Kotel

kotel

(KOH-tell)

n. The remaining retaining wall of the mount of the Second Temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.

"I'm going to pray at the Kotel tomorrow."
"The Kotel is holy because it is the last remnant of the Temple."
"Joan said they're having the Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel—isn't that great?" (Glinert)

Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
Israel: Diaspora Jews who feel connected to Israel and have spent time there

The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

kosel, koysel, koysl, kosl

"Before 1967, the Old City section of Jerusalem, including the Western Wall, was under Jordanian control, and Jews were forbidden to visit it. Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War reunified Jerusalem and opened the entire city to all people.
Today, this remnant of a holy building is revered by Jews who gather on a large, open plaza in front of it to pray. Many visitors to the Wall write their prayers, thoughts, or wishes on a scrap of paper and then wedge it in between the Kotel’s massive stones. Some American children hold their Bar or Bat Mitzvah service at the Wall. The plaza is divided into separate sections for men and women, in keeping with Orthodox demands. Recently, the Western Wall has become the focus of controversy, as Orthodox sects seek to limit women’s access and participation in services at the Wall by violently attempting to disperse them." (JPS)

See also Western Wall and Wailing Wall.

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