Realizing guards from the private security company manning a Kosel entrance were absent, police on Tuesday, 22 Nissan 5774 closed one of the entrances to the Kosel, the entrance from the Shuk at the Jaffa Gate.
The entrance, which serves people coming from David Street, is a major thoroughfare to the Kosel yet it was left unmanned. There have been numerous reports of inadequate security of late, all areas manned by a private security company on contract with state agencies.
One should realize this occurred on isru chag yomtov in Eretz Yisrael, a day on which thousands still make their way to the Kosel.
Kikar Shabbat reports officials in the Kotel Heritage Foundation have turned to police to probe the matter, which they insist is unacceptable and intolerable.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Considering most visitors treat the guards with very little respect (especially on שבת/חג in the name of being “religious”, putting other people in danger be d***ed) it is no surprise that they have a major man-power issue.
Regarding Keeper of the Keys’s comments. I work near the Kotel and pass that gate daily. The overwhelming majority of people – religious or not – is courteous and respectful. Sometimes INDIVIDUALS are not, AS IS THE CASE EVERYWHERE IN ISRAEL IN EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC. Has anyone ever heard of a manpower shortage at the Kotel because of rude treatment? They have as many guards as they hire and assign to each shift.
A simple Jew – we may know each other since I am also at the Kotel daily and not just on work days, on “normal” days there are no manpower shortages, on שבת/חג you get hundreds of people who refuse to go through the metal detector even though its’ in שבת mode and are *very* nasty to the guards all in the name of “religion”.
Not only does their insistence slow down entry of other people, it also endangers all visitors to the Kotel since an Arab dressing up as a Chossid and slipping into one of those groups is a very distinct possibility.
There are under normal circumstances enough guards at the Kotel to man all stations, but in recent month there has been a huge coming and going of guards which may be a sign of the guards not being willing to accept the amount of abuse that comes their way at the Kotel. (I’ll ask their shift boss next time)