With US President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Jerusalem’s Western Wall, it was hardly surprising that the Jewish holy site appeared in many media outlets.
Unfortunately, in too many cases, the Western Wall was incorrectly described as “Judaism’s holiest site.”
In fact, the holiest site in the world for Jews is the Temple Mount, the location of the First and Second Jewish Temples.
For the last several hundred years, Jews have prayed at the Western Wall because it was the closest accessible place to Judaism’s holiest site and is the holiest site that Jews are allowed to pray. (It is forbidden for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount in order to maintain the delicate status quo on the site that is administered by the Muslim Waqf. This in addition to conflicting interpretations of Jewish law as to whether prayer is allowed there today.)
The error is important as it reinforces Palestinian efforts to delegitimize Jewish historical ties to the Temple Mount.
HonestReporting has prompted corrections in the following media outlets:
The Times of London
The error appeared in this photo caption:
Following HR’s complaint, the reference to “Judaism’s holiest site” has been removed from the caption.
The Independent
The error appeared in the following paragraph:
Following HonestReporting’s complaint, the text now, accurately, refers to “one of Judaism’s holiest sites.”
Daily Mail
The error appeared in the following paragraph:
As in the case of The Independent, the Daily Mail has amended the text to read: “one of the holiest sites in Judaism.”
HonestReporting continues to ensure factual accuracy in the media, achieving corrections where this common error occurs.
© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
