As the sunshine whitened Jerusalem’s streets on Thursday afternoon, we were privileged to be given a tour of the Old City by Y.’s friend, Jon. Jon was a teacher of Jewish history as well as a professional guide. He led Y., HL and me through ancient alleys and recently expanded excavations. Among them was the Byzantine high arch that led to The Cardo, the city’s main thoroughfare in the 6th Century CE.
Naturally, I wanted to go to the Western Wall (Kotel ha-Ma’aravi in Hebrew, or simply The Kotel), beside the Temple Mount. The Kotel plaza had changed so much since my last visit that it was almost unrecognizable. It was not just the absence of crowds that I noticed, though few tourists have come to Israel since last October. The beggars that used to ask for alms from visitors to Judaism’s most hallowed site also have deserted the area. Now there are information kiosks and a surfeit of signage in a plaza swept as clean of character as of debris.
It was not until I was very near The Wall that I felt its ineffable attraction. For millennia, Jews have revered this remnant of the Second Temple as the holiest site in the Holy Land. Most of those around me were young women in modest attire, presumably students at a religious school. They rocked slightly as they murmured their prayers. I brought my face so close to The Kotel that the warmth of its Sun-warmed stones radiated onto my skin.
I could have remained there indefinitely, had I not been aware that my companions would be waiting for me to exit the women’s section. As is customary, I walked backwards when I left, so as not to turn my gaze away from The Wall.
Jon guiding us through one of the quarters in Jerusalem's Old City
A Byzantine arch under excavation
Entrance to the Western Wall Plaza
The Western Wall, Kotel ha-Ma'aravi
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