Israeli journalist says a TV clash left her feeling unwell

Shirit Avitan Cohen, a senior reporter for Israel Hayom, published a lengthy post on Friday about an argument she took part in on Channel 12 News with Rabbi Israel Trooper, an activist in the Jerusalem Faction, over the group’s protest and its road blockades. Cohen said she usually tries to stay detached from politicians and media spin, but this week she became enraged by what she heard on air.

She said she reacted strongly because “our soldiers are the ones risking their lives,” and because her nephew was killed in combat two years ago earlier this week. She added that the pain had also affected her parents, grandfather and grandmother. Cohen objected to the way Trooper was addressed as a rabbi on air, arguing that there is a difference between him and real public leadership, and said, “My father is a rabbi,” describing him as a wedding officiant, ritual slaughterer, community leader and a bereaved grandfather.

Cohen wrote that the “endless cynicism” of people who do not see themselves as part of the state is offensive to her in the context of the war. She said she is willing to debate Haredi voters for Shas and United Torah Judaism, as long as they see themselves as part of Israel, even if they still cling to an old order that no longer has a place. In her view, some can study Torah, some can serve in national service, and those needed now for combat should stop standing aside.

Concluding that “since the broadcast I feel bad,” Cohen said the dispute, even if framed as being “for the sake of Heaven,” feels like something that cuts into the Jewish people from within. She apologized to viewers who later praised her and said the public deserves a different kind of discourse, while hoping she will not fall into the same trap again, even when faced with extreme cynics.