ABSTRACT
The Western Wall in Jerusalem is just one part of one of the four retaining walls that made up the foundation for the Temple Mount, the platform upon which the Second Temple once stood. The full western wall was created within a renovation program initiated by King Herod during the first century bce. In the popular Jewish tradition, it was believed that the Western Wall was a vestige of the walls of the Temple itself. On the eve of Yom Kippur, the governor of the Jerusalem district, Edward Keith-Roach, visited the Old City and toured the Western Wall and saw a partition in the alleyway to separate men and women during prayer. In light of the disappointment with the conduct of the national Jewish institutions, the Committee for the Western Wall was established in January 1929. Since 1967, the Kotel has become a central prayer place an Israeli national site used for rallies, festive services and the swearing-in of soldiers.
