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NEWS
Western Wall Heritage Foundation to Handle All Kosel
Matters
by Betzalel Kahn
The government approved handing over all matters related to
the Kosel Maarovi to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation,
which is under the Prime Minister's Office.
Until now the Western Wall Plaza has been the responsibility
of two government organizations: the Heritage Foundation,
which has been in charge of development, and the National
Center for the Development of Holy Sites, which has been in
charge of regular operations and maintenance. This division
created overlap and conflicts of interest in many cases,
leading to the decision to transfer complete responsibility
to the Heritage Foundation. The move is expected to
streamline the work of running the Kosel and assist in
developing the area.
The decision joined a series of decisions made under the
previous government, due to the site's sanctity and
importance to Jews around the world. From 1998 to the
present, the various governments have provided NIS 57 million
($13 million) for improvement programs at the Western Wall
Plaza. It was also decided to transfer NIS 4.8 million ($1.1
million) to finance a plan to renovate the Mughrabi Gate,
located above the women's section of the Western Wall
Plaza.
Rav Shmuel Rabinovitz, the rov of the Kosel Maarovi and the
holy sites, praised the government's decision. "The Kosel
Maarovi serves as the spiritual center of the Jewish people,
the source of tefilloh, emunoh and yearning throughout
the generations," he said. "The entire world lifts its eyes
to this spot and therefore every effort must be made to
develop and preserve it."
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