One election, two walls

On March 28, voters will decide if they believe Israel can become “a country that is fun to live in” | Marvin Olasky

JERUSALEM— The tour buses let off passengers only a few steps from the plaza facing the famed Western (Wailing) Wall, a supporting wall that survived when victorious Romans in 70 a.d. stepped over Israelite corpses to raze the Temple. The buses are convenient, but if you're traveling solo you might enter the Old City through a western gate, weave your way generally southeastward through narrow alleys, and emerge on a plaza in front of a school as a dozen 10-year-old boys rush out for recess and start playing dodgeball all around you.

Looking for a safe place to stand, you might climb a few steps to another plaza occupied only by a man wearing a black hat and black suit with white fringes hanging down from his waist. He holds a cigarette in his right hand and a package of chips in his left, and turns out to be a teacher in the Orthodox Jewish school. He's not watching his young charges as they throw a big rubber ball as hard as they can, with head-hunting not against the rules. He's gazing east, and there, in simple elegance, stands the Wall with its massive white stones.