The English update issue 164 165 | Page 39

that was to support the house next to it while it  (the arch) was being built. Once the arch was up and dry,  the prop was superfluous. Despite the fact that the props were actually useless  for almost 40 years and did not support the building, at least one Arab newspaper condemned their removal and blamed “Jewish extremist worshipers” for an action that was liable to cause the building to collapse. In 1972, Rav Meir Yehuda Getz, z”l, the Rav of the Kosel, was in the lower level of the Kosel HaKatan area,  as the digging of the Tunnels was taking place. He heard  very loud knocking coming from above. On going up to  see what had caused the noise, to his horror he found  city workers driving beams directly into the Wall in  order to support the condemned Arab house that had become unstable, either due to the dig or because of water gathered below it. Mayor Teddy Kollek had decided that this house had  to be saved, no matter what. (This, as opposed to the  buildings adjoining the Kosel, which were razed immediately after the that you enter to reach  the Kosel HaKatan is a large, green gate manned by  policemen. This gate is called  Shaar Habarzel  (the Iron  Gate or  Bab al-Hadid). Through the open wooden gate, you may catch a glimpse of Har HaBayis. The heart  bleeds at beholding the  makom haMikdash  in such desolation. Seeing it so close up brings the reality of galus