Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was interviewed by Channel 12 News on Motzei Shabbos and was treated with the utmost disdain by interviewer Dana Weiss when he mentioned the name of Hashem.
“You’re saying that this will be an extremely lengthy period, extremely significant and life-changing,” Weiss said to Netanyahu. “What can you tell Israeli citizens? How deeply can you reach your hand in your pocket and assist Israeli citizens?”
“B’Ezras Hashem, I hope [lifting his eyes upward] – everyone needs to daven to the Borei Olam that the pandemic ends quickly,” Netanyahu responded.
“Meanwhile the answer is found at Weizmann Institute,” was Weiss’s outrageous reply.
“Both is true but they’re davening at Weizmann Institute as well,” Netanyahu responded. “Everyone is davening.”
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri slammed Weiss’s words, saying: “It’s horrifying that at Channel 12 – in the Jewish state – interviewer Dana Weiss cuts off the prime minister of Israel who uttered “B’Ezras Hashem” with a belittling comment.”
“This statement is in addition to Weiss’s report from an ‘anonymous government source’ that Chareidim are responsible for the spread of the coronavirus. Dana Weiss deserves to be condemned for her words.”
A Yediot Achranot reporter, Ron Boker, tweeted: “I wonder if she would have responded in the same way if someone else, a non-Jew, would have made that statement.”
Following the media storm that arose from her comments, Weiss apologized, writing on Twitter: “I think it is appropriate to clarify that I believe in a person’s right to believe with complete faith whatever he or she chooses to believe.
“My intention was to emphasize the place of the scientists in solving this huge crisis that has hit the entire world. My apologies to whoever was insulted and understood otherwise.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
And where does she think they get their smarts from?
Actually the Weitzmann Institute isn’t playing much of a role in this.
Private companies and foreign companies are leading the way, from the vaccine developments I’ve read about.
Meanwhile the answer is not found at Weizmann Institute, or anywhere else. They don’t have any answers. Be’ezras Hashem they will find an answer, but without ezras Hashem they can look for 100 years and never find it.
I had no idea that the blockquote HTML tag made the quoted text so large. That should be corrected.
for certain, she would have respect for a goy but a Jew? She has hatred towards the religious and towards G-d! HaShem ye’rachem!
Rav mazuz is so right, even the blind can see it.
The two places in Israel that are working on the corona virus are one for treatment, Rambam Hospital in Haifa, and one for a vaccine, Migal in Kiryat Shemonah.
The woman, who obviously does not know what she is talking about, mentioned weitzman because it is like a symbol.
I do not wish to denigrate the Weitzman Institute, there is lots of good work going on there, but in this case they are not doing it, others are…May H’ give them the wisdom to complete the task.