"I Regret One Article": Binyamin Lifkin Reflects on Three Decades in the Haredi Press

The journalist and publicist Binyamin Lifkin closed this summer with 30 years in the world of media. Now, after embarking on a new chapter as a strategic advisor, he turns to recount, in his first interview with 'Hidabroot', the significant moments he witnessed in his decades of media, the changes that occurred over time in the Haredi media, and the major stories he covered as a journalist.

Lifkin, one of the most prominent journalists known to the Haredi public, started small – at the 'Kfar Chabad' newspaper. To the media outlet identified with the Chabad Hasidic movement to which Lifkin belongs, he began sending anonymous letters hoping they'd be published in the newspaper. "In those days I did not yet think of entering the field, and sending the articles was merely a hobby for me," he says. Yet during one of his visits to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's courtyard in New York, he was surprised by the newspaper's deputy editor in New York, who was also responsible for the system's majority, when he told Lifkin with a smile, "We discovered you." Since then, he became a regular writer for 'Kfar Chabad,' "and the rest is history," he says.

"The early days were a time of learning," Lifkin recalls. "One moment, in particular, is unforgettable. It happened when I was asked to bring my first report to the newspaper and decided to conduct an interview with Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, the author of the Talmud commentary. Rabbi Steinsaltz had spent hundreds of hours with the Rebbe, and I sought to learn as much as possible about those times. As a young journalist, I was less skilled than I am today. Instead of extracting information about his conversations with the Rebbe, I left with a piece focusing more on his experiences around those talks. After I sent in the article, the editor highlighted it as a sub-chapter under the headline 'Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz Shares Events on the Sidelines of His Meetings with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.' The emphasis on the fact that the matters touched only the periphery of meetings with the Rebbe was a lesson and message for proper conduct in the media world."

Right from the start, Lifkin paved the way for those who followed him by writing under the same pseudonym as his friend Yossi Elituv. "We were among the first to do so in Haredi media. The joint writing peaked after the Rebbe's passing, in a special diary of a student at the 'Tomechei Temimim' Yeshiva in New York experiencing the harsh announcement of the Rebbe's passing. We described the experiences and feelings of that student, resulting in a highly publicized documentary record."

Lifkin made a significant leap into the world of writing two years later, in the year 5755. "In those days following Rabin's assassination, I decided to break out and touch the mainstream media of that time. I sent a letter to the legendary media figure Yitzhak Nachshoni, who edited the newspaper 'Yom Shishi.' I detailed my experience in the writing world and included several examples of articles I had edited. To my surprise, he quickly responded and invited me to meet with him."

'Yom Shishi' was a large newspaper that led to quite a few prominent publications in Haredi media. "Integrating into it was a significant leap for me, even though 'Kfar Chabad' is also an important newspaper, but one that doesn't reach most of the Haredi population – unlike 'Yom Shishi' was then. Indeed, shortly after sending the letter, I met Nachshoni in his office in Bnei Brak, and before long, I was integrated as a regular writer on the newspaper team."

The young writer quickly formed a connection with the veteran Nachshoni: "My working format was dual. Initially, I wrote a column called 'Faithful to the Source.' The column served as a platform for four separate headlines, featuring four interviewees who were at the center of attention the previous week. An anecdote I recall from then was Nachshoni's mode of operation, who added under the column's logo 'Faithful to the Source' an original picture of a hoopoe, as part of the originality he demonstrated in his work."

Nachshoni, who passed away last month, was a journalism wizard, as Lifkin attests: "We used to set on the phone with whom we would speak, and after deciding on the topic, Nachshoni would immediately draw up the questions that needed to be asked. It was amazing to see how expert he was."

Over time, Lifkin's work at the newspaper became more significant, including an interview with a political figure across two pages. In this context, he expanded his connections with prominent figures in the political system. "In the column I wrote, prime ministers featured, as well as many presidents and politicians," he recalls.

Another anecdote he remembers from those days is the way the newspaper went to print: "At that time, the newspaper went to print on Wednesday nights. It wasn't like today – sending everything in a file via email – but through a special driver who would arrive at the system's offices and take the material to the print house in Haifa. We, the system members, would leave the newspaper on Thursday night, as Nachshoni scattered us each at home with remarkable humanity."

"They Offered Me a Chicken for Shabbat to Dismiss an Investigation"

In his thirty years in the media, Lifkin encountered rare events and met with well-known public figures. One conversation, he particularly remembers, not necessarily because of the content of the interview but because of what was said in the part not included in the article. "It happened when I went to interview the late Prime Minister Shimon Peres, two weeks after the birth of my son." Peres was just a week before the elections, in which the surprising 'upset' occurred when Binyamin Netanyahu unexpectedly won. "Peres was confident in his victory," recalls Lifkin. "He relied on assessments that assured him of his win. To my surprise, when I entered the room, the Prime Minister warmly congratulated me. It later turned out that it was Yitzhak Nachshoni who leaked the information about my son's birth to him."

At that time, in parallel to his work in 'Yom Shishi,' Lifkin began broadcasting on Radio Kol Chai. "I edited an investigative program every Thursday evening. It was a very bold program, covering a range of topics with the help of diligent investigators bringing revelations. For example, we conducted a major investigation on a certain group causing injustice to another group. The subjects of the investigation heard about it before its publication and offered to buy me a six-room apartment (!) to prevent its release. Naturally, I refused – and published it.

"It was a rare event, indeed – but not solitary. For instance, I received an offer that every Thursday evening, a large delivery of chicken and meat would be placed at my doorstep in return for dismissing an investigation revealing a certain injustice. I responded to the proposer that he should quickly dismiss the idea because if not, even this 'generous' offer would feature in the investigation."

