Richard Silverstein
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Tikun Olam ( he, תיקון עולם ''
tikkun olam ''Tikkun olam'' ( he, תִּיקּוּן עוֹלָם, , repair of the world) is a concept in Judaism, which refers to various forms of action intended to repair and improve the world. In classical rabbinic literature, the phrase referred to leg ...
'', "repairing the world") is a
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
-based
political blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
that regularly reports on
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i security matters. The blog was created in 2003 by Richard Silverstein and covers the
Arab–Israeli conflict The Arab–Israeli conflict is an ongoing intercommunal phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between Arab countries and Israel, which escalated during the 20th century, but had mostly faded out by the ...
. Silverstein describes it as a "liberal Jewish blog" that "focuses on exposing the excesses of the Israeli national security state".


Background


Richard Silverstein

Richard Silverstein, the blog's creator, is a full-time blogger who describes himself as a "progressive (critical) Zionist" who supports an "Israeli withdrawal to pre-67 borders and an internationally guaranteed peace agreement with the Palestinians".About
Tikun Olam
He also created the now-defunct Israel Palestine Forum, a progressive forum dedicated to discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He often interviews on Iranian
Press TV Press TV (stylised as PRESSTV) is an Iranian state-owned news network that broadcasts in the English and French languages owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the only organization legally able to transmit radio and TV broadc ...
and has contributed essays to ''
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
'', ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', '' Haaretz'', ''
The Jewish Daily Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, '' ...
'', the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', '' Tikkun'', ''
Truthout Truthout is a non-profit news organization which describes itself as "dedicated to providing independent reporting and commentary on a diverse range of social justice issues". Truthout's main areas of focus include mass incarceration, prison a ...
'', ''
The American Conservative ''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
'', '' Middle East Eye'' and ''
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed ''The New Arab'' or ''Al-Araby Al-Jadeed'' ( ar, العربي الجديد) is a pan-Arab news website headquartered in London. It was first launched in March 2014 as an online news website by Qatari company Fadaat Media. It went on to establish ...
''. Silverstein was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in 1952, the son of a schoolteacher. Aspiring to be a Hebrew professor, he attended the Jewish Theological Seminary, earning a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in Hebrew literature. He also earned a BA in comparative literature from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, and studied Hebrew literature at
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
, earning an MA. He spent an undergraduate and graduate year in Israel, studying Hebrew literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Silverstein pursued but never completed a PhD. He worked as a fundraiser for Jewish causes, and in 1997, began working as a fundraiser for the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
. He quit his job in 2003, the year his first child was born, and began blogging. He lives in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
with his wife, a lawyer, and their three children. Silverstein lived in Israel for two years, studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Silverstein has used controversial, racially derogatory language; he referred insultingly to
Chloé Valdary Chloé Simone Valdary is an American writer and entrepreneur whose company, Theory of Enchantment, teaches social and emotional learning in schools, as well as diversity and inclusion in companies and government agencies. Early life and educati ...
, an African-American woman who supports Israel, on his Facebook page: "They finally did it: found a Negro Zionist: Uncle Tom is dancing for joy!"


Early days

At its inception in 2003, the blog did not focus exclusively on Israel; it included articles about the Seattle restaurant scene, world music, and Silverstein's native
Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
. During Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon, Silverstein noticed a spike in the number of visitors, many of them from Israel. After the war, he developed contacts with writers of similar viewpoints, such as
Philip Weiss Philip Weiss is an American journalist who co-edits '' Mondoweiss'' ("a news website devoted to covering American foreign policy in the Middle East, chiefly from a progressive Jewish perspective") with journalist Adam Horowitz. Weiss describes h ...
of ''
Mondoweiss ''Mondoweiss'' is a news website that began as a general-interest blog written by Philip Weiss on ''The New York Observer'' website. It subsequently developed into a broader collaborative venture after fellow journalist Adam Horowitz joined it ...
'' and
Max Blumenthal Max Blumenthal (born December 18, 1977) is an American journalist, author and blogger who is the editor of ''The Grayzone'' website, which is known for spreading conspiracy theories and engaging in denial of atrocities committed by dictatorial ...
.


