Where did Hillary Clinton go? Hasidic newspaper edits Secretary of State out of Situation Room photo



It is the image that has come to define a pivotal point in history, capturing the moment the deadly raid on Osama Bin Laden's lair was watched in awe by the White House elite.

But it appears for one U.S. newspaper, a couple of the people sat with President Barack Obama in the Situation Room that day were not quite elite enough.



Brooklyn-based Hasidic newspaper Der Zeitung printed a story this week with a subtly manipulated version of the historic image - all the men in the photograph remain untouched but the two women in the picture have been Photoshopped out.

Photoshopped: The Hasidic newspaper printed an altered version of the Situation Room photograph, with the women edited out

It is thought the newspaper, which is written in Yiddish and serves a small part of the area's ultra-orthodox Jewish community, removed the women because of religious issues regarding female modesty.

While Mrs Clinton is dressed in the picture in a full jacket, wearing a top beneath that covers her almost right up to her neck, the newspaper never intentionally prints any images of women at all in case they could be considered sexually suggestive.

More critical observers suggest the women have been edited by Der Zeitung, which translates as 'The Time', because of an ideological objection to women holding positions of power.

The Situation Room photograph shows President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and various other members of their inner circle watching Sunday night's Navy SEAL operation, which ended with Bin Laden being killed.

Spot the difference: Hillary Clinton and Audrey Tomason are missing

Original: The historic picture of White House staff in the Situation Room

In the original, Hillary Clinton can be seen sitting at the front of the room with her right hand covering her mouth.

The Secretary of State has since played down suggestions that the expression she wore was one of shock, saying she simply coughed at the moment the picture was taken.



Another female staffer at the back of the room, identified since the picture was taken as Audrey Tomason, the director for counterterrorism who works with the Security Council, can be seen intently leaning forward to watch the mission in Pakistan.

But in Der Zeitung's version both women are missing.

Although officials have refused to discuss details of what exactly was happening when the photograph was taken, it is thought Obama was able to monitor the assault on Bin Laden's compound in real time, receiving audio and visual updates from the scene as it was unfolding.

When the team on the ground reported back that they had killed the organization's leader, at approximately 3.55pm ET on Sunday, applause broke out in the Situation Room, according to NBC.

The Der Zeitung newspaper could find itself in serious trouble with authorities because of the way it censored the Situation Room photograph.



The White House released the image along with a fierce disclaimer stating that the 'photograph may not be manipulated in any way.'

Critics said the newspaper should apologise for its actions.



Blogger, Renee Shah, wrote: 'These views are frankly the antithesis of progress. The men who publish this paper believe women should live lives behind closed doors, but this is the 21st century and there are extraordinarily capable women who hold positions of immense power, and do so with dignity and grace.



'Der Zeitung should bow its head in shame and apologize to the millions of women who have worked hard to acheive equity in the modern world.'

A commenter on the story, initially published by blog Failedmessiah, wrote: 'This is a bit silly. Secretary of State Clinton was not dressed immodestly. There was no intent of objectification in the photo. Haven’t the editors got something better to do?'



The Der Zeitung newspaper declined to comment .