Cologne Wailing Wall in 1994.
Wailing Wall against nuclear proliferation in 2006.
The Wailing Wall in 2011. In the night, the black mobile base plates were stored on the property of German public-broadcasting institution Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) nearby.[1][2]
Two messages from January 2011: on the left, one containing Adolf Hitler and Israel, on the right a sharp criticism of the one-sidedness of the Wailing Wall.

The Cologne Wailing Wall was created at the end of 1980 by Walter Herrmann in the Schildergasse in Cologne, Western Germany.[3]

Overview

Messages denouncing the living conditions of Palestinian people were written on small cardboard pieces and suspended on clotheslines. The "Wailing Wall" was erected in 1991 in front of the south tower of the Cologne Cathedral, supported by a vigil against the Second Gulf War. The authorities attempted to stop the project multiple times, using lawsuits,[4] confiscations and evictions.

Until 1997, 50,000 supporters used this form of open communication to post their messages of solidarity, calls for social justice or letters of support on cardboard. The project was awarded the Aachener Friedenspreis in 1998.

The "Wailing Wall" was reactivated in 2004 by Walter Herrmann.[5] The project was criticized and accused of one-sidedness and antisemitism.[6][7]

References

  1. Tuvia Tenenbom documented this fact in his 2011 book I Sleep in Hitler's Room: An American Jew Visits Germany, The Jewish Theater of New York, 2011, ASIN: B00HUBZZHK
  2. Loschert, Sebastian. "Die Deutschen sind so neurotisch wie ich". hagalil.com. haGalil.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  3. Walter Hermann. "The Wailing Wall For Peace". Sense of Cologne. Sense of Cologne. Archived from the original (Interview) on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  4. "Wiesenthal Centre Applauds Gerd Buurman for Demanding the Close of Cologne "Wailing Wall" Antisemitic Exhibit". Simon Wiesenthal Center. Simon Wiesenthal Center. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 4 January 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  5. Von Pascal Beucker (12 July 2007). "Mahner mit Hang zur Egomanie". taz nrw (in German). Pascal Beucker. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  6. "Artikelrubriken : Antisemitismus". Die Judische (in German). Die Judische. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  7. Benjamin Weinthal (26 December 2010). "German mayor slams 'Cologne Wailing Wall' exhibit". Jerusalem Post. Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2 June 2012.

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