By COLlive reporter
The saddest day on the Jewish calendar might have gotten even sadder.
Only several hundred people came to the Kotel, the last remaining stone wall of the Beis Hamikdash, at the onset of the Tisha B’Av day of fasting and mourning.
In past years, the square in front of the Kotel was filled with tens of thousands people commemorating the destruction of the first and second Bais Hamikdash and the city Jerusalem.
All segments of the religious Jewish population in Israel would be presented among the scores of people that would visit the Kotel throughout the evening, some coming with sleeping bags to remain there for the night.
But after two terror attacks in Jerusalem Monday afternoon, police said they would be out in force throughout Tisha B’Av to ensure the safety of Jews visiting the Kotel, Israel National News reported.
“It hurts to see this, even if it was expected,” commented Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites of Israel.
“This situation indeed reflects the mourning and the destruction and that we are being persecuted by our enemies,” he said. “We must not let them interfere with our spiritual lives.”
One can only hope that Tisha b’Av fulfills its parallel purpose as a day of anticipation and hope, for “One who mourns Jerusalem will merit seeing her happiness.”
It was more packed later.
Tisha Bav is not a time that the Kosel is Packed. Chareidim hardly come. They come after the fast for Kiddush Levana. There is also a tradition to walk around the wall of the old city through the arab neighborhoods but I doubt the police would allow it this year.
This is such a bunch of ignorant media hype. Hundreds of people walk around the outskirts of the walls of the old city on Tisha B’av night. They don’t get to the Kotel until much later on. Others come and go. There are people that ‘sleep’ there all night long. The kotel is NEVER empty! (not even in the rain or snow) certainly not on Tisha B’Av.
Yidden have suffered more than enough. Time to be b’Simcha and rejoice. Read the sichah of Nun Aleph parshas Balak pg. 688-689. Try it, SIMCHAH, you will love it. I do. Only simchah since NUN ALEPH.
Less people came then the usual bc of the recent terror attacks in Jerusalem. Normally there would be thousands there
Perhaps this was just your photographers first time there on this evening, but they’re are a lot of people coming and going, and yes it is not packed like sardines, because not everyone had the energy to make their way to the kotel during a 25 hour fast.
It’s a shame people bought into their fears, there was no need to be afraid. Everything was quiet, there was plenty of security. We walked back through the old city much later, past an Arab store (we had more sense than to go via the Shuk!) and through Jafa Gate to where we had left our car. It wasn’t totally empty, just not like a can of sardines. There was room. My husband heard Eicha with a group of bochurim from Mayanot & I saw two ladies from Crown Heights; apparently there were more, but I didn’t see them –… Read more »
we need mashiach no more suffering no more anti Semitism!amen amen!
i was by the kotel it was really nice and way more then a couple hundred people
Don’t despair…even though the evil/war might be keeping people away…no matter WHERE you are…Gd is with you, hears you, sees you and COUNTS EVERY TEAR!!! emet..emet..emet!!!
Two years ago, the Kotel was just as empty on the night of Tasha bav
“the last remaining stone wall of the Beis Hamikdash,”
A) it is not a wall of the beis hamikdosh .. it is a wall of the temple mount
B) there ae similar walls around the entire temple mount
AMEN brother!
This is REALLY sad!!! Omg moshiach now!!
A lot of signs that the geulah is very close !!!!
Please hashem, surely your watching everything that’s going on from up in the heavens specifically the anti semetic actions going on all over the world!
PLEASE hashem listen to your children’s cries and just reveal moshiach NOW!
Essentially isn’t that what you want for your dear children? ??????
Enough is Enough already! !!!!!!!
Moshiach NOW Moshiach NOW
May we merit to CELEBRATE this Tisha B’Av in Yerushalayim, all Bnei Yisrael together, Amen!