A stone from the Western Wall that had been on display for many years at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv will soon be returned to a designated genizah—ritual repository—near the other stones of the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Monday afternoon. The transfer is expected to take place in the coming days.
The decision to return the multi-ton stone was finalized in a conversation between Katz and Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites. During their discussion, Katz agreed to the rabbi’s request to return the stone to its natural setting, as part of a broader initiative to restore ancient stones from the Western Wall that were placed in various locations across Israel over the years, including at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
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Western Wall stone weighing 6 tons on display at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Neta Dabah, Ministry of Defense)
"This stone belongs at the Wall—at the sacred site of the Jewish people, the root of our identity and faith,” said Katz. “Its rightful place is in the heart of Jerusalem, among the stones of prayer and history of the Jewish people. I thank Rabbi Rabinowitz for his cooperation and his dedication to the sanctity of the Western Wall and the unity of Jerusalem. Returning the stone is a symbolic and moral act, reflecting respect for tradition, history, and the sovereignty of the State of Israel in its eternal capital.”
Rabbi Rabinowitz welcomed the move, saying: “I am grateful to the Defense Minister for the decision to return the Western Wall stone to its rightful place alongside the other sacred stones of the Wall. The stones of the Western Wall are holy, and we are not permitted to make use of them. Their proper place is with the other stones of the Western Wall.
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A Western Wall stone going on display at Ben-Gurion airport
(Photo: Emil Aljem, Israel Copyright Authority)
Eli Eskosido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, also addressed the decision. “The Antiquities Authority is committed to handling sacred matters with respect for Jewish tradition, in accordance with the ruling of Israel’s Chief Rabbis, who determined that the stones of the Western Wall possess unique sanctity," he said. "Accordingly, the Authority will work to return all such stones to eternal genizah alongside the other sacred stones.”