Under this heading writes the worthy Dr. Abraham Jacob Bravor in the Jewish Morning Post:

It is hard to find another thing in this world so strongly ingrained on the imagination of the Jewish people as the Beth-Hamikdosh (ancient temple of which the Western Wall only remains), with its ancient magnificence and sacredness. The Western Wall, even today, draws three times daily the attention of the entire nation. Its Divine Presence is not lost. Friends abused our hallowedness, degraded us to less than dust, yet, from these last stones the brilliance of the halo has not been quenched. The Western Wall, undestroyed, is our symbol of old Israel whom foes have cast to the ground and trampled underfoot. And yet the old light of its soul could not be extinguished.

2

The Western Wall is the only spot on the face of the globe where Jews from every end of the Diaspora meet. It is the only consecrated place in Jerusalem that is not the worshipping center of a single community or individual group but embraces to a leveling point all Jews of all sects from every point of the compass. In a narrow strip, barely fifty meters long and four or five meters wide, all Jerusalem meets; all Jews meet who come from distant lands. But, also here where the Holy Spirit gleams eternally, is exile,-the hard bitter Diaspora. Because this holy spot does not belong to Jews. It is rather a blind street containing a few filthy Arab huts in which Moroccan murderers, who fled from justice in France, had found a haven under the Turkish rule and were granted the immediate vicinity of our ancient temple. These people travel back and forth, on foot or on asses, where Jews gather for prayer to "Our Father in the Heavens."

How often there was crowding as they stood at prayer. Or when a long line 3of priests stood at the wall to bless the people for the Sabbath, the devil himself seemed to send along a Moroccan with his veiled woman, so that hundreds of Jews must move to make way for him. On week days, when fewer people visit the wall, little urchins dare to confront the Jew to pull his beard. In any other country this sanctuary would be protected, prayers could then be said unmolested. But Turks did everything to annoy Jews. Shortly before the War it was forbidden to light oil or candles, or to place stands or chairs before the Wall. How often in the midst of prayer, a few police came for control of some situation. In Turkey they have a means to help their decree called Babshish,-in Polish it is Lapupka. Also this did not help. It probably all passed as a farce with a wink. All attempts of buyers to buy the place were futile because of its filth.

Now the Babshish fellows are far on the other side of the tower and never again will the boot of a Turkish policeman profane our holy place.

4

But as long as we do not buy it and all the filth remains before the Western Wall, then a great shame is still at our doors. This task will be one of our first duties, though we have so many others, yet we must spare no money or energy in this direction. The site of the Wall must be set apart and instead of filthy Arab huts a community house should be built. Here all our aged, who sit day and night before the Wall, may find shelter from rain and sun.

In that hour when Palestine will be redeemed, the Western Wall will already have a Liberator. Let the call from Vienna ring out and immediately an echo will reverberate throughout the entire world.

Remember the

Western Wall