ISRAEL: Obama's Western Wall prayer made public

Before leaving Israel on Thursday, Barack Obama took out a sheet of King David Hotel stationery and penned a heartfelt prayer to God. It was meant to be private, but his early morning visit to the Western Wall, where he deposited the folded piece of paper into a crevice, was a public event.

As the Democratic candidate headed for the airport, a young Orthodox religious student searched the Wall until he found the note and turned it over to Maariv. The newspaper's decision to publish the prayer drew a storm of criticism in Israel.

"It was unworthy and inappropriate to publish this note," fumed Shmuel Rabinovitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall. "This violates a request that is private and personal." The rabbi's objection follows a 1,000-year-old Jewish edict against snooping on someone else's mail.

Bloggers joined in denouncing the newspaper, even as they speculated how much Obama's letter would fetch on eBay. But one critic, attorney Guy Mashiach, figured the senator probably anticipated the invasion of his privacy.

"Obama is intelligent enough to understand that in Israel, nothing remains private, discreet and secret for more than a few hours and that one mustn't count on a secret meant to be shared only by you and God for eternity being kept even in the holy of holies," he wrote on the Haaretz newspaper's web site. "Obama didn't fall into the trap of asking for John McCain's disappearance ... and penned a remarkably beautiful note, as though he had known the note would go directly to one of the more tabloid-like papers."

Read more about Obama's stolen Western Wall prayer

— Richard Boudreaux in Jerusalem

Photo: Barack Obama places a note in the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City. Credit: Tara Todras-Whitehil / Associated Press

Comments

[Dan, TX]

Only a Rovian would think having the prayer stolen was part of some vast conspiracy. What a bunch of fools!'

McCain is going to lose because these people insult the intelligence of the rest of us. Well, actually it is because McCain is an insult to intelligent people everywhere.

[max]

It was a conservative, anti-Obama paper. Your lame arguments would be like saying Fox News is helping Obama. As far as the Kippah, skull cap or Yarmulke, George Bush AND John McCain both wore them when they visited the wall, You have to cover your head, men wear Kippahs and women wear scarves. Hillary wore a scarf when she visited the wall. All left prayers.

A large segment in Isreal is for McCain. Isreal has said the Bush administration has promised they will attack Iran in the next couple of months. Both McCain and Bush is pushing for an Iran war, which is one reason there will be troops in Iraq for a LONG time.

[Dave]

Where is Lieberman's outrage?

[trustee]

It was another stunt... with a non-Jewish seminary student pulling the note from a very conspicuous spot that had no real 'hiding' crack... It is on film for the world to see... This makes me even more skeptical of Obama's coniving ways with his enamored love affair with the press. Obama is a danger to this country in his selfish pursuit to make history as the first biracial candidate. I am laughing as America will still put McCain in office with all of his elderly mistakes... He is, at the least, a man with honor and I am a registered Democrat who is voting for McCain... Without security, there will be no economy to protect! Get your prioties straight this year people!

[Chicka]

It was wrong to do that, full stop.

Maybe the student felt that since he wasn't a jew, the prohibition of removal didn't apply to him, but it does. I hope the head Rabbi finds out who did it, and has him expelled from yeshiva.

Most rabbinical students don't think of all the money they'll get from Ma'ariv. This one probably did. As for Ma'ariv, what do you expect. The Jerusalem Times they are not.

[John McCain]

I would have written something more patriotic.

A noun, a verb, POW, surge, and my name.

My friends, that would have been nicer.

[sandipuma]

I see your right. LATIMES is biased. When you speak the truth they do not post it.

[sandipuma]

Please Mr. Obama will do anything to get a vote. Even put his white grand mother under the bus. This whole tour was paid for by our tax money while obama makes a weak fool out of America.The DNC are as crooked as you can get.They selected the weak one as they thought they could use him as their puppet.The strong one they were afraid of.HRC.
Obama wore that ( cap) not out of respect but only to look good. He is a maniac and can not be trusted ever. Anyone who takes the American Flag off his Airplane and put on his own Logo has a lot of screws missing,
ExDemocrat and a Proud PUMA

[Keith]

Obama penned a beautiful prayer (I assume because I refuse to read what's beyond the picture) He followed the teaching of Jesus to keep prayers private and Jewish tradition at the Wailing Wall. Too bad the young student, who should have known better, didn't follow Jewish tradition.

[Bill Buntin]

I did not believe the censorship existed at the LA Times. You just proved me wrong!!
Keep protecting my rights--- TOUNGE IS IN MY CHEEK !!!!!

[angry hippie]

Hey, what's up with Pinkberry? It tastes like
cardboard to me. Anyone else feel that way?

Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt this
terribly important discussion. And thank God
global warming is off the radar. That was
an annoying one.

[Bill Buntin]

GOSH !!! I'm gushing, I can hardly think!!!!
I wish BO would have prayed for John Edwards!! Anopther VP down the tubes!!

Laughing very hard in OhiO

Loed protect and look over us from the likes of BO

[Mitchell in NY]

For what it's worth, because I know that skeptics will simply not accept this, the prayer that Obama left is entirely consistent with the man. If you read his autobiography and writings this is clear as day. The rabbi is of course correct. This was a violation of his privacy. A real shame.

Meanwhile back in the U.S. the MSM hasn't exactly been covering itself in glory with regard to Obama. His travels have been a striking success. So it's interesting to contrast what's going on in the real world with the "hysteria" of many in the Media about how the race is tightening (according to the polls) and how no one expected this. (Nonsense all around. Obama is doing just fine at this stage in the game, including in recent polls.)

"Media Hype and Election Polls (or how the sky is falling)
http://msa4.wordpress.com/

[Jon]

Freddy, he wears a yarmulke (correct spelling) out of respect for the customs of a 5000 year old religion. The Western (or Wailing Wall) is among the holiest of Jewish shrines. Doing that is the same as taking your hat off in church. Every visitor does that in the Vatican or Winchester Cathedral, for example, regardless of religion. Public non-Muslim female visitors to Muslim countries are often asked to cover their heads, and arms, and they do. Sorry if you hate Jews and their customs, but please keep it to yourself next time.

[FREDDY]

Have you ever asked yourself why do we need/have to wear that yamaka on his head.....every politician wears that....why doesnt he do the same things with other nations? here is something to think about!!!!!!

[angela]

appauling. what is private for the rest of the world is fodder for the public because he's running for office?! and did you notice it was a seminary student who took the prayer from the wall?! I wouldn't trust that student to be my religious leader or anything else for that matter. SHAME SHAME

[B. Watkns]

"Obama...penned a remarkably beautiful note, as though he had known the note would go directly to one of the more tabloid-like papers."

Duh.