Reporting

In 2011, Silverstein described his source as a journalist based in Israel.


Shamai Leibowitz

Shamai Leibowitz was an
Israeli-American , native_name_lang = , image = , caption = , population = 110,000–150,000 , popplace = New York metropolitan area, Los Angeles metropolitan area, Miami metropolitan area, and other large metropolitan ar ...
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
specialist who translated transcripts of wiretaps from Israel's Washington embassy. Silverstein believed Leibowitz was a
whistleblower A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
who was protected by U.S. law, but he consulted with security experts who warned him that publishing the documents would put him and Leibowitz at peril. Despite the warnings, he published portions of them. The federal government prosecuted Leibowitz when it discovered what he had done, and Silverstein removed the blog posts related to the information Leibowitz had given him. Leibowitz eventually accepted a plea arrangement that included a 20-month prison term. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' published a front-page account of the story, which included Silverstein's claims that Leibowitz had leaked the documents because of concerns about Israel's aggressive efforts to influence Congress and public opinion, and fears that Israel might strike nuclear facilities in Iran. Leibowitz denied ''The New York Times'' report. On his blog, he wrote,
Contrary to what blogger Richard Silverstein told the NYT, my job never entailed listening to wiretaps of embassies, and that whole story was manufactured by Silverstein to promote his blog and his anti-Israel agenda.


Shin Bet and Mossad

Tikun Olam reported on the arrest of prominent Israeli Palestinian political activists Ameer Makhoul and Omar Said by the
Shin Bet The Israel Security Agency (ISA; he, שֵׁירוּת הַבִּיטָּחוֹן הַכְּלָלִי; ''Sherut ha-Bitaẖon haKlali''; "the General Security Service"; ar, جهاز الأمن العام), better known by the acronym Shabak ( he, ...
, who accused them of spying against Israel on behalf of Hezbollah. According to Silverstein, neither detainee was permitted to consult an attorney for several weeks, and Makhoul contends that his alleged confession was extracted under torture. Said pleaded to a reduced charge and went free. Makhoul later admitted to spying for Hezbollah, as part of a plea bargain.Makhoul admits to spying for Hezbollah
Ahiya Raved, 10.27.10, YNetnews
In 2010, the blog was reportedly the first to publish the names of the candidates for chief of Mossad and Shin Bet. The blog reported that Yitzhak Ilan was the likely candidate to succeed current Shin Bet director,
Yuval Diskin Yuval Diskin ( he, יובל דיסקין; born June 11, 1956) was the 12th Director of the Israeli Internal Security Service Shabak (frequently referred to in English as the "Shin Bet") from 2005 to 2011. He was appointed by Prime Minister Ariel ...
. By law, Israeli publications are only allowed to publish the names of the Shabak and Mossad directors, but no subordinate personnel. In Israeli news reports, Ilan has been referred to as "Y." Shin Bet officials also considered Ilan the likely candidate, but eventually he lost the race to
Yoram Cohen Yoram Cohen ( he, יורם כהן; born 1960) is a retired Israeli security person who served as the Director of Shin Bet, from May 15, 2011 until May 8, 2016, when he was replaced by Nadav Argaman. Biography Cohen was born in Israel to Moshe a ...
. Tikun Olam was the first media outlet to report by name that
Tamir Pardo Tamir Pardo ( he, תמיר פרדו; born 1953) is the former Director of the Mossad, taking over the role from Meir Dagan on January 1, 2011. The appointment was announced by Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on November 29, 2010. Biogr ...
, known in the Israeli media as "T." was a candidate to replace
Meir Dagan Aluf (Major General) Meir Dagan ( he, מאיר דגן; 30 January 1945 – 17 March 2016) was an Israel Defense Forces Major General (reserve) and Director of the Mossad. Personal life and education Meir Huberman (later Dagan) was born on a ...
as Mossad director. Subsequently, Pardo was named to the top job. In 2011, Silverstein was one of the first to report that Gaza civil engineer, Dirar Abu Sisi, had been kidnapped by the Mossad in Ukraine, brought to Israel and imprisoned for allegedly being the mastermind behind Hamas' rocket program. The BBC World Service program, "Assignment", produced a radio documentary on the affair.


