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God Gets a Second Line -- from Telecom Digest
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1993 14:50:35 -0400
[Originally posted on the Fidonet FCC conference] * Original Area: FCC * Original From: Don Kimberlin (1:250/701) * Original To : All (1:250/730) Recent news contains yet another way telephone companies have found to make money: HEAVENLY HOT LINE GETTING SECOND NUMBER. "BEST-OF-BOOK" By: Arieh O'Sullivan, Associated Press JERUSALEM - Faxing notes to God has been such a hit that the Israeli phone company has opened another line to the divine and plans to publish a book of the best prayers and messages. In January, the national phone company, Bezek, decided to make a business of the hundreds of notes stuffed each day into the crannies of Jerusalem's Wailing Wall. It opened a fax line to receive the messages, which are copied and sent by messenger to the wall, Jerusalem's holiest shrine of Judaism. On Tuesday, Bezek set up another line for those seeking divine intervention but unable to get to the wall personally to plant a note. Author Joyce Shira Starr will use the best of the messages from the new second line in a book she'll start writing next spring. But for those who want their innermost desires to remain between them and God, the first line set up in January will continue to be confidential. About 70 faxes are sent daily from around the world, mainly originating in the United States and Europe. While God presumably understands any language, only faxes sent in English will be considered for publication in Starr's forthcoming book. Starr and Bezek will share jointly in the profits from book sales. <end quoted story> The number of the original (and still confidential) fax line in Isreal is +972 2 612222, while the new line for publishable faxes to the Wailing Wall is +972 2 235555. Calls to both numbers are chargeable to the orginating party at international telephone rates as applicable to a call to Israel.
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- God Gets a Second Line -- from Telecom Digest David Farber (Sep 26)