A historic event took place on Monday morning at the Kosel plaza, when an ancient five-ton Kosel stone—believed to have fallen during the Churban Bayis Sheini—was returned after years on display at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The decision followed a request by Kosel Rav Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz to Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, who approved the move to return the stone to the Kosel genizah.

In March 2025, Israel’s Chief Rabbanim and Rav Rabinowitz demanded that all ancient Kosel stones displayed in various locations—including the President’s Residence, the Israel Museum, and Antiquities Authority storage facilities—to be returned to the Kosel genizah. The Chief Rabbinate Council later convened on the matter and resolved that the Israel Antiquities Authority, together with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, would carry out the process, while ensuring the stones’ kedusha through protective measures and public guidelines.

Rav Rabinowitz said at the ceremony: “The stones of the Kosel are not just stones—they carry the neshamah of the Jewish people, the pain of Galus, and the joy of return. Even when efforts were made to bring that kedusha into the heart of the state’s decision-making centers, their natural place is here, in their original home. Returning the stone today is not only a physical act, but a reconnection to the deep foundations that sustain the entire Jewish nation.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)