The Western Wall was crowded last night with thousands of Jews lamenting the destruction of the First and Second Temples as the Tisha B’av fast began. The worshipers recited the Book of Lamentations and mourning prayers at the Western Wall. The area of the wall and the roads leading to it were guarded by hundreds of policemen. Places of entertainment were closed throughout the country.
Meanwhile, a group led by Jerusalem City Councillor Gershon Salomon attempted to pray on the Temple Mount today. A “solemn warning” from Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yoseph which forbids Orthadox Jews from praying on the Temple Mount did not deter the group. The 30 worshipers, however, were stopped by police on their way to the Temple Mount. But they began their prayers where they were stopped.
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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.
