Western Wall

Judaism's most sacred place, the Western Wall, remains a focal point in Jewish and Israeli public debate, in news coverage and in local Jerusalem politics. This study follows how the plaza around the Wall changed over the late twentieth century, written by Kobi Cohen-Hattab and Doron Bar.

The authors look at how archaeological work helped shape the physical space, and how the Wall came to stand for Israel and for the Jewish people as a whole. They also trace the campaign to open the site to the range of Jewish religious movements, not only one tradition.

The book concentrates on the three decades after the Six-Day War of 1967. Though this period is brief compared with Jerusalem's long past, the authors argue it was a pivotal stage in the city's history, and the book is intended for readers interested in that era.