There are times when a person reaches a crossroads.
Last week I had to decide between my great love for journalism and the daily newspaper, and my love for working as the spokesperson for the chairman of the Knesset Education Committee.
This week I decided: I'm taking a break from the newspaper that served as my home, from the readers who encouraged me, and from the public who constantly wanted to know what was going on behind the scenes of Israeli politics.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
About a month ago, I started working alongside the chairman of the Knesset Education Committee, MK Yaakov Margi. I contacted the Knesset's legal advisor and asked him for permission to continue writing the column 'Proposal for Order'.
I explained why I thought there was no problem, but the legal advisor, Attorney Eyal Yinon, thought otherwise. The dilemma was not simple: 'Yom Yiom' was not just a newspaper or a workplace for me, but a kind of family. For the past four years, I have published a political column here every week, which crossed sectors and was called Beyond the Natural Home of the Spanish public.
He was quoted and mentioned in the general media and the Haredi media. He opened a window for all those who wanted to know what the movement's position was on the issues at hand. Some of the things he said caused a stir, some came to calm spirits. And all of them were subjected to the scrutiny of the Spiritual Committee. Even when I was forced to shelve things, I accepted it in good spirits.
I was honored by the First Minister of Zion, the President of the Council of Torah Sages, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, ztk"l, who read the column and encouraged me.
One of the stories I remember most of all that was published in Tory was the revelation of the meeting between Mofaz and Katz, on the eve of the primaries for the leadership of Kadima. Mofaz met with Minister Yisrael Katz in Airport City, and the conclusion of their meeting was that after the elections, Kadima would join the government. I received the information from a friend who was involved in the secret affairs, who I consider a reliable source.
I reached out to Mofaz's spokesperson for comment, and he denied the matter. "When do you say the meeting took place?" the spokesperson asked.
""Friday at noon," I replied.
""No way. He was on tour in the north at the time," the spokesman replied.
I went back to the source and told him that I had difficulty publishing something like this, as I might be perceived as a journalist publishing things without checking. The source assured me that the story was true.
Despite the denial, I went back to the spokesman and asked him to give me the place where he was staying in the north, and which activists he was staying with. This is where unclear answers began to come in. I decided to publish the case, as many problems were discovered in the spokesman's version.
The publication turned out to be true. Mofaz did indeed meet with Katz on that day and at the same hours. The summary of the meeting was also correct. Reality is stronger than any denial.
About a month after the elections for Kadima leadership, Mofaz entered the government as a minister.
The secular media published the news extensively, two weeks late, without giving credit.
•
The struggles I led also received a great deal of attention, and permeated the ultra-Orthodox sector.
Over the past two years, I have extensively covered the work of Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Eli Ben Dahan, who was awarded the title of 'Dearest of the Section.' There were those who believed that I had a personal interest in him. Ben Dahan's associates also took the trouble to declare this to me more than once.
I had nothing against Ben Dahan, I criticized his activities at the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Even though his office chose to ignore providing answers, and made sure to remove my name from the mailing list - a kind of petty consideration, which is indicative of the way Ben Dahan's office conducts itself.
Despite everything, there were a number of people within the Ministry of Religious Affairs who made sure to report to me at any given moment about the deputy minister's activities. I checked and made sure to update the readers, and to reveal what they didn't want you to know.
And there were sometimes work accidents.
Columns that it would be better if never came, and for which I not only asked for forgiveness from those who were offended, but I took the trouble to do so on the cover of the newspaper, and sometimes in a wider circulation.
This was the case with MK Uri Maklev, chairman of the Science Committee. I asked for his forgiveness not only in the newspaper, but in a wider circulation. And indeed, things were straightened out.
And there were also those who expressed regret for things they had said to me. The case I remember most was with MK Othniel Schneller. Schneller is one of the decent people I knew in the Knesset. I disagreed with him on many things, but I knew that I was standing before a politician of a special kind. He is a brave and upright man. In his unique way, he was a symbol for many of the Knesset members.
We had many conversations, and on one occasion I asked him: "You are so honest, you have a well-organized Mishnah, and I listen to things that are said with great taste and intelligence. And I don't understand what a person of such value and distinction like you is doing in Kadima?" - and he shared with me the road trip he was in.
I published the things, and he quickly issued a denial that same evening.
When the time came, Schneller moved ahead to Likud. Once again I was right, once again I proved that I did not report to readers things that did not exist and were not created.
•
Working on the column each week required me to bring you the most interesting stories, and to make the column something interesting and topical. I started my week with the completion of the column that was sent to the editor. Many times the newspaper editors were angry about the column being sent late. But, what do you do when an interesting story happened on Wednesday, or was just beginning, and I made sure to wait a little longer to bring you as complete and accurate a picture as possible.
Not many know that around the newspaper that is submitted on Thursday, a wonderful team has worked. The newspaper's CEO, Attorney Ronen (Ron) Peretz, manages and steers the ship called 'Yom Liom' with great wisdom, and has often found himself in the middle of a storm, but his good nature and thinking ability have been of great help to me.
The editor of the newspaper, Yitzhak Kekun, whose name is synonymous with "Yom Liom", his great dedication ensures that the newspaper is published on time every week. To the graphics team. To the studio manager Yoav van den Berg and Shalom Freund, who work hard every week to present the reader with a beautiful, tastefully designed product. To the VP of Operations Boaz Stoeber, and to the one who is most identified with the newspaper "Yom Liom", Doron Kadosh, a man of many talents whose activity in the newspaper is a blessing in itself, and to his wonderful and dedicated team.
