Model poses naked in front of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and controversy erupts

The online publication today of a photograph showing Belgian model Marisa Papen sunbathing, completely naked, reclining on a plastic chair on a terrace overlooking the Western Wall, Judaism's most sacred site, caused a stir in Israel. Papen explained on her website that she intended to "push the boundaries of religion and politics." But her action has caused dismay and scandal among religious leaders: "This is a serious and reprehensible incident," Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, who heads the Western Wall, told Yediot Ahronot. "The sanctity of the site and the feelings of the faithful have been violated." Some media outlets also noted that Papen's photographer, Mathias Lambrecht, was careful not to include the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque, which are sacred to the Islamic world, in the image.