Heritage, Nationalism and the Shifting Symbolism of the Wailing Wall*

Abstract

The article analyzes the transformation of the Wailing Wall area after 1967. The Wall has been considered within an architectural and planning perspective presenting the urban transformations made to underline its ‘eternal’ centrality. The role of the Wall in shaping Israeli national identity has been discussed through the lenses of the recent heritage studies theories. It is argued that Israel needed physical, tangible symbols to sustain its claims on the city and that the reconstruction of the whole area defined as “Jewish Quarter”, and particularly the creation of the large Plaza in front of the Wailing Wall, were meant to give the State of Israel an “incontrovertible” proof of its historic rights on the city.