Bennett Confronted by Bereaved Mother Over 2018 Flash Flood Disaster
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Naftali Bennett, former Israeli Prime Minister and Education Minister, was confronted by Rotem Bar Shalom, mother of a victim of the 2018 Nahal Tzafit flash flood, during a public event. Bar Shalom accused Bennett of negligence and opposing an inquiry commission at the time of the disaster, in which nine girls and one boy died. Bennett expressed sympathy and stated he investigated the incident, but admitted he did not initiate the commission's formation. A government committee was eventually formed in 2020.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Naftali Bennett was confronted by a bereaved mother over his actions following the 2018 Nahal Tzafit flash flood.
- The mother accused Bennett, then Education Minister, of opposing an inquiry commission into the disaster.
- Nine girls and one boy died in the 2018 Nahal Tzafit flash flood during a pre-military academy trip.
- Bennett stated he investigated the disaster but admitted he did not initiate the inquiry commission.
- A government fact-finding committee was established in 2020 after a prolonged parental campaign.
A heated exchange occurred between former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Rotem Bar Shalom, the mother of Ilan Bar Shalom, who perished in the 2018 Nahal Tzafit flash flood disaster. During a public appearance, Bar Shalom confronted Bennett, who was the Minister of Education at the time of the disaster, questioning his responsibility and his opposition to establishing a state inquiry commission.
Bar Shalom accused Bennett of failing to supervise pre-military academies, stating he was aware of safety issues but did not act. She specifically challenged his stance on the inquiry commission, recalling that parents fought for one while Bennett opposed it. "You did not agree under any circumstances to establish an inquiry commission, and we, the parents, fought," she stated, contrasting his past opposition with his current calls for an inquiry into the October 7th events.
Bennett expressed deep sympathy, stating he visited all ten bereaved families and initiated an investigation into the disaster's circumstances. However, Bar Shalom pressed him on why he had opposed an inquiry commission at the time. Bennett admitted he did not initiate the commission's establishment, though he did attend a fact-finding committee and conducted his own review.
The confrontation revisits Bennett's actions following the Nahal Tzafit disaster, where nine teenage girls and one boy died in a flash flood during a trip organized by the Bnei Zion pre-military academy. The victims' parents had demanded an independent inquiry immediately after the event. In a December 2018 meeting with Bennett, then Minister of Education, he expressed reservations about a judge-led commission. A government fact-finding committee was eventually established in 2020 after a prolonged struggle by the families. Later, as Prime Minister, Bennett testified before this committee, with the parents of Ella Or reporting that Bennett acknowledged the commission should have been formed earlier.
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