Journalist Slams TV Host Over 'Materialism' Comments

Journalist Chaim Levinson has sharply criticized Channel 14 presenter Shimon Riklin for his remarks about economic abundance in Israel. Riklin, speaking on the All In podcast, acknowledged that while Judaism favors prosperity, "we have all exaggerated in materialism." He attributed his own comfortable lifestyle in central Tel Aviv to being married to a wealthy woman, describing his life as "crazy."

Levinson, in his own podcast "Levinson in the Morning," called Riklin's comments hypocritical, noting that Riklin is married to a millionaire and lives in a prime Tel Aviv location. Levinson suggested that if Riklin finds materialism so bothersome, he should live in a shack, referencing David Ben-Gurion.

Riklin's wife, Alona Bar On, is the publisher and a controlling shareholder of the business newspaper Globes, and a co-founder of the urban renewal company Beit V'Gag, which went public in 2022. The couple married in November 2021.

Levinson also alluded to Riklin's early investment in Bitcoin, suggesting he sold about 15 coins after their value increased to purchase his Tel Aviv apartment, though these details were not independently verified. Riklin had expressed enthusiasm for Bitcoin as early as 2013.

Challenging Riklin's portrayal of Israel as a materially abundant nation, Levinson pointed to data indicating high economic inequality. According to the National Insurance Institute's 2024 report, Israel ranks seventh out of 36 countries in net income inequality and second in poverty rates. Levinson argued that Israel's economy relies heavily on high earners, with the top 10% responsible for about 45% of individual income and 63% of direct tax payments, contrasting with the bottom five deciles' 10% share of income.