The Western Wall was built in 19 BC by Herod the Great, almost 600 years before the birth of Mohammed. Herod built the current wall to expand the Mount of the Second Temple, built in 516 BC, after the Jews returned from the Babylonian Exile. The Second Temple would stand until destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Over 600 year later, in 691 AD, Muslims would build the Dome of The Rock, on top of the Mount where the Temple had stood. Today, there are 17 stone courses of the wall below the current street level. Although Jews have been praying at the Wall for over a thousand years, last week the Palestinian Authority issued a report stating that the wall is not Jewish, but part of the Dome. This report, although contradicted by Bible, history, archeology and even photography, is never the less disturbing; It plants another seed of revisionism against the history of the Jewish people. Recently, UNESCO declared that Rachel's Tomb is actually a Mosque, ignoring the thousands of years of Jewish reverence.
photograph shows Jews praying at The Wall in 1895
I admire your interest and knowledge about the history of the Holy Land. The disputes over which religion claims what reminds me of the origins of Allentown. Recent scholarship has documented how William Allen, through the rigged "walking purchase," swindled the Lenni Lanape out of its lands and sacred places. It is shameful how we, as human beings, cannot live in peace with disparate tribes, nations and cultures!
ReplyDeleteMr. Molovinsky,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your academic accountings of the Holy Land. This is very interesting and insightful reading. Thank you.
With all due respect Mr. Ledebur, it was not William Allen (the guy who got a high school named after him) who was involved with the Walking Purchase.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been William Penn (the guy who got a state named after him).
Please inform the scholars - they are way too smart for me, just ask Bernie O'Hare.
Perhaps the Delaware might have done better to consult an attorney before entering into a contractual agreement of such magnitude and siginifcance.
For starters, where was it stipulated that running was prohibited?
With all due respect to somebody with the name "Ironpigpen" William Allen was the mastermind of the Walking Purchase. He swindled the Lenni Lanape by first clearing a route to maximize the walk. William Penn was long dead by then, 1737. Allen was one of the first mayor's of Philadelphia and chief justice to Pennsylvania's highest court. Please refer to the recent book: Promised Land: Penn's Holy Experiment, the Walking Purchase, and the Dispossession of Delawares by Steven Craig Harper (Paperback - Sep 30, 2008)
ReplyDeleteMr. Ledebur,
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected.
The only thing I am 100% certain about with resepct to William Allen is that he was a noted Tory (Loyalist) and took off for England early into the Revolutionary period.
Interesting that Northampton Town was renamed for a non-Patriot, non-Revolutionary War hero well later in the 1830s.
Upon further review, this must be proof that America is, as usual, guilty of high crimes against humanity.
Perhaps we should give Allentown back to the Indians.
Perhaps those sympathetic to the Indians' plight can set a good example for the rest of us marauding thieves by turning over their owned real estate to the Indians first.
Mr. Ledebur,
ReplyDeleteForgot to put up my header but 9:48 is, indeed, I.