Large stone from Jerusalem’s Western Wall crashes into prayer area

A large stone dislodged from Jerusalem’s Western Wall – the holiest site for Jewish prayer – and crashed into a prayer area on Monday.

No injuries were reported in the incident, which was caught on camera and circulated in Israeli media.

The stone crashed into a small prayer area designated for mixed-gender services.

The incident came a day after the Jewish holy day of Tisha B’av, when Jews fast in commemoration of the destruction of two ancient temples.

Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch said such an event has not occurred for decades, according to the Times of Israel

Rabinovitch called for “soul-searching,” saying the stone’s dislodging after the Tisha Ba’av holy day “raises doubts and questions which the human soul is too small to contain.”

The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, is located at the foot of the Temple Mount, which is Judaism’s most holy site. Mainstream Judaism forbids Jews from entering the Temple Mount, until the return of the Jewish Messiah.

Islam’s third holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is located on the Temple Mount.

(dpa/NAN)