The Chief Rabbis of Israel, alongside the rov of the Kosel and mekomos hakedoshim in Eretz Yisroel, have issued a joint declaration urging the return of stones from the Kosel that are currently on display at different locations across the country, insisting that they should be restored to their original resting place.
This statement follows the removal of a five-ton stone from the Kosel, which had fallen during the destruction of the Second bais Hamikdosh in 70 CE. The stone was taken to Ben Gurion International Airport for display as part of a historical exhibit. The chief rabbis criticized this move, calling it “the desecration of the holy stones.”
In an official letter, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Rav Dovid Yosef and Rav Shmuel Rabinovitch, the rov of the Kosel, emphasized that “these stones are holy and we have no permission to use them, and they need proper storage.”
They argued that the appropriate location for these stones is “next to the stones that fell from the Har Habayis that are in a pile at the south side of the Kosel.”
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Rav Kalman Ber added his support, stating: “It is clear that according to halacha, one must not use these stones as a museum piece that can be moved from place to place like a display of a mundane object.”
The matter was recently raised in the Knesset by MK Avraham Betzalel (Shas), who called on the Antiquities Authority to return the Kosel stones currently displayed at Ben Gurion Airport, the President’s Residence, the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, the Israel Museum, and the Antiquities Authority’s storage facility.
In response to the debate in the Knesset, Minister Amichai Chikli, speaking on behalf of the government, stated: “The state will act per the Chief Rabbinate’s ruling.”
For years, the stones that fell during the Second Bais Hamikdosh’s destruction were stored in various locations, becoming significant historical exhibits in various government institutions.
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