During that period, the journalistic meteoric figure also achieved accomplishments, as through the investigations, he managed to stop various injustices and lead movements for the public's benefit. Such an achievement that continues to impact the residents of Bnei Brak was the fight he led, resulting in the opening of the segregated beach in Herzliya.

And what did you do then?

"At this stage, I was offered to edit the monthly magazine 'Good Family.' It was Israel's largest magazine company, publishing about 30 different magazines. I edited the magazine until I was offered to edit the weekly 'B’Kehilla,' where I continued the tradition of interviews with senior figures."

"I was at 'B’Kehilla' for 12 and a half years – several months of which I served as the editor of 'Yom LeYom', after promises of mountains and significant improvements, and afterward I returned to 'B’Kehilla.' The publisher at the time, Dodi Zilbershlag, warmly welcomed me back and even improved my conditions. I led extensive activities to promote the newspaper, which included transforming it from a free newspaper to a reputable one sold for a fee."

"After that, I left the weekly and moved to the 'HaMevaser' newspaper, where I held the position of editor for ten and a half years. Throughout these years, I published a daily column on three subjects with titles that had a similar sound. The column dealt with various current topics and gained great popularity."

Which famous personalities have you interviewed?

"I interviewed all Israeli prime ministers, starting with the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. Additionally, I interviewed Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, France's President Jacques Chirac, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin."

How were those interviews conducted?

"When interviewing prime ministers, the interview is different from any other interviewee not in such a senior position. I had many experiences in those interviews. With Shamir, for example, when I arrived for the interview, I found that he was not well-prepared, seemingly because someone hadn't prepared him properly. But after I managed to touch upon his internal point - the conversation continued smoothly, as the Prime Minister reminisced with me about his meetings with Torah leaders and his enjoyment of seeing tisches (table settings) with the Rebbes.

"An interview I conducted with Ariel Sharon gave me the understanding of what exactly was behind the disengagement plan. The instruction was that no more than two people should enter him together. They also instructed us to speak briefly to finish the interview before nightfall. They explained these instructions by saying that afterward, he demanded to fly by the Prime Minister's helicopter to the ranch. 'He doesn’t like being in Jerusalem at night,' they explained to us. We had to yell the questions to him so he could hear us. He sometimes answered us questions and, at other times, read from a page with large letters conveying the messages he wished to pass – regardless of the questions asked. He was not at his best during those days.

"The interview I held with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was the longest of all. We talked for nearly six continuous hours, apart from a short update call he made in the middle with the head of the Mossad, where, before stepping out of the room, he took care to jot down the questions on the board so he could answer them later.

"Later, I had the opportunity to interview Ehud Olmert while he served as Mayor of Jerusalem. Olmert was the hardest interviewee I ever had, as I never managed to penetrate the shell he enveloped himself with. I remember asking him if from the position of Mayor, he intended to run for Prime Minister. He wasn't confused and responded, 'Jerusalem is destined to spread over the entire land.'"

Is there an article you regretted?

"There was an article I did with the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Abu Mazen. After the interview, my adversaries spread the rumor that I ostensibly came to praise him and displayed a montage picture where we appeared supposedly close to each other. These claims found traction among many and caused me a great deal of anguish.

And what actually happened?

"I arrived at the interview with Abu Mazen fully prepared, intending to challenge him with tough questions. However, by the third question, I realized how much the Authority can't handle criticism. I asked him, 'After all, Prime Minister Netanyahu is freezing construction in Judea and Samaria, so it means he wants peace?!' Abu Mazen started to answer me, and his assistants, angry at the question, addressed him, saying, 'That's enough, ya rais,' and took him out in the middle of the interview. In practice, what I did was exactly the opposite of what my adversaries claimed, as my goal was to reveal the true face of the one presented by the left as a partner for peace."

Which special projects did you accompany?

"There were supplements I produced during my work in 'B’Kehilla,' where I wrote them from start to finish. For instance, I interviewed five people about the stations of their lives. I always ensured they were intriguing people, like Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, shlit"a, alongside Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri, former United Torah Judaism Chairman MK Yaakov Litzman, musical conductor Mona Rosenblum, and others. And speaking of musical projects, one of the significant interviews that took place with Yossi Green was one I conducted with him, where under the title 'The Song of His Life,' he shared the behind-the-scenes stories of some of the hundreds of famous tunes he composed.

"A memorable supplement, which I also built from scratch, was published under the title 'A Day in His Life.' I accompanied six individuals throughout a whole day, among them the dayan Chid”u Weiss during the period when the struggle for the release of the Japanese prisoners was at the center of public attention. Another interview included in this supplement was with the person managing the intensive care unit at Ichilov Hospital at that time."

As a person who has been in the most prominent places in Haredi media, what, in your opinion, is the difference between an editor of a Haredi media outlet and an editor of a media outlet addressing the general sector?

"A Haredi editor, in contrast to his secular counterpart, knows when the public has the right not to know. In his role, he maneuvers this narrow bridge between press freedom and the educational responsibility expected of him. I think there is a big gap between the two, and yet the wisdom is to know how to combine the sides and not disappoint readers but rather pleasantly surprise them every time."

The Haredi media itself, has it changed over these decades?

"The Haredi media has developed greatly since the days I entered the field. I think that today the journalists in the Haredi public are more professional and, unlike in the past, it is difficult nowadays to find items not built according to accepted media rules. I think the Haredi Judaism operates in this matter with professionalism and responsibility."