by Gil Ronen and Hana Levi Julian
(IsraelNN.com) Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign seems to have purposely leaked the contents of the note that he placed in the Kotel, web magazine Israel Insider wrote Tuesday. While Israel's Hebrew newspaper Maariv came under fire for publishing the note, "it now appears that Maariv had collaborated with the Obama campaign in getting the 'private' prayer, with its 'modest' supplication to the Lord, out to the public, buffing his Christian credentials and showing his "humility," the web magazine said.
Last Friday, on the morrow of Obama's visit to the Kotel, Maariv published a close-up picture of the note written by Obama to G-d, supposedly after a yeshiva boy took it from the crack between the Kotel stones in which Obama deposited it. Maariv's competitor Yediot Acharonot slammed the paper for violating Obama's privacy.
Filched or released for publication? In a statement issued following the public outcry over the leak, Maariv said that "Barack Obama's note was approved for publication in the international media even before he put it in the Kotel, a short time after he wrote it at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem." A third newspaper, Haaretz, quoted Maariv as saying that "Obama submitted a copy of the note to media outlets when he left his hotel in Jerusalem."
Based on these statements by Maariv, Israel Insider concluded that the Obama campaign "managed the event brilliantly, if deceptively, getting the double benefit of appearing to be victimized by the invasive Israeli press and prayer-thieving Jew while at the same time leaking out his humble Christian plea to the Lord." The report noted that by the week's end, "a (relatively) slick video appeared on [public video website] YouTube that blended Obama's Western Wall prayer with various church scenes, crosses aplenty, a dove of peace, and a soundtrack based on Amazing Grace. The video closes with a "vote" button and an invitation to visit the official campaign website."
Pro-Obama video features Obama's "note to G-d." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNUMYJirEXg
Apparently unaware that the leaking of the note was coordinated by the Obama campaign and Maariv, Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz called the publication a "sacrilegious action" which "deserves sharp condemnation and represents a desecration of the holy site." He stated: "Notes which are placed in the Western Wall are between the person and his Maker; Heaven forbid that one should read them or use them in any way. The custom of placing notes between the stones of the Western Wall is ancient and is used as a means of expression by a person praying to his Creator."
Maariv's editors, Doron Galezer and Ruth Yovel, are considered to be hard-core leftists. The paper said that it was "pleased" with its "journalistic accomplishment." "It now appears that Maariv had collaborated with the Obama campaign in getting the 'private' prayer, with its 'modest' supplication to the Lord, out to the public."
"In any case," Maariv added, "since Obama is not a Jew, publishing the note does not constitute an infringement on his right to privacy."
Campaign denies An Obama campaign spokesman claimed that the campaign hadn't approved the publication of any kind of prayer note. "Prayer notes at the Wall should remain private," a campaign aide said.
Israeli Channel 2 TV reported Sunday that the note was returned to the Kotel. It showed an interview with an anonymous yeshiva student, whose face was not shown, who did not want to say how he got possession of the note and claimed that the note was filched from the Kotel by a yeshiva student as a prank.
Call for boycott Jerusalem lawyer Shahar Alon asked Attorney General Menachem Mazuz Monday to order a police investigation into the removal and publication of Obama's note.
"By making the note public," Alon wrote to Mazuz, "Maariv violated the law protecting holy sites, several clauses in the penal code and also infringed upon the basic rights of a person's honor and freedom."
Alon also initiated a boycott of the newspaper. In a public letter, he called on all who felt that Maariv had desecrated the holiness of the Kotel to refrain from purchasing the newspaper.
Funny how Obama's campaign gets caught again pulling a Media Stunt. How they tend to desecrate a holy place just for a photo stunt. This guy is worse then a cancer. Over the weekend I aurged with a couple of cousins who were Obama Kool Aid drinkers about this issue and they were really upset that somebody took the message from the wall. Now we see the published truth about Obama's staff planning this all along. American Jews need to wake up and see that this guy is bad news. A real piece of crap.
Hussein`s handwriting indicates a ‘high and mighty’ attitude/personality,extravagence and quite possibly, molested as a child.
It isn't surprising. The whole "community organizer" shtick is deceptive. Under cover of helping those in need, it actively encourages abusing the system, not to get fair share, but to get more than fair share and to damage society at large by excessive demands. Publicity stunts are part of the program.
My very first thought when I heard that Barry had left a message at the wall was it will be retrieved and used to show what a great Christian he is.
At the risk of revealing the true depths of my ignorance, I will pose a question.
What happens to these notes under normal circumstances?
Are they collected by maintenance people? Do they deteriorate in place? Do silly tourists collect them?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2051161/posts?page=8#8
If Maariv had advance permission to publish the note along with an advance copy of it, why did they take the note that the yeshiva student took from the wall and brought to them? And if the Obama campaign did indeed give the media the text of the note along with permission to publish it, in advance of putting it in the wall, why did his campaign staff later deny that, and why is no other media outlet coming forward to confirm this?
Isn’t there a Biblical injunction by Jesus against people who make a big show of their religion in the Temple?
I don’t understand what the big deal is. Wasn’t his “prayer” just “Kill Whitey” written over and over on the back of an empty pack of Kools?
“Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven....And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men.”
The media is so lame... They never ask any questions and just lap up anything that Obama and his minions offer.
Will this hit the mainstream press? LOL
I had this pegged as a PR stunt when a color photo of the actual note was reprinted in our LOCAL morning paper, front page, within hours of the story hitting the wire.
Inquiring minds realized this was a stunt from the beginning. Obama will not stop at using anyone or anything- even to pretending to be a spiritual person, and then trying to use God to advance his goals for the WH. Hey, Obama...God knows too. He knows what is in your heart and soul and what you really are. No matter how much of a communicator you might think you are, you can’t talk God out of recognizing the real you! Especially when you play the game of pretending to pray to Him only so you can get publicity! Like “Mother Nature,” you can’t fool God.
No surprise; it's what they do !!
(Islamists and their socialist ilk)
Is this the “Obamanation” of Desolation spoken of in the Bible?
When I first heard of the note thing, I said it was so messed up to have stolen his note. I take that back!
Confirmation of what a lot of us suspected all along - ping!
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