400-pound fallen Western Wall stone cleared from Egalitarian prayer area
The foundation will be responsible for examining and preserving the stone until a decision is made regarding its future.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: JULY 25, 2018 20:42Stone falls from Jerusalem's Western Wall, barely missing worshipper, July 23, 2018 (Reuters)
The 200 kg. ashlar that fell from the Western Wall on Monday was lifted by crane Wednesday by the Israel Antiquities Authority and transferred to the Western Wall Plaza where the Western Wall Heritage Foundation will be responsible for the stone pending a decision about its future.A stone that fell from the Western Wall is cleared away by crane, July 25, 2018. (David Michael Cohen/TPS)Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall, will discuss options with engineers from the Antiquities Authority, after which he will hold a halachic discussion on the matter with a number of other rabbis.The stone, which fell shortly after the end of the fast of Tisha Be’av, narrowly avoided a woman who was praying nearby. The Jerusalem Engineer’s office subsequently ordered the prayer platform closed until the IAA completes its survey of the 2,000-year-old retaining wall’s other stones.
