Earlier this week, a media storm arose when Blue and White MK Ram Ben-Barak (Yesh Atid) claimed that Gerrer chassidim received preferential treatment in hospitals due to the fact that Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (Agudat Yisrael) is a Gerrer chassid.

Ben-Barak said on a radio interview on Monday: “You can test it out. The hospitals in Israel are collapsing…people are in the corridors. If you find one Gerrer chassid in the corridor, call me.”

His remarks were met with angry reactions and many Gerrer chassidim told their stories of long waits in the hospital without any signs of preferential treatment. Others mentioned the many Chareidim, including Gerrer chassidim, who perform innumerable acts of chesed in Israeli hospitals.

Israeli journalist Aryeh Erlich, deputy editor of the Hebrew Mishpacha magazine, wrote on Twitter: “Strange. I listened to the recommendation of Ram Ben-Barak and I searched on Google for pictures of Gerrer chassidim in hospitals.” These are the results:” Below the caption is four pictures of chassidim providing entertainment for hospitalized patients.

מוזר. הקשבתי להמלצתו של רם בן ברק והלכתי לחפש בגוגל תמונות של חסידי גור בבתי חולים. אלה התוצאות.@Ram_Ben_Barak pic.twitter.com/Ylq4SgDj5J

— אריה ארליך A. Erlich (@AryeErlich) January 6, 2020

Ben-Barak quickly retracted his statement, writing on Twitter: “I understand that many Gerrer chassidim were insulted by my comments today. My intention was to say that the Health Minister doesn’t use enough of his influence to solve the problems in the public health system. I apologize and I retract my statement – I had no intention of hurting Gerrer chassidim.”

עוד ממעלליהם של חסידי גור בבתי חולים.
חוצפה!@Ram_Ben_Barak pic.twitter.com/1ScwRcnaYG

— אריה ארליך A. Erlich (@AryeErlich) January 6, 2020

Rabbi Yeshayahu Heber, director of “Matnat Chaim,” an organization for kidney donations, also responded to Ben-Barak: “I heard that this morning someone besmirched Gerrer chassidim. So you should know that something else happened this morning – a Gerrer chassid donated an organ from his body – a kidney – to a person he doesn’t know, to save his life. Yes – the person who received the kidney was not a chassid and was not even religious. Maybe he didn’t see any Gerrer chassidim in the hallways today but his life was definitely saved by a Gerrer chassid tzaddik. We’re one nation and love each other!”

https://twitter.com/yS3fOCT0I5wqG2V/status/1214177904080433157

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)