(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
In a rare occurrence, a stone fell near the Kosel on Monday morning, 11 Menachem Av, one of the stones in the area allocated for egalitarian prayer to accommodate the Reform and Conservative Movements. The stone fell near a woman visiting, causing damage to the platform below. B’chasdei Hashem there were no injuries.
Officials of the Antiquities Authority are handling the situation, which includes preventative measures to avoid additional stones falling or collapse in the area. As a result, the prayer balcony is temporarily closed, but the Plaza of the greater Ezras Yisrael section remains open and operational as usual.
Rav of the Kosel and Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz stated, “The fact that such a powerful event took place after the fast of Tisha B’Av, in which we mourned the destruction of both Batei Mikdosh, raises questions which the human psyche is too small to contain and requires soul searching.
“I thank HKBH for preventing a major disaster. The professional bodies will investigate the incident”.
[RELATED – The Fallen Kosel Stone: A Halachic Analysis]
A statement was issued by the Jerusalem Municipality: After the stone fell on the plaza of the Ezras Yisrael area of the Kosel, [Mayor] Nir Barkat, City Engineer Shlomo Eshkol, and representative of the Dangerous Buildings Unit arrived at the site. After consultations and in order to prevent danger, the city engineer issued a dangerous buildings order for the area and it was fenced closed in order to prevent any entry to it until the Antiquities Authority’s addresses the situation. In the coming days, the Antiquities Authority will conduct a mapping of the stones in order to preserve them and remove any danger.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said that “a great miracle occurred this morning when the stone, weighing about 100 kilos, fell near a female worshiper at the Ezras Yisrael section and she was unharmed.” I intend to ask the Prime Minister’s Office, responsible for the site, to increase periodic inspections carried out by the Antiquities Authority at the Kosel and Ezras Yisrael area, as well as to the southern wall area, in order to prevent a process of disintegration and to ensure that the wall can be approached without risk.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Old City Development Company)
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20 Responses
TY Hashem
#theRealWOW
A warning to those who practice deviant religions and call it Judaism. Reform is not Judaism. Neither is Conservative.
is that something or what?
It appears in the video that there are many other very large stones on the ground nearby. Were those stones also recently falling from the wall or have they been there for a long time?
What do the Gedolim say?
@gadolhador they were there for a long time
I wonder if this was caused by the Arabs doing Damage from the Other side. The שומר ישראל keep frum Yidden safe from even such a scare.
Is this a סימן מן השמים that WOW’s true goal is the destruction of the Kosel And they should stay away otherwise who knows what the RBSO has in store, even in this world?
It fell because of the sinas chinumwhi h goes on every rosh chodesh in that area
To Takes2-2tango You are so right the Reform who hate G-D, his Torah, and the jewish people who daven to him, are the cause of this. I couldn’t have said it better.
It amazes me that we just davened for the bais hamikdash to be rebuilt. yet we can figure out how to fix the very thing that caused its destruction in the first place, sinnas chinum. Who are we to decide who is Jewish and who isn’t. Before we begin to daven and hope for the bais hamikdash to be rebuilt, we need to fix the very problem that caused destruction.
Ah yid, there are also orthodox Jews who fir that description, , and I know reform jews personally who don’t fit that description at all.
From the video it looks like the woman who was praying there was in fact a Haredi woman from Meah shearim who was using the deserted prayer area to pray in solice by the western wall. It is very hot in Israel at the moment and I very much doubt from the way she is dressed that she is conservo or a deformer. I wonder – why was it deserted? Is it because the deformers have another agenda other than their ‘right to pray’ ?……..
Zechaya1,
“Who are we to decide who is Jewish and who isn’t.” You ask?
The Reforms don’t believe that Hashem authored the Torah and gave it to us on Har Sinai. They believe that men and women, at different times, each wrote different portions of the Torah.
I could go on with their heresy and stupidity but the above example will suffice to answer your question.
Specifically, many Reform followers are Jewish either through a Jewish mother or a halachik conversion but what they practice is a cult called Reform which has nothing to do with Judaism.
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I’m not talking about Judaism based on beliefs. I know plenty orthodox Jews who no longer believe in Judaism, yet no one will ever claim that they are not Jewish. What you believe or practice is not makes you Jewish, a Jewish mother or a conversion makes you Jewish, as you yourself said, ” Specifically, many Reform followers are Jewish either through a Jewish mother or a halachik conversion.”
Zechaya: I think the diyuk here, WHAT’S Jewish, rather than WHO. Certainly many of the reformed are Jewish (I say many since it seems like every day I either meet or hear of another individual who “converted” through reform…), but certainly as well reform/conservative Judaism is NOT actually Judaism!
Reb Dons: as I understand it, it was early Monday morning when it happened. At such morning hours the kotel in general is not very busy.
The obvious answer may be found in another article posted today on YWN…the story about the record number of yidden going up to har habayis over tisha b’av, nothwithstanding the admonition of gadolei yisroel (always reprinted in bold font) that doing so is totally prohibited and offenders are chayav kores. Perhaps this is a subtle reminder to those who believe its OK do do so rather than the usual knee jerk reaction to blame it on the reform, the WOW crowd etc.
Zechaya; Nowhere in the above posts did anyone say the Reform are not Jewish. So what are you getting all worked up about?
Though with the skyrocketing intermarriage rate and Regorm conversions many Reform/Secular Jews are not Halachicaly Jewish anymore.
I blame it on Peleg, the alleged “frum” Jews running around in the streets like wild animals.
Hey, my theory has as much legitimacy as any of the others!
Message Received.
A warning to those who create sinas chinam every rosh chodesh at the kosel and to the peleg hooligans.