The Little Western Wall, also known as HaKotel HaKatan, is located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, near the Iron Gate to the Temple Mount. The wall dates from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). It is the continuation of the Larger part of the Kotel and almost exactly faces the Holy of Holies.
Now, HaKotel HaKatan is not well-known, and so it doesn’t attract nearly as many Haredim as the other section of the Western Wall, the one with all the PR. But this section of the wall may be holier, because of its close proximity to the holy sanctuary. The only closer point outside the Temple Mount compound which directly faces the sanctuary is inside the Kotel tunnels.
So, if you ask me, this could be a priceless opportunity for the Women of the Wall to claim their own part of the Kotel without challenging or upsetting anyone, and without the media hoopla that always keeps them from having a deep spiritual experience.
The Kotel Katan looks a lot like the Western Wall before the liberation of Jerusalem in 1967. It’s humble and very close up, in a narrow alley – just grab the stones and have a good cry.
What say? Get on the ground floor of a better, holier Wall? Anybody?