Less than two years after Israeli journalist Ari Shavit admitted to sexually abusing numerous Israeli and American women, the New York Times is presenting him as a respected commentator on current events.
David M. Halbfinger, chief of the Times’ Jerusalem bureau, quoted Shavit in a front-page news article on March 11, 2019 regarding the Israeli election campaign. Halbfinger allotted Shavit two full paragraphs and described him merely as “an author and former columnist who has followed [Prime Minister] Netanyahu throughout his career.”
Halbfinger did not explain that the reason Shavit is a former columnist, rather than a current columnist, is that he resigned in disgrace as a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz after numerous women came forward to reveal that they were victims of his sexual abuse.
In a statement, the Committee on Ethics in Jewish Leadership said:
“Ari Shavit does not deserve to be treated as a respected commentator on public affairs. He has never come clean regarding all the women he victimized; he has never paid restitution to his victims; and he has never even issued a full and explicit apology for abusing them. Instead, he has tried to weasel out of responsibility for his actions by claiming his sexual aggression was “misconstrued” by the women, and that his behavior consisted of “flirtations” and “misunderstandings.”
“For the New York Times to be treating Shavit as if nothing happened would be like the Times now inviting Harvey Weinstein to write movie reviews, or asking Steven M. Cohen for his thoughts on matters of Jewish demography. Sex abusers who have not made restitution to their victims' satisfaction should not enjoy de facto rehabilitation after a brief period out of the limelight.”
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About the Committee: The Committee on Ethics in Jewish Leadership is a grassroots movement that promotes accountability, transparency, and democracy in Jewish organizations and institutions. The members of the committee's Steering Committee are Prof. Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth College), Prof. Shulamit Magnus (Oberlin College, emer.), and Dr. Rafael Medoff.
The committee's founding initiative, the Declaration on Ethics in Jewish Leadership, has been signed by more than 300 rabbis, scholars, and Jewish community activists.
N.Y. TIMES REHABILITATES ISRAELI SEXUAL ABUSER
Less than two years after Israeli journalist Ari Shavit admitted to sexually abusing numerous Israeli and American women, the New York Times is presenting him as a respected commentator on current events.
David M. Halbfinger, chief of the Times’ Jerusalem bureau, quoted Shavit in a front-page news article on March 11, 2019 regarding the Israeli election campaign. Halbfinger allotted Shavit two full paragraphs and described him merely as “an author and former columnist who has followed [Prime Minister] Netanyahu throughout his career.”
Halbfinger did not explain that the reason Shavit is a former columnist, rather than a current columnist, is that he resigned in disgrace as a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz after numerous women came forward to reveal that they were victims of his sexual abuse.
In a statement, the Committee on Ethics in Jewish Leadership said:
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