Anat Kamm–Uri Blau affair

The blog was the first to report that
Anat Kamm Anat (, ), Anatu, classically Anath (; uga, 𐎓𐎐𐎚 ''ʿnt''; he, עֲנָת ''ʿĂnāṯ''; ; el, Αναθ, translit=Anath; Egyptian: '' ꜥntjt'') was a goddess associated with warfare and hunting, best known from the Ugaritic texts ...
, a former IDF soldier, was being secretly held by the Shin Bet for leaking secret military documents to '' Haaretz'' reporter
Uri Blau Uri Blau ( he, אורי בלאו; born 1977) is an Israeli investigative journalist writing for ''Haaretz'' newspaper and other publications. He is specialized in military affairs, corruption and "follow the money" investigations. Blau was convict ...
. The security service had placed news of her arrest under gag so it could not be reported by Israeli media.


Prisoner X affair

Silverstein wrote in December 2010 that a prisoner, known as "Prisoner X", was held in extreme secrecy at Ayalon Prison. Silverstein wrote that this person was Iranian general
Ali-Reza Asgari Ali-Reza Asgari ( fa, علیرضا عسگری, born 1 November 1952) was an Iranian general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, deputy defense minister, and cabinet member of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Asgari had been "pushed as ...
, who he asserted had been abducted by Mossad. Silverstein's assertion concerning the prisoner's identity proved wrong. The secret prisoner turned out to be
Ben Zygier Ben Zygier was an Australian-Israeli citizen who was a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces and allegedly an agent of Mossad. He was imprisoned in Ayalon Prison, Ramla, Israel and died in custody in 2010, reportedly by hanging himself in a maxi ...
, an Australian-Israeli former Mossad officer. According to ''The New York Times'', Silverstein then asserted that his source apparently was part of “a ruse designed to throw the media off the scent of the real story.”Silenced in Israel, Spy Tale Unfolds in Australia
Jodi Rudoren, ''The New York Times'', 02.12.13


The "Bibi’s Secret War Plan" affair

On August 15, 2012, a Tikun Olam blog entry entitled "Bibi’s Secret War Plan" centered around a "scoop"—a document purporting to outline plans for a secret Israeli attack against Iran. Silverstein claimed to have received the "secret" document from an Israel Defense Forces officer to “expose the arguments and plans advanced by the Bibi-Barak two-headed warrior”. The blog post was picked up by several mainstream media outlets, including the
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, until ''
Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms ...
'' exposed it as plagiarism of an imaginary scenario of an article that had been published several days earlier on the Israeli online forum “Fresh”. It was written by veteran Fresh contributor “Sirpad,” who clearly stated that it was “based on foreign and non-classified sources and on the author’s own imagination.” Silverstein denied having ever visited the website in question, but the website's administrators refuted this in a statement they released on the site, which said Silverstein had a registered account on the site and had made twelve posts there, the last one of which was deleted and resulted in a six-month suspension of his account for publishing classified information.


The Israeli drones affair

In October 2013, Silverstein wrote a series of articles alleging that Israeli drones were being hacked by Iranians. The initial article, about a drone that crashed off the Israeli coast, was reported in other media outlets. A second article explained how a hack caused the crash. In a third article, Silverstein reported on an Israeli-made Azerbaijani drone about which "concerns of successful Iranian penetration were raised". It was later revealed Silverstein's source was an Israeli who intentionally fed Silverstein false information.


