Jewish Quarter

The Jewish Quarter is one of the four districts in which Old City of Jerusalem is divided. Located in the southeast of the walled city. It stretches from the Zion Gate, south of the city to the Armenian Quarter in the west and the Western Wall to the north and the Temple Mount to the east.

The neighborhood is inhabited by 2,348 inhabitants and is home to numerous yeshivas and synagogues, including the Hurva Synagogue. Having been built in 1701, destroyed in 1721, rebuilt in 1864 and destroyed again in 1948 during the Arab occupation, the Hurva Synagogue was rebuilt again from 2006 and rededicated in 2010.

The most important site is the Wailing Wall or Western Wall, a part of the huge retaining wall of the expansion of the Temple Mount on which were built the First and the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Such retaining wall was built by King Herod I in the 37th century and it’s the main place of pilgrimage for the Jewish people around the world and a major tourist attraction for people of all faiths. Pilgrims and visitors insert hand written prayers in between the cracks of the stones. Many faithful read the Psalms in front of the wall, and numerous Bar Mitzvah are held there.