Tel-Chai Nation

The now outgoing health minister of Haredi background was interviewed by Israel HaYom, and while there are valid arguments one could make against the wider mainstream press, he doesn't want to admit he committed some serious wrongs when he was in charge of the ministry:

Q: Or maybe you decided to leave because of the growing criticism leveled at you.

"I can't comment on all the lies in the media. Like the story about IKEA being allowed to reopen stores, which some claimed I approved because the owner is a Gerrer Hasid so he's a Gerrer donor. It's nonsense. I've had no dealing with him and he's not a Gerrer Hasid. Besides, how would I know if he's a Gerrer Hasid? It had nothing to do with me."

Q: So why were they allowed to open stores so early in the lockdown exit process?

"The Finance Ministry pressured the Health Ministry – but not me personally. I knew nothing about it and no one asked me. No one even talked to me about it."

Q: How is it possible that the health minister knows nothing about it?

"The media has to decide, once and for all, if they want me to listen to the professional advisers [in the ministry]. When I don't – they [the media] criticize me. If I do – they also criticize me. Enough! I knew nothing about the IKEA opening yet some newspapers made it their headline. Why? To mud-sling. If I weren't Haredi no one would care."

Q: So the criticism is because you're Haredi?

"Without a doubt. The moment I became popular – I was named one of the most popular ministers in the government – they began coming after me."

Hmm, no mention of his attempts to get Malka Leifer off the hook, I see. Sure, whatever flak he supposedly took because IKEA was allowed to open (and from what I know, they have Haredi customers) was surely ridiculous and unfounded, but if he's dodging the serious issues involving that monster, for example, then he's only playing a victim card. The problem isn't because he's Haredi. It's because he possibly committed illegal activities, and is still bound to do it.

Q: Some would say you're trying to escape a commission of inquiry.

"That's not the case. I assume there will be a commission of inquiry and they will be able to talk to me wherever I am. It has nothing to do with which ministry I'm in."

Oh, but it does. He tried to draft false medical reports for Leifer's sake, and the opinions of her victims never mattered to him. To the point where, when they visited the Knesset once, he was rather rude to them.

Q: There are those who argued that as health minister, you failed to lead the war against the coronavirus.

"It's the same kind of argument about listening to the professional echelon [at the Health Ministry]. When I took the lead, the complaint was, 'You're not a doctor, listen to the professionals.' When I did that, it's 'You're not taking charge of the situation.' There's no winning here."

Well if he wouldn't stay at home, and went instead to a synagogue where he got infected, how can he be considered an admirable figure? Predictably, he won't admit it.

Q: What about the criticism that in the press conferences with Netanyahu and Health Ministry Director Moshe Bar Siman-Tov the reporters could barely hear you, that you were stuttering and quoting the Torah instead of talking about the virus?

"There are anti-Semites who saw me with a shtreimel and that's what bothered them," he said, referring to the fur hat worn by many Haredi men.

Q: So this is about how the average Tel Avivian can't take orders from the Haredi from Jerusalem?

"Of course it is. I saw the reports in the media. They didn't reflect what I said. They didn't care that I was the first [health minister in the world] to bar incoming flights – all they cared about was that I wore a shtreimel and why. You wear it on Shabbat and Saturday evening," he noted, referring to the fact that the press conference in question took place on Saturday night.

Some reporters, he continued, "Have no qualms about getting up in the morning and printing lies."

United Torah Judaism's leader firmly believes that the media lashing he has been receiving boils down to one thing: the fact that he is an ultra-Orthodox minister.

"Some reporters are anti-Semites. They can't stand to see a Haredi minister succeed," he charged.

Obviously, the criticism coming from Dassi Erlich, one of Leifer's victims, doesn't count in his viewpoint. Does he consider people like those "anti-semites"? Because some of the people criticizing him at the moment are of Jewish/Israeli background, and not necessarily anti-religious or atheist. As a result, his assertion that anybody and everybody slamming him is an "anti-semite" is little more than a pathetic form of victimology Haredi extremists seem particularly prone to using.

The most notorious allegations against Litzman, that he interfered in the extradition trial against Malka Leifer, were brought up recently in the Australian Jewish News:

Erlich told The AJN, “Justice? Yes, I hope justice is revealed soon. The truth always prevails. Litzman needs to go. Leifer needs to come back. It’s that simple.”

Former Australian ambassador to Israel and current Member for Wentworth Dave Sharma also featured throughout the ­program.

“This case has undoubtedly tainted the reputation of Israel somewhat. [It] certainly hurt the relationship that we have,” he said.

Erlich concurred, adding after the airing, “While we need to bring back Leifer, this is now more than just being about her. It is about a culture of cover-up, and communities’ responses to child sexual abuse too.”

Here's some extra:

ALLEGED child sexual abuse victim Dassi Erlich described Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman’s decision to leave the health ministry in favour of an expanded housing portfolio last week as “good news for us”.

“Hopefully the alleged pressure on the psychiatrists of our case to rule in a certain way will now be off,” said Erlich, adding, “and while he shouldn’t be in government at all, at least in the housing ministry, he is not directly affecting some of the most vulnerable people in Israeli society”.

It has been alleged that Litzman, who was recently reported to have recovered from COVID-19, has interfered in attempts to extradite alleged child sexual abuser Malka Leifer to Australia, by pressuring psychiatrists to state she was unfit to stand trial. Litzman denies the allegations. [...]

Litzman came under heavy criticism when a television report said he took part in group prayers in violation of his own ministry’s guidelines shortly before he was infected with the coronavirus. [...]

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler welcomed Litzman’s resignation as Health Minister, expressing the hope this development “aids in a speedy return of Malka Leifer to Australia, where she can face her accusers in court”.

Leibler continued, “The Israel Police has recommended that Litzman be indicted. While it is good news that he will no longer be Health Minister, we don’t believe he should be a minister at all. If the Israel Police evidence against Litzman is credible, we urge Israeli judicial authorities to indict Litzman, in line with correct judicial proceedings.”

The announcement has also been welcomed by child sexual abuse victims’ advocate Manny Waks, who said this was a “positive development” in the Leifer case.

“Based on the police recommendation to indict Litzman on a range of serious charges … it seems a significant barrier for Leifer’s extradition has now been removed,” Waks said.

“May justice finally prevail!”

I fully concur with this sentiment. Litzman has a lot of explaining to do, and he could now serve as the poster boy for everything that's wrong with Haredi clans living insular lifestyles involving coverups of wrongdoing and such. A most despicable person he is indeed. If he's indicted, it'll be richly deserved.

Labels: Australia, communications, haredi corruption, Israel, Knesset, misogyny, Moonbattery