Lucy Aharish Returns to Air After Clash, Vows Not to Be Silenced

Lucy Aharish, a host on Israel's Channel 13, returned to her program "The Day's Conversation" on Wednesday after a brief suspension. Her absence followed a heated argument with fellow TV host Eyal Berkovich in the newsroom corridors, which reportedly involved shouting and a loss of composure in front of other employees. The incident led Channel 13 management to temporarily remove Aharish from the air.

Upon her return, Aharish delivered an emotional and uncompromised monologue, addressing her journalistic career, Israeli society, and indirectly referencing the recent controversy. She began by apologizing to viewers for her absence, explaining that "there are events that sometimes require taking a step back to see the picture more clearly." She then reflected on her 20-year career in journalism, a path she chose not for fame or fortune, but because she felt she had a unique story to tell.

Aharish recalled her childhood dream of being an actress and how her father encouraged her to pursue a stable career first. She spoke about her early inspiration from watching Dan Shilon's talk show, where diverse individuals shared their stories, and her own aspiration to one day share her narrative on such a platform. She also referenced past statements from 2013 about Israeli society's internal divisions and its struggle for self-acceptance, linking these to her eventual role as a host.

She emphasized the program's DNA of illuminating difficult realities and her personal commitment as an Arab, Muslim Israeli woman to use her platform to voice the stories of marginalized and overlooked segments of society. These include children facing abuse, the Ethiopian Jewish community, the LGBTQ+ community, victims of trauma, bereaved families, reservists, and Arab citizens of Israel. Aharish asserted her right to speak, stating, "If an Arab, Israeli, Muslim woman in the State of Israel is given the platform to say what she has on television as a regular journalist, especially if the 'regular' is only Jewish, I take this opportunity with both hands and do not give it up because I have a story to tell. Not my story, but our story."

Addressing the recent incident indirectly, Aharish declared, "Even though I told you that as a journalist, I am not the story, there are those here who want to make me the story. And if they insist on making me the story, I will not bow my head and remain silent." She vowed to continue telling the story of "20 percent of the population here," representing a "complex Israeli identity" that has been ignored. She concluded by referencing the recent election results and her commitment to her role, stating, "My role is to stand tall and with my head held high in the face of reality. To take the platform given to me, and to implement the unwritten contract I signed when I lit a torch in the State of Israel. The contract in which I committed not to despair in the face of evil. Not to give up in the face of despair. Not to be silent in the face of people who tell me: 'Shout in your village,' and not to surrender to racism."