Monday, July 28, 2008
Rabbi: Obama Prayer Theft 'Sacrilege'
An Israeli rabbi charged with overseeing the Western Wall in Jersualem expressed outrage over the theft of Sen. Barack Obama's written prayer.
Last Thursday, Obama visited the holy site and placed a written prayer into a crevice of the wall.
The note was removed and turned over to the Israeli daily newspaper Ma'ariv, which printed the handwritten prayer.
In a statement, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz said: "This sacrilegious action deserves sharp condemnation and represents a desecration of the holy site."
On Sunday, Israel's TV2 television network reported that a Jewish seminary student admitted he passed the note on to the newspaper. He said a group of friends took Obama's note.
The student told TV2: “I am asking for Obama’s forgiveness. If he was offended by it … of course he was, this is not a nice thing to do. Nobody meant to … it was sort of a prank. I hope he will forgive us, and we hope that he will win the presidency,” said the student, whose identity was obscured by the television station.
The prayer, as reported by Ma'ariv, read:
"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."
An Israeli rabbi charged with overseeing the Western Wall in Jersualem expressed outrage over the theft of Sen. Barack Obama's written prayer.
Last Thursday, Obama visited the holy site and placed a written prayer into a crevice of the wall.
The note was removed and turned over to the Israeli daily newspaper Ma'ariv, which printed the handwritten prayer.
In a statement, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz said: "This sacrilegious action deserves sharp condemnation and represents a desecration of the holy site."
On Sunday, Israel's TV2 television network reported that a Jewish seminary student admitted he passed the note on to the newspaper. He said a group of friends took Obama's note.
The student told TV2: “I am asking for Obama’s forgiveness. If he was offended by it … of course he was, this is not a nice thing to do. Nobody meant to … it was sort of a prank. I hope he will forgive us, and we hope that he will win the presidency,” said the student, whose identity was obscured by the television station.
The prayer, as reported by Ma'ariv, read:
"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."
