Women worshippers complain they are unable to look over into men's section; Wall's administration adopts creative solution, rabbi supports idea

Ari Galahar (Ynetnews.com)

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation management has decided to replace the existing partition in the Western Wall plaza, which separates between the women and men's praying sections, because it does not allow the women worshipers to easily look over to the men's section.

The foundation received many requests by women who frequent the Wall, claiming that during special celebrations held at the Kotel, such as bar mitzvahs, they are finding it difficult to watch the events through the partition, which is made of iron with small openings, each only a few centimeters wide.

 
The decision to change the partition was received a long time ago by the foundation management, but was not implemented because they were unable to find a suitable replacement.

One of the solutions suggested by the Western Wall administration was to place one-way mirrors that will enable women to look into the men's section, similar to the partitions currently in place at the Western Wall tunnels.

After inspecting the area, the administration realized the one-way mirrors lose their effectiveness when they are exposed to the sun, and become visible from both sides.

As a result, the administration decided to examine several other options, including shading the partitions in a manner that will not harm their esthetic look.

Addressing the subject this week, Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich said he was making every effort to replace the partitions in a way that will accommodate the women worshippers on the one hand, and not offend the men worshippers on the other hand. Rabbi Rabinovich noted that he supported the idea of replacing the partitions with one-way mirrors.

"I am advancing the matter due to the obvious need to resolve the existing partition problem. We, the Western Wall administration, will do whatever is needed to enable women who come to the Kotel to watch the daily celebrations, out of a genuine will to improve the visiting experience," he said.

Elevator proposed to ease access to Western Wall 
By MELANIE LIDMAN Jerusalem Post
17/08/2010  
 
 
Two thousand years ago, stone bridges connected the Jewish Quarter directly to the Temple Mount, saving the high priests the long trek down and back up. By this time next year, visitors with baby carriages and the disabled could be saving themselves the same schlep if an elevator is approved by the Jerusalem Planning and Building Committee.

The elevator, proposed by the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter, would start at Misgav Ledach Street and descend 21 meters to a new pedestrian tunnel. It would greatly improve access for visitors in wheelchairs or those with other disabilities, who now have to contend with several flights of stairs. The pedestrian tunnel would be 60-70 meters in length and pass underneath the stairs near the Aish HaTorah Yeshiva.

At present, the only way for visitors in wheelchairs to reach the Kotel is through the road leading to Dung Gate, which is very steep and has no sidewalks.

“The idea is to make a simple connection between the Jewish Quarter and the Kotel. We want to make the Kotel more accessible to people with disabilities, or even large families with baby carriages,” Daniel Shukuron, the project director from the Company for the Reconstruction and Development of the Jewish Quarter, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

While the idea of an elevator to the Western Wall Plaza has been floated by various groups, it took New York businessman Baruch Klein, a part-time Jewish Quarter resident, to donate the money to get the project moving. An accident in Brooklyn years ago left him bedridden for many months, and continues to give him trouble walking.

“He’d been thinking about building an elevator for a while, and when we sat with him and started to really discuss it, we fell in love with the idea,” Shukuron said.

The elevator would cost between NIS 10 million and NIS 14m. Construction, which could begin as early as November if all the permits are approved by the municipality and the Antiquities Authority, would take 10 to 18 months. The elevator is to be called “Ma’alot Baruch” in honor of Klein.

Yad Sarah, a volunteer organization that provides services and equipment to disabled Israelis and visitors, welcomed the proposal, noting that the Old City is very difficult for disabled visitors to navigate.

“There are a lot of people in wheelchairs who want to get to the Kotel, and technically now it’s accessible, but the stairs really limit most people in wheelchairs,” said David Rothner, the spokesman for Yad Sarah. “The Kotel is the No. 1 tourist site in Israel. How is it possible that this site is not accessible to everyone?”

The development company, a state company that functions within the Ministry of Construction and Housing, hopes to offer the elevator free of charge. It is working on ways to allow the elevator to operate on Shabbat. 

Nearly 1,000 Jews in Old Jewish Quarter of Old City

Av 22, 5770, 02 August 10 04:55by Hillel Fendel(Israelnationalnews.com)
 
Representatives of the Ateret Cohanim Association in the Old City of Jerusalem expressed shock that a top United Nations envoy would accept a false account of the Jewish takeover of a building in what is now the Moslem Quarter.

The incident occurred late last week. A group of Jews, with police protection, entered a Jewish-owned building near Flowers Gate in the Old City, and moved in. The building was purchased by a Jewish group around 1987, but the Arabs living there enjoyed protected status – which has now all but expired.

