Earlier this month, YWN-ISRAEL reported that Dr. Shlomo Maoz, the chief economist in the Excellence Brokerage House was fired for his disparaging remarks against the “Ashkenazi elitists” in Israel.
Following a Channel 10 News report, it has been learned that he has not been fired, but he has been relegated to a back room assignment, no longer visibly representing the brokerage firm. Maoz told Channel 10 “They are undoubtedly sorry for their response. They simply freaked. They are not bad people”.
David Baruch, a senior Excellence official explained that Maoz abused his senior position to use a public forum to air his personal opinion. Seeking to implement damage control, Excellence officials distanced themselves from Maoz’s remarks and announced he was being dismissed from his post. In actuality, this did not occur.
The incident was a subject for discussion in a session of the Knesset Finance Committee, during which committee chair MK (Yahadut HaTorah) Rav Moshe Gafne questioned why there is so much discrimination in the public sector. Gafne questioned why more Sephardim are not seen in the Supreme Court, citing that today, only one justice is Sephardi. He added that in the nation’s universities, the academic community is 91% Ashkenazi. Gafne reminded committee members that during the summer, Maoz had some derogatory remarks pertaining to transporting chareidi students, but then he was not fired, only after his verbal assault against the elite ruling Ashkenazim.
Gafne asked to postpone addressing the matter due to pressing issues, but promised the matter of Maoz and the response from the brokerage house would be probed in depth since he wishes to point out the hypocrisy, the double standard that permits lashing out at certain segments of society while others remain off limits.
MK (Likud) Miri Regev added that in the case of Maoz, “they killed the messenger”, citing she does not know the man and has not contact with him, but it is clear that in a truly democratic society, there must be regulations as to what one may do against another who wishes to say what he thinks. She wishes to compel senior officials in the brokerage house to appear before the committee to explain their actions.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
Its difficult to understand why he didn’t get in trouble for his remarks? It was regarding Chareidim so of course he didn’t get into trouble! These remarks were against Ashkenazim not specifically Chareidim. Duh!