A new plan for the Wailing Wall area envisaging a series of terraces rising from the Wall to the Jewish quarter was unveiled yesterday by Its architect, Moshe Safdie.
Presenting the plan to the “Jerusalem Committee,” composed of prominent professionals from various countries and religions currently meeting here, Safdie said the terraces would provide a sense of intimacy absent from the present large plaza for those praying at the Wall while at the same time tripling the amount of space that could be used for large gatherings. “It should be a place for the few and the many,” he said.
Safdie proposed digging down nine meters from the prayer area in order to reach Herodian level. This would expose 13 more courses of stones and increase the height of the Wall by 40 percent. From that point a series of narrowing terraces would rise to the Jewish quarter.
Reaction to the proposed Safdie plan was strong and mixed. Some saw the amphitheater solution a theatrical approach. Safdie said his plan would be submitted to the local planning subcommittees within two months. He hoped it would materialize within 6-7 years.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
