The head of a Bnei Brak hospital has resigned after contentious comments about the ultra-Orthodox public during a radio interview.
Moti Ravid, of Mayanei HaYeshua, was widely criticized for telling Kan radio earlier: “Until today there has never been an entire public that has ignored authority like this, and killed people… I don’t understand what religion has to do with what they’re doing. They were taught to get everything and give nothing for years.”
Prof. Moti Ravid (Arielinson / Wikipedia)
In resigning, Ravid says he was misunderstood and wants to help the ultra-Orthodox public.
“I was referring to extremist sects,” he says. “I did not want to hurt anyone. I very much apologize for people being hurt.”
A patient infected with coronavirus is seen during morning prayer in Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center, Bnei Brak, Israel, April 27, 2020 (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
Shas MK Ya’akov Asher tells Channel 12 that Ravid has worked with the local community for 20 years. He says his comments were “unfortunate” and “I want to ascribe it to the exhaustion” of everybody in the healthcare system.
Asher says the majority of ultra-Orthodox are following the rules. “I’ve just come from Bnei Brak… It’s like Tisha B’av there,” he says of the quiet streets, usually teeming with celebratory events on Sukkot.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 8, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
