Khamsa stamps withdrawn

TotallyJewish.com reports that, "The Israeli postal authority has been forced to pull two new stamps from circulation after it was realised that their designs incorporated holy words that, under religious law, couldn’t be defaced, disposed of or destroyed."

According to the site, "The first, which was withdrawn last week, depicted a khamsa –a charm shaped like a hand – and incorporated one of the names of God in Hebrew. The other, it was noted after production, showed sections of the Talmud."

The postal authority was instructed to cease printing the stamps by Israel’s Communications Minister Rav Ariel Attias.

Recipients of the stamps have been advised that they need to receive the same kind of religious burial as a siddur or Torah scroll.

Israeli post offices, meanwhile, are offering a refund to anyone who has purchased one of the stamps.