Every week, a short time before the Shas faction in Knesset meets they have a mincha minyan in the faction room. Usually, Shas ministers and MKs attend along with other MKs, parliamentary aides, Knesset employees and members of the press attend. It is an open minyan.
When Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) chareidi affairs correspondent Michael Shemesh entered the room, he was met with an angry greeting from Barak Seri, Minister Aryeh Deri’s spokesman, who instructed him to leave the room.
According to those present, Seri shouted “chutzpan chutzpan get out! I will file a complaint against you with the station director, Yaron Dekel.”
Needless to say Shemesh was quite embarrassed as elected officials, Knesset employees and others witnessed the incident. They were clearly uncomfortable with what had occurred as they understood the young correspondent simply wanted to take part in the minyan, nothing more. Some explain that this was not the first time Seri lost his cool.
Those present were clueless as members of the press routinely daven mincha in the Shas room. Another aide to Deri is quoted saying “Deri should put Seri in his place for acting as he did”. Seri is also quoted yelling “There are no chareidim in Galei Tzahal and until there are, you are ousted from the Shas mincha”.
Shas faction members tried to explain away the incident, as clearly they are at a loss for words too. Seri is quoted by Kikar Shabbos News confirming that he filed a complaint with Yaron Dekel against Shemesh. Seri explains that Shemesh was instructed to wait along with all of the other correspondents until Deri spoke to the press, giving a statement to the media.
He accuses Shemesh, who is a soldier working for the radio station, of entering the faction room without permission and then refusing to leave. He insists all of the other members of the press left the room as instructed with the exception of Shemesh. Seri concluded that this was not the first time Shemesh refused to comply with instructions and as a soldier in uniform, he I compelled to do so.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
Kamtze and Bar Kamtze.
Just in time for the 9 days.
And sounds like he lied to cover it up also.
I so hope im wrong.
Wasn’t this a Minton for Mincha & not a meeting? Why did he have to leave?
In the midst of the three weeks. Inexcusable behavior it is really upsetting to read this article.
I guess to keep the minyan pure you cannot have a kofer in uniform.
Those that stood by and let it happen want to make me vomit
YWN – for your info:
read the last few words of this article:
“…he I compelled to do so.”
it makes no sense
Can you learn this on Tisha b’av
It sounds just like
אקמצא ובר קמצא חרוב ירושלים
מאי בעית הכא? קום פוק
נקטיה בידיה ואוקמיה ואפקיה
Of course we don’t know the other side of the story – so maybe there was a good reason to ask the fellow to leave, and then this news report might be a modern version of
איזיל איכול כהו קורצא בי מלכא
But then mimo nafshoch we can learn this on tisho b’ov?
… and they wonder why secular Israelis hate them
Hmmm… doesn’t it sound a little like Kamtza and Bar Kamtza…?
The account of what happened as reported in the article seems rather garbled. Unless we learn the circumstances surrounding this story, no one is in a position to judge those who were there. It’s possible there’s no way to find out the truth of what happened, and it’s also possible that YWN should not be spreading such stories. Even if they’re true, and certainly if there is a question about what indeed transpired.
Sounds like everybody judging after hearing a good piece of lashon hara and accepting it as fact without understanding the entire story possibly not to wait and let God or the rabbanim do the judging not ourselves