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Florida governor cites Kotel prayer in absence of hurricanes

August 24, 2009

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The governor of Florida said he placed prayer notes in the Western Wall asking God to prevent hurricanes from hitting his state.

In a talk to a group of real estate agents last Friday, Gov. Charlie Crist (R) noted that he inserted a note with the prayer during a trade mission to Israel in 2007 and that no major hurricanes had struck the state since. The prayer, according to The Associated Press, was, "Dear God, please protect our Florida from storms and other difficulties. Charlie."

After no major storms hit the state in 2007, Crist asked Florida Sen. Nan Rich (D) to put a note with the same prayer in the Kotel when she traveled to Israel in 2008, and had a friend to do the same earlier this year.

"May, June, July, August -- we're getting closer" to no major storms for the third consecutive year, Crist said. He noted that in 2004 and 2005, the two years before his 2006 election, a total of eight major storms hit the state.

Crist said after his speech, according to the AP, that he wasn't taking credit for the lack of hurricanes.

"I give that to God," he said. "But it's nice."

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