The Wailing Wall, in Jerusalem, is one of the most important Jewish monuments. This contains the remains of a Jewish temple that existed thousands of years ago. The Jewish believe that God himself used to reside inside this monument and that’s the reason why its remains are also considered sacred.
According to the faithful, just being in the premises of the Wailing Wall is like being with the divine. Just like Hindus visit Kashi or Vaishno Devi and Muslims pay a visit to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, the Jews consider it a must to visit the Wailing Wall at least once. It is believed that any prayers or requests made here are answered immediately because God is always ‘lending his ear’. The prayers are also sometimes written on a piece of paper and placed in between the cracks in the wall. These are called tzetzels.
Even though the Wailing Wall is one of the most sacred structures in the world, it has been the spot of a lot of strife too. There was also a time when some Jewish leaders wanted complete control of this monument and there were several moves made by Islamic and Jewish leaders to acquire this structure. However, peace soon prevailed and its sanctity was restored.