Jerusalem, Israel
Travel & Tour
Pictures, Photos, Information & Reviews.

Eve & George DeLange
May 2014.

The "Western Wall" or "Wailing Wall" as it is also known sits in the midst of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is the section of the Western supporting wall of the Temple Mount which has remained intact since the destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple (70 C.E.). The "Western Wall" has become the most sacred spot in Jewish religious and national importance and tradition by virtue of its proximity to the Western Wall of the Holy of Holies in the Temple, from which, it is beleived, the Divine Presence never departed. It has become a center of mourning over the destruction of the Temple and Israel's exile, and with the memory of Israel's former glory and the hope for its restoration. Because of the mourning, it became known in European languages as the "Wailing Wall". From December 1947, after bloody incidents with the Arabs, Jews were no longer able to approach the Wall. After the capitulation of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City in May 1948, Jews were prevented for 19 years from even looking at the Wall from afar, in spite of a paragraph in the cease-fire agreement granting freedom of access to the holy places. The Wall was liberated during the Six-Day war on June 7, 1967; by Israel's parachutists breaking through the "bloody gate" which the mufti had opened. The Moghrabi quarter was demolished, and on the first day of Shavuot, 250,000 Jews swarmed to the place. The buildings against the Wall southward were removed. The cleared area in front of the Western Wall was then leveled and changed into a paved open space. The lower square near the Wall is the prayer area. The surface of the wall, from the pavement and up to a person's height, also differs in color and feel since it is polished by the human hands that touched it during prayers throughout the centuries.

The easy way to get to Jerusalem, the location of the "Western Wall" or "Wailing Wall", is to fly into the Ben Gurion International Airport. The airport is close to Jerusalem, which is about 5 miles away. The Ben Gurion International Airport, (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag, is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel. It was named the best airport in the Middle East by the ACI organisation.[ The airport is located near the city of Lod, 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv. It is operated by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned corporation that manages all public airports and border crossings in the State of Israel. The Ben Gurion International Airport is considered one of the world's most secure airports, with a security force that includes both police officers and IDF soldiers. There are several hotels in or near Jerusalem. There are several Guided Tour Agencies offering standard city, and historical tours of Jerusalem, Israel and the surrounding areas. After arranging your flight we would suggest getting your hotel and then letting them arrange tours of the area for you. If you call the hotels Concierge Services ahead of your arrival, all of this can be pre-arranged for you. I do this all the time. It is safe and it works!!! I have never experienced a problem doing it this way! I have links to Priceline.Com on our page so that you can arrange your flight and hotel in the Jerusalem, Israel area.