Chaim Levinson Expresses Nostalgia for His Time Co-Hosting with Ophira Assayag
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Journalist Chaim Levinson stated he misses co-hosting with Ophira Assayag, with whom he parted ways in November 2025 after a financial scandal. Levinson received NIS 200,000 from a company linked to a political advisor suspected in "Qatargate," failing to disclose this to his employers and Assayag. He was fired from "Haaretz" and resigned from their show, citing a breach of trust. Assayag later confronted him on air about the betrayal, though Levinson acknowledged his mistake in disclosure.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Chaim Levinson expressed he misses co-hosting with Ophira Assayag on Channel 12.
- Levinson's departure from their show in November 2025 followed a scandal over undisclosed payments.
- He received NIS 200,000 from a firm linked to advisor Shmulik Einhorn, suspected in "Qatargate."
- Levinson failed to disclose the business dealings to "Haaretz," Channel 12, and Assayag.
- Assayag later confronted Levinson on air, accusing him of betrayal, which he acknowledged was handled poorly.
Journalist and presenter Chaim Levinson recently expressed that he misses his time co-hosting with Ophira Assayag on Channel 12. In an interview with religious media personality Menachem Toker on his podcast, Levinson was asked about his favorite broadcasting partners. He responded, "I really loved broadcasting with Ophira, I miss it." Toker humorously referenced their Friday night show, which involved Sabbath desecration, to which Levinson attempted to explain the filming schedule.
The pair's professional separation occurred in November 2025, following a scandal involving Levinson. It was revealed that Levinson had received approximately NIS 200,000 from "Perception," a company owned by political advisor Shmulik Einhorn, who is suspected in the "Qatargate" affair. These funds were for content work between 2019 and 2024, primarily for Balkan campaigns. Levinson had concealed this business relationship from his employers at "Haaretz," Channel 12, and Assayag, even when they discussed the affair on their show and hosted Einhorn's mother, Professor Talia Einhorn.
Following the exposure, Levinson was fired from "Haaretz." On November 6, 2025, he announced his resignation from the Channel 12 show, citing a breach of public trust. Levinson apologized for not disclosing the information but maintained he never worked for Qatar and was unaware of Einhorn's ties to the country. Assayag, who continued the show alone, expressed disappointment that Levinson had not shared the information with her, though she stated she loved him and was sad about their parting, admitting she already missed him at the time.
In September of the previous year, Levinson appeared as a guest on Assayag's program "Ophira Ohana Sari" on Channel 12. During the interview, Assayag confronted him, saying, "Honestly, you betrayed me," and admitted she took his actions harder than her professional split from Eyal Berkovich. Levinson struggled with the term "betrayal" but acknowledged he should have handled the situation differently with his co-host, explaining he mistakenly believed mentioning his friendship with Einhorn was sufficient disclosure. He admitted he erred and did not meet his own journalistic standards.