Two previous court attempts to remove the Arab tenants so that the purchaser could house tenants of his own choice failed over the years. “Protected status” lasts for a generation or two, and not longer, and therefore, with the recent death of the last survivor of the previous generation of tenants, the owner’s right was able to be exercised – and the Jews were able to move in.

One room in one of the several apartments in the building still remains in dispute, however, and the issue is to be resolved in court.

The Jewish presence in the Old City continues to grow. Between 950 and 1,000 Jews now live in the Old Jewish Quarter of the Old City – areas that today are known as the Christian Quarter and the Moslem Quarter. The acquisition will enable another 3-4 families to move in.

“It is an old Jewish building, which was owned in the 1800’s by the famous Yaakov Volero – a very well-off man who established the first private bank in the Holy Land back in 1848," Daniel Lurie told Israel National News. "He had three different residences in the Old City, and this building was his main one, in which he lived from 1866 until 1920, when the increasing violence and the like forced him to sell to an Arab family."

"Around 1987," Lurie continued, "a Jewish concern purchased the building back from that Arab family; this fact is not in dispute. The tenants had a certain unclear status, which has been clarified over the years, after court suits were filed and agreements were made, and we have now moved in.”

The large, two-floor building is located near Flowers Gate--also known as Herod’s Gate--at the eastern end of the northern wall of the Old City. Two Jewish families live right next door, in a building known as Beit Volero because of its proximity to the latest acquisition. Some ten other Jewish families live nearby as well: Two in Beit HaPrachim, four in Beit Warsaw, two in Beit HaEmet, and two in Beit Duran. Apparently, the Old Jewish Quarter will – if Ateret Cohanim has its way – soon once again become a full-fledged Jewish neighborhood on the outskirts of the Temple Mount.

The UN Position
UN envoy Robert Serry said in a statement that he deplored the “unacceptable action by armed Israeli settlers who forcibly took over a building, which is home to nine Palestinian families." He called the action "provocative," and called on Israel “to remove the settlers from the property and restore the status quo ante.”

“It is very brazen of the UN envoy to accept the Arab version without even checking the facts,” said Lurie. “We did not physically throw them out, as hardly anyone was home when we arrived. And the fact that the building is owned by Jews is not subject to dispute; the Arabs agree that it is ours.”

The Associated Press reported that the Ateret Cohanim Organization functions as a settlement organization and a yeshiva, working to increase the number of Jewish settlers in the Old City and claiming that "the presence of tens of Jewish families and yeshiva students, each displaying enormous self-sacrifice and spiritual strength on a daily basis, prevented the development of terror cells and drug dealers.”

19 July 2010
 
THIS SUMMER AT THE TOWER OF DAVID MUSEUM

The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem, located in the restored ancient citadel that guards the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City, offers visitors and tourists extra activities this summer, in addition to the regular exhibits covering the city’s fascinating and complex 4000 year long history. Because of increased demand over the summer, the museum will be open longer hours, and will now open on Friday as well.
July and August opening hours: Sunday-Thursday 10:00 – 17:00; Fridays from 10:00 – 14:00 and Saturdays from 10:00 – 17:00

Special events: (Advanced booking advised)
July 25, 21:00. Celebrate Tu B’Av, the festival of love, in the enchanted courtyard of the Tower of David Museum with an evening entitled "Just A Little Love Song" with Koby Meidan and the Barrocade Ensemble performing love songs and poetry taken from around the world.

July 30, 16:30. Musical interlude in the citadel courtyard just before the Sabbath in cooperation with Beit Avi Chai.

August 20 and 22 : Funk & Roll Festival 2010. Happening of music, theatre and art. Concerts, street theatre, video art and lots of food and drink. In cooperation with the Yellow Submarine.

August 29. Between Liturgy and Opera. Performances of the finest cantors from Israel and abroad in the outdoor theater of the Tower of David

Summer Activities for children aged 5-12: Come and see how Jerusalem has changed over time by looking at changing modes of dress. Children can dress up in the uniforms, gowns, hats and caps that people have worn through time and see how the city itself has changed its look through the ages. Characters from Jerusalem's history, a storyteller and ancient music playing on the Museum lawns complete the picture.

The Night Spectacular
The Night Spectacular continues to draw tourists and visitors to this unique audio-visual performance in which the story of Jerusalem unfolds in a blaze of images, characters and sound. Giant breathtaking images and lights are projected onto the walls, bridges, archeological ruins and hidden pathways of the citadel.
Expanded hours in July and August: Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs at 20:30 and 21:30 and 22:45 and Sat at 21:00, 22:00 and 23:15.
Hours in August: Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sat at 20:00 and 21:00

Advanced booking strongly recommended: 972 2-6265333 or at: www.towerofdavid.org.il