Yehoshua (Shuki) Tartakovsky, a former Chareidi from Jerusalem, entered Lebanon as an “investigative journalist” and was arrested on Tuesday by Lebanese security officials.
Tartakovsky, who as an adult associated with extreme leftist organizations and attended US universities, reportedly traveled to Lebanon two weeks ago. His behavior aroused suspicion and he was arrested by Lebanese security officials in Dahieh, the neighborhood in Beirut which houses the Hezbollah headquarters and has been attacked by the IDF multiple times in recent weeks, including the powerful strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. The Lebanese officials found an Israeli passport in his possession.
The officials searched for his name on Google and found two articles in his name on the Israeli extreme left-communist website: “זו הדרך.”
According to Lebanese reports, Tartakovsky, who holds Israeli, American and British citizenship, entered Lebanon with a British passport. One of his blurbs says that he is an American-Israeli journalist, a graduate of Brown University and the London School of Economics.
According to past friends and acquaintances, Tartakovsky suffers from mental health problems and no one was surprised by the report that he had entered Lebanon.
Despite his work as an independent journalist for magazines and news organizations linked to the extreme left in Israel and the world, he presented a collection of contradictory and unclear opinions on social media. In 2022, he proudly tweeted on X: “Kahana Chai”, and on the same day he tweeted in support of Kanye West and his antisemitic rhetoric.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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17 Responses
“According to past friends and acquaintances, Tartakovsky suffers from mental health problems and no one was surprised by the report that he had entered Lebanon.“
This paragraph explains the WHOLE story
It’s not clear from the article who he’s alleged to be spying for. Does Israel want him back?
he is wearing a cross does this mean he is a meshumad? i doubt there will be a pidyon shvuyim campaign for him. i guess like progressives when you get caught you say you have mental illness.
ה’ ירחם poor נשמה
Typical OTD behavior.
I think Israel will ask for concessions to take him back from Lebanon
shame on those of you who are judging this person. He is a Jew. Confused, mental illness, or whatver else. He did not hurt anyone – he is lost spirtually and physically in enemy territory – if this was YOUR SON with mental illness – would you not care?!? A yid is a yid. It’s terrible and sad news.
@ujm
I have otd friends, relatives, and one neighbor. Some struggle with their mental health, some do not. Some are smart, some are not. Some are angry, some are at peace. All of them have pursued various paths, some unique and some typical. To date, not one of them has entered a hostile middle eastern country and been arrested. Your confidently stated premise seems to hold very little weight, if any. I am left to wonder which factors have led you to reach your humble conclusion?
by the way unless he is Shota from a halachic standpoint he is RESPONSIBLE 100% for his actions.
I really cannot bring myself to respect anyone that chose to go off. Sorry.
I am not here to judge about his religious affiliation status. One thing, though, is certain. He is a very confused person. At a time like this, (when Israel finally got onto the case of Hezbollah), he enters Lebanon with an Israeli passport in his possession. The fact that he wears a crucifix helped him to enter Lebanon. What was he thinking? the Lebanese authorities will just smile at his Israeli passport?!
Spying ?
Did they find any evidence as calls, texts, emails or any other proof that links him to being a spy ?
Or maybe the Lebanise offcials assume that every Israeli entering their country is a spy ??
Would the Israeli espionage agency allow their agnets to travel on espionage missions with an Israeli passport ???
Matters don’t add up.
Lo zu haDerech
YWN should remove this article and think that this poor guy has parents in Israel that are grieving his dropping out of being frum and now got this story on top of their burden. They are possibly reading this article and who talks about all of the negative comments above.
How can we do this to his parents sitting in Jerusalem and seeing all the news channels writting negative articles about their son with his name and picture ?????
Like many OTDs, he apparently has mental health issues. Indeed, becoming OTD suggests a mental illness (why else would you reject Ha-Shem?).
Given that he holds American and British academic credentials, as well as American and British citizenship, he doesn’t seem to be Israel’s problem.
letsgrow: You missed the baby for the bathwater. The point was a general one. Namely, that it is typical for OTD people to act irrationally.
@ujm
I missed nothing other than your gross overgeneralization and oversimplification of an entire demographic which includes both healthy and non healthy individuals, some of whom make rational, and some irrational decisions, much like the frum community at large.