The KKL-JNF Archive Reveals Photographs from the Tisha B'Av Prayers After the Liberation of the Western Wall

In the Jewish tradition, Tisha B'Av is a day of remembrance, fasting and mourning over the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem. One of the historical symbols of the temple is the Western Wall, liberated during the Six Days War. After the war and to this very day, the Western Wall is a pilgrimage site for those who pray, especially during Tisha B'Av. Now, the KKL-JNF archive reveals rare pictures fomr the visits to the Western Wall several months after its liberation.  
Every year, thousands of people come to pray at the Western Wall, near the place where the temple stood, in Tisha B'Av. But coming to the site was not possible until June 1967, when Israel liberated the Western Wall. Now, the KKL-JNF archive reveals rare photographs of the Tisha B'Av prayers, taken shortly after one of the most significant events in the history of Israel.
 
Efrat Sini, Archive Division Manager at KKL-JNF: "Demolished houses and ruins were met by those who came to the Jewish Quarter after the Six Days War. Visitors had to skip piles of rubble and the every step brought up a cloud of dust. But even the sight of the ruined quarter could not spoil the feeling of excitement that held the visitors upon their arrival to the Western Wall. The prayers held on Tisha BA'v that year are now revealed in photographs from the KKL-JNF archive, which preserves key events from the history of Israel."