01 Dec
History, Latest, Religion

The Heart of the Jewish People

By Doni Kandel Living in the Old City of Jerusalem for eighteen months was enough for me. While I'm eternally appreciative of Jerusalem, it is loud and overcrowded; the Old City is no exception. However, there is no more significant religious or cultural place for the Jewish people than the City of Gold. The Kotel, the wall that millions upon millions of people visit year round to celebrate, mourn, plead for answers and show gratitude, is the modern epicenter of Jerusalem’s Jewish importance. This is why the latest attack on Israel’s right to Jerusalem, that Israel has no claim to the Kotel, is not just a political chess move but an affront to the Jewish nation.  Those who decry Israel’s attempt to hold on to Jerusalem claim...

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29 Jul
Latest, Misc

Obama Kotel Message Follow-Up

According to The Jerusalem Post, the Kotel rabbi, Shmuel Rabinovitch, has sent Sen. Barack Obama a letter apologizing for the publication of the note the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee left in the Kotel last week: "As the rabbi of the Western Wall and the holy sites, I express my deep regret for this despicable act. Many people visit the Western Wall—Jews and non-Jews—and the respect for them and their prayers is of extreme importance to us," wrote Rabinovitch. "I can only apologize that the holy atmosphere didn't touch the heart of the yeshiva student as it touched your heart." "Your prayer, of course, has not been spoiled and you have not been damaged by this publication," he stressed. "I wish for your prayers to be answered and may you be a faithful servant to the...

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25 Jul
Latest

Obama's Message at the Kotel

Controversy has erupted regarding Sen. Barack Obama's recent trip to Israel, because an Israeli newspaper, Ma'ariv, published the note Obama put in the Kotel. Many people, including the staff of Yedihot Aharonot, a newspaper that also obtained Obama's note but decided not to publish it, feel that making Obama's note public ruins the private, spiritual nature of placing a personal prayer in Judaism's holiest site. Western Wall rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz and others have criticized the note's publicity. According to AP, Rabinovitz told Army Radio, "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." Rabiovitz also said the publication "damages the Western Wall and damages the personal, deep part of every one of us that we keep to...

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