Over the weekend, the story broke that a person identified as a “yeshiva student” removed the written prayer inserted by Barack Obama into the Kotel and handed it over to the Israeli press for publication.(Of some interest, Yediot Achronot declined to publish it, Ma’ariv put it on the front page.)

Rightly, this breach of privacy was immediately denounced by the Rav of the Kotel and the person who purloined Obama’s note publicly apologized

In this period of “the 3 weeks” – when we are to contemplate the fact that Jerusalem was destroyed because of our ancestors misdeeds, but remains in ruins because of our generation’s failings – perhaps this incident ought to prompt some reflection on how the actions of an individuals Jew can reflect on our entire people – and in the eyes of the entire world.
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