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The Western Wall Virtual tour – Visit the Kotel

Jerusalem travel guide

The Western Wall also called the Wailing wall, is the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, the one that was closest to the Holy of Holies when the Temple stood.

The holiest Jewish site in the world and a renowned symbol of Jerusalem’s Old City, the Western Wall is a remnant of the retaining wall built by Herod the Great in the 1st century BC, to encompass the Second Temple enclosure.

As the only remainder of their sacred, destroyed Temple, Jewish people from all over the world, throughout two thousands years of exile, have faced the direction of the Western Wall on their prayers.

It is a Jewish belief that the Holy Presence has never left the Western Wall, thus it became the most significant site of Jewish pilgrimage, where Jews came to mourn the ruin of the Temple. This is how the Wall, “Ha’kotel” in Hebrew, has gained the name – the “Wailing Wall”.

The big plaza in front of the Wall is divided into two sections – one for women and one for men. Here you can observe different kinds of Jewish activities and prayers, from orthodox Jews dressed in black reading their bible, to Israeli soldiers and groups of Jewish tourists. Leaning against the Wall and kissing the stones, the prayers’ most famous custom is to insert a note with a prayer to God between the Wall’s bricks, believing in its priority to be answered.

The Western Wall serves as a favorite location for Jewish traditional celebrations, and gets amazingly alive on Friday eve (the arrival of Sabbath) and on Jewish holidays. While visiting the Kotel you may see a Bar Mitzvah kid holding the Torah on his traditional ceremony, or an excited bride & groom being photographed before their wedding.
Information:

The Western Wall is open 24 hours, and requires a modest dress for women and a head cover for the men. Admission is free. The closest gate to enter the Old City directly to the Wall is the Dung Gate. Buses No. 1 and 2 reach inside the Old City to the area of the Wall.

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La Regence Restaurant at the King David Hotel

About La Regence - at the King David hotel Jerusalem At Le Regence Restaurant, the finest ingredients, innovative cooking methods, and precision execution based on classical cooking combine to create a contemporary, fine, surprising, and kosher Israeli cuisine. The kitchen is both avant-garde and simple; rooted in his country, but addressing an international audience at the same time. Using flavors, textures, temperatures, colors, shapes, and aromas, the dishes create an exciting sensation that pleases all senses. We are looking forward to welcoming you to Le Regence and giving you a special, pleasant, and exciting experience. It was a fun and unforgettable culinary experience. Our kitchen In Le Regence Restaurant, Israeli cuisine is refined and contemporary. At the same time avant-garde and simple, it addresses an international audience while being rooted in its country. A sensory experience involving flavors, textures, temperatures, colors, shapes, and aromas stimulates all five senses at once. Please let us know when you are available so we can give you a special, pleasant and exciting experience at Le Regence. Culinary experience that is fun and unforgettable. Local, seasonal, and fresh products are at the forefront of the chef's menu. The foundation of a beautifully executed virtuoso work of art is the artist's passion, imagination and creativity, as well as his endless curiosity and constant search for knowledge. Le Regence Restaurant invites you into a magical and enchanting world. Address: King David St 23, Jerusalem Phone: 02-620-8888

The Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem

The Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem named after the Tish family, or in short the Biblical Zoo, is a zoo located on Derech Aharon Shulov 1 in Jerusalem, on the northern slopes of Nahal Refaim near Ein Yael and Ein Lavan springs. The uniqueness of the zoo is in presenting a zoological collection of Eretz Israel animals, some of which have even been mentioned in the Bible. This zoo is one of the six zoos that are members of the Israeli Zoo Organization. According to the "Dun & Bradstreet" rating - the Biblical Zoo was the most popular attraction in Israel between the years 2005-2007, and in 2009 738,000 visitors were registered. The zoo is uniquely built and displays the animals while integrating into the landscape. The park was designed by architect Lenny Raviv of the Miller Bloom Environmental Planning Office [14], with the goal of giving animals as similar conditions as possible to the conditions in nature. The animals are not in cages, and between the crowd and the animals there are deep ditches that prevent contact between the animals and visitors. The gene is divided into several areas, with each area having animals according to a certain category (for example, according to the continent from which the animals came). Adjacent to the park is the Jerusalem Railway Station - the Biblical Zoo, which began operating in the second half of the 1990s and reopened in 2005 and closed when the new Jerusalem - Yitzhak Navon Railway Station opened in 2018. Archaeological excavations have been carried out in the area of the zoo and the remains of agricultural farms dating from the third millennium BC have been discovered. Most of the exhibits discovered in the area date from the Middle Bronze Age (the first half of the second millennium BC). At the end of the African Yard route is the Zoo Visitor Center in the shape of a Noah’s Ark where there is a kiosk, a movie theater and a souvenir shop. The center was established by Aharon Shulov in 1990 with the first film in the cinema hall that tells about the construction of the biblical zoo. Opening hours: Sun-Thu 09:00-18:00 Fri 09:00-16:00 Sat 09:00-17:00

Baka Neighbourhood Jerusalem

Baka is another one of the neighborhoods in Jerusalem, infected by the American Jewish invasions to Jerusalem. Enough so that if this invasion continues it seems as if soon enough the whole area of the German Colony, Baka and Katamon will become a sort of satellite neighborhood of Brooklyn. Known once for its prosperous times in the British Mandatory, when it was mostly populated by Arab Christians, today, the apartments that were resettled during 1948, serve mainly new immigrants coming from the states and France. Baka’s main street, Beit Lechem, isn’t as sophisticated as its supposed twin from the German Colony, Emek Refaim. But, acting as a melting pot for new immigrants, with the famous Ulpan Etzion (the biggest Hebrew language school for new immigrants in Jerusalem) nestled in it, you can be sure to find great European and American food in the area, proving that the absorption process is going well.

Jerusalem - one of a kind