Over the past several decades, the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem has become a site of Christian pilgrimage as well as a holy place for Jews from all over the world. While Christians are not permitted to hold public services there, the dearth of iconic symbolism, as well as the authenticity attributed to the stones as remains of Jesus' day, make this an attractive site for individual prayer. For Evangelicals, the Wall corresponds with the romantic search for "original stones" as opposed to institutionalized church buildings. For Catholics, the prayer visits of the last three popes legitimize the site as a place of prayer.
Picture
© Jackie Feldman
Picture
© Jackie Feldman
Dr Jackie Feldman is an associate professor of anthropology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and head of the Rabb Center for Holocaust Studies. 
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