My Trip To The Kotel

The Western Wall, or simply the "Kotel"("The Wall" in Hebrew)was built in the year 37 BCE. Herod was appointed King in Jerusalem and he soon initiated a huge renovation project for the Temple. He hired many workers who toiled to make the Temple more magnificent and to widen the area of the Temple Mount by flattening the mountain peak and building four support walls around it. The Western Wall is the western support wall built during this widening of the Temple Mount Plaza. The Second Temple was destroyed in the year 70 CE. Despite the destruction that took place, all four Temple Mount support walls remained standing. Throughout the generations since the Temple's destruction, the Western Wall was the remnant closest to the site of the Temple's Holy of Holies that was accessible to Jews. Therefore, it became a place of prayer and yearning for Jews around the world. It is sometimes referred to as "The Wailing Wall" because it implies the image of Jews wailing and moaning over the hardships they have endured throughout Jewish histoty.

This past summer, my father and I took a trip to Israel. I was born in Israel but had not returned since we moved to Chicago when I was one year old. On our first day in Israel, we headed straight for Jerusalem and straight for the "Kotel". I clearly remember riding in our rented car towards the "Old City", the ancient part of Jerusalem where the Kotel stands. My father and I were heading to the Kotel to daven mariv. While my father was driving I was able to see the amazing views of Jerusalem. Driving through modern Jerusalem I saw all types of shops and stores, restaurants and outdoor cafes, beautiful architecture, and the hustle and bustle of a modern major city. As we entered the Old City, I immediately knew that I was in a completely different type of place. The narrow stone roads and tiny houses together with the crowded conditions made me feel as if I was transported back in time. Whatever few parking spaces were full so we parked about half a mile away in an Arab section of Jerusalem. Together, we made our way on foot to the Kotel. We walked with hundreds of other Jews who were visiting the Wall. I thought to myself that this must be what it was like a few