Robinson’s Arch is the area at the Western Wall used for egalitarian bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies.
The archaeological site is named after the American biblical scholar Edward Robinson, who identified the remains of a monumental arch connected with the ancient Temple complex. The arch once supported a staircase leading to the Temple Mount during the Second Temple period.
A prayer platform near the surviving arch is associated with non-Orthodox and egalitarian Jewish services. It provides a location where men and women can participate together, including in Torah-reading ceremonies and bar or bat mitzvah celebrations.
Robinson’s Arch is distinct from the main Western Wall plaza, where prayer arrangements traditionally separate men and women. Wilson’s Arch is another nearby archaeological feature, which is why the two names are sometimes confused.