Tuesday, April 15, 2008

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH:
W. Wall stones in danger of crumbling
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS (Jerusalem Post)

First it was the southern wall of the Temple Mount. Then it was a section of the ancient walls of Masada that were in danger of collapse. Now, it's the turn of the stones of Jerusalem's Western Wall.

Stones at the site are in danger of crumbling, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, the rabbi of the Western Wall, said Monday.

The damaged stones that are beginning to disintegrate are not the ancient ones dating back to the Second Temple Period, but, ironically, the small uniform stones that make up part of the wall built in the 19th century and financed by the British philanthropist and financier Sir Moses Montefiore in an attempt to repair the site at that time.

[...]
Repairs are scheduled for shortly after Passover, but the halakhic issues are complex.

UPDATE (16 April): More here.