By Kevin Peraino
Crossposted from NEWSWEEK's "Why It Matters" blog
Nearly a week after Barack Obama made a
brief campaign stop in Jerusalem, Israelis are still shaking their
heads over the aggressive reporting of their local news media. Last
week the Israeli daily Ma'ariv published a photo of the prayer note
Obama tucked between the stones of the Western Wall--a common tradition
among Israelis and foreign tourists. "Lord -- Protect my family and
me," said the note, which was written on the stationery of the King
David Hotel, where Obama was staying. "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." (Obama's
spokespeople later declined to confirm or deny that the prayer was
his.)
The theft--by a student at a local yeshiva--was quickly
condemned by the religious figures in charge of the wall. "The notes
placed between the stones of the Western Wall are between a person and
his maker," Shmuel Rabinovitz, the rabbi who manages the site, told a
local radio station. "It is forbidden to read them or make any use of
them." Rabinovitz and his colleagues do occasionally round up the notes
to make more space, but those prayers are then buried unread on the
nearby Mount of Olives. In Obama's case, the yeshiva student ultimately
returned the note, but by then newspapers around the world had
published its contents.
Among Israelis, ever conscious of
their country's image abroad, and especially in the United States, the
theft continues to generate criticism in the local blogosphere. On the
Web site of the Jerusalem Post over the weekend, one reader complained
that the theft was a violation of Jewish religious law and demanded a
public apology. "Just hope that Obama will refrain from suing the jerk,
even though he deserves it," the reader wrote. Others called for a
boycott of Ma'ariv for publishing the note. Still, other Israelis
dismissed the theft and view the prayer note primarily as a savvy
campaign ploy. "He wrote the note knowing it may very well become
public," said one. "Obama is not stupid."
