Israeli paper publishes Obama Western Wall prayer

Israeli paper publishes Obama Western Wall prayer: "JERUSALEM (AP) - A written prayer that Barack Obama left this week in the cracks of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, asks God to guide him and guard his family, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday.

'Lord—Protect my family and me,' reads the note published in the Maariv daily. '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's decision to make the note public drew fire. The rabbi in charge of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitz, said publishing the note intruded in Obama's relationship with God.

'The notes placed between the stones of the Western Wall are between a person and his maker. It is forbidden to read them or make any use of them,' he told Army Radio. The publication 'damages the Western Wall and damages the personal, deep part of every one of us that we keep to ourselves,' he said.

Another Israeli paper, Yediot Ahronot, published an article Friday saying it had also obtained the note but decided not to publish it to respect Obama's privacy."

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.