Jewish nationalistic claims to the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. Outbreaks of violence at the foot of the wall became commonplace and an international commission was convened in 1930 to determine the rights and claims of Muslims and Jews in connection with the wall. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the wall came under Jordanian control and Jews were barred from the site for 19 years until Israel captured the Old City in 1967.
Usually people write notes to God and put them in little cracks and crevices in the wall, then they pray to god, so I wrote a note and put it in a small crack. Jonah and me praying at the wall:
I want to thank Wikipedia for the article and I'm glad we are finally in Israel
Hope nobody misses me too much,
Micah
It's been really busy this past month, so I can't say that I've read ALL of your families' entries. What I have read are honest tales of travel and that is the most interesting. And sorry to disappoint, but I do miss you! Keep writing! - Mrs. Moore
ReplyDeleteps great source citing above!