Friday, July 25, 2008

Israeli paper publishes Obama's wall note

The Israeli paper Maariv obtains the note Obama left at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and puts a photograph of it on its front page.

The handwriting, beneath the letterhead of the King David Hotel, does appear to be Obama's. Visitors traditionally stick notes of prayer into the wall.

The note says:

Lord,

Protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins and help me guard against pride and despair.

Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just.

And make me an instrument of your will.

The paper reports that the note was taken by a yeshiva student who was at the wall at the time — a mark of how virtually nothing remains private.

The rabbi of the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, condemned its publication.

Kotel rabbi slams publication of Obama's personal note

Shmuel Rabinovitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall, criticized the Ma'ariv newspaper on Friday for publishing a personal note US presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama placed between the cracks of the Kotel early Thursday morning.

Speaking to Army Radio on Friday, Rabinovitz said that the publication was an intrusion of the senator's privacy.

The note was taken by a yeshiva student and given to the newspaper, which published it on Friday morning.

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