The Sabbath Walk to the Western Wall -- An Ancient Custom Interrupted for 19 Years

From the earliest days of photography, the Western Wall has been a favorite subject for photographers.  The Wall or Kotel was always a magnet for Jews who came to pray at the remnant of the Temple retaining wall.  On the other side of that Wall once stood the Holy of Holies. During Arab riots in the 1920s and during the Arab revolt (1936- 1939) Jews were often attacked in the Old City.   That's why this set of the American Colony's photographs of the Old City is so unusual.  It shows Jews walking to the Western Wall between 1934 and 1939 "on their usual Sabbath* walk to the Wailing Wall," according to the caption. The subjects hide their faces because of their desire to avoid being photographed on the Sabbath.