The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court approved the agreement reached between Rabbi David Benizri and Mrs. Adina Bar-Shalom in which he will pay her NIS 20,000 after he labeled her “Reform”.
Bar-Shalom filed the libel suit after Ynet reported Benizri launched a scathing attack against her for backing Dr. Aliza Bloch in the Beit Shemesh mayoral race and not Rabbi Moshe Abutbul, the Shas party candidate
“I have rachmanus for his Reform daughter, the wicked rosha, who came and spoke in the name of the Rabbinate and in the name of the Beit Shemesh Women’s Council. Woe to her on the day of judgement. Woe to her!”
In his attack, Rabbi Benizri stated “his daughter” referring to Bar-Shalom, a daughter of HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L.
In response, Bar-Shalom sued for NIS 300,000, represented by attorney Ilan Bombach and Ernst Grunis. The suit says that Mrs. Bar-Shalom proudly identifies with the chareidi community.
Her attorneys added that she has no issues with the Reform Movement, but Benizri is well-aware of her affiliation with the chareidi tzibur, but nevertheless decided to attack her on the air.
The sides agreed to arbitration with Jerusalem Chief Sephardi Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Amar Shlita, and the decision was to award her NIS 20,000.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Interesting that she first filed in the civil court for libel but then agreed to “arbitration” with R’ Amar as the arbitrato. I assume this was in lieu of using a tradiional beis din or perhaps this is considered the equivalent. In any event, the orignal coment by Benizri was rally stupid and inappropriate and he is lucky to have gotten off with such a small settleent. Kol Hakovod to Adina for taking the high road and not just allowing Benizri to get away without consequences.
whatever happened to freedom of speech or isn’t there any
Amazing
the court system now somehow agrees that reform is something bad and should not be accepted