A section of one of Judaism's holiest sites is closed to worshippers after a huge stone dropped out of the Western Wall Monday, barely missing a woman praying.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said the stone weighs 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and called it “a great miracle” no one was hurt.
Just one day earlier, the area was packed with worshippers for the Jewish holy day Tisha B'Av, which marks the destruction of temples that stood at the site.
The head of the Israeli Antiquities Authority, Israel Hasson, said the aging of the wall, plants and dampness may have caused the stone to drop and said it could happen again.
But, he said, “I wish that everybody could have a builder who would construct such buildings that a stone falls out only after 2,000 years.”