Avera Mengistu affair

In October 2014, the blog reported an Israeli Ethiopian was held in Gaza. A month before the gag order was lifted, Avera Mengistu's name was published in the blog. Silverstein speculated the gag order was in place to avoid a solidarity campaign, similar to
Gilad Shalit Gilad Shalit ( he-a, גלעד שליט, Shalit.ogg, ''Gilˁad Šaliṭ'', born 28 August 1986) is a former MIA soldier of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who on 25 June 2006, was captured by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid via tu ...
's campaign, which might increase the price Hamas might demand for Mengistu's release.


Other reports

In February 2014, Silverstein published the names of two Israeli arms dealers who, he said, were involved in illicitly exporting military equipment to Iran via
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. Also in February 2014, Silverstein was the first to publish the name of
Naim Araidi Naim Araidi ( ar, نعيم عرايدي, he, נעים עריידי; April 2, 1950 – October 2, 2015) was an Israeli Druze academic and writer known for his poems in both Hebrew and Arabic. Education Araidi was born in Maghar, Israel and complet ...
, Israeli ambassador to
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, who was sent home on sexual harassment allegations. In December 2014, the blogger published for the first time the name of
Unit 8200 Unit 8200 ( he, יחידה 8200, ''Yehida shmone -Matayim''- "Unit eight - two hundred") is an Israeli Intelligence Corps unit of the Israel Defense Forces responsible for collecting signal intelligence (SIGINT) and code decryption. Military pu ...
's commander, Brig. Gen. Ehud Schneerson. In March 2016, the story of Chaim Shacham, an Israeli diplomat who was suspended amid child abuse allegations, was first reported in Tikun Olam. In September 2017, Silverstein published a secret decision by
Israeli Supreme Court ar, المحكمة العليا , image = Emblem of Israel dark blue full.svg , imagesize = 100px , caption = Emblem of Israel , motto = , established = , location = Givat Ram, Jerusalem , coordina ...
, allowing arms exports to
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
to continue.


Reception

The ''
Jewish Daily Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...
'' reporter Nathan Guttman writes that Silverstein "has become a prime address for Israelis seeking to bypass their country’s censorship or court gag orders... Some praise his work as a courageous effort to tear down walls of secrecy surrounding Israel’s security agencies" while "others accuse him of recklessness motivated by a drive to blemish Israel at all costs." The pro-Israel group
CAMERA A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...
characterizes Silverstein as a "radical, anti-Israel blogger who repeatedly defends Hamas while blaming the Israeli government, and who promotes Israel as a single state of all its citizens." Silverstein responded that he believes Israel is a Jewish homeland, that he hopes to see equal rights provided for Jewish and Arab citizens in the country and though he is "agnostic" toward the two-state solution, would ultimately prefer that outcome.
Yossi Melman Yossi Melman (Hebrew: יוסי מלמן, born December 27, 1950) is an Israeli writer and journalist. He was an intelligence and strategic affairs correspondent for the '' Haaretz'' newspaper, and in 2013 he joined ''The Jerusalem Post'' and its ...
, a veteran security and intelligence reporter for ''Haaretz'', argues that Silverstein "spreads rumors without checking them" and "is an ideologue, not a journalist." He adds, " ilversteinis speculative. It is like at the casino: Sometimes he gets it right, and sometimes he doesn’t." Nonetheless, Melman writes that the blog is important because it exposes the shortcoming of censorship in the age of 21st century technology.
English version
He described Silverstein's writing style on the blog as self-righteous, hypocritical, irresponsible and hostile to Israel, noting that "Silverstein describes himself as a "progressive Zionist", but his hatred of Israel, which is expressed in his hostile publications, many of which are speculative and baseless, indicates that he is actually anti-Zionist. In the past he supported the establishment of one state as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, called IDF soldiers "subhuman", compared Israel to Nazi Germany, and revealed the name and address of a Zionist blogger to the point of risking his life." After the "Fresh" scandal, Melman criticized the Israeli media for assenting to the blog scoops though "it has been fooled for years". He calls some of Silverstein's stories "irresponsible" because they hurt people personally and have caused international tension between Israel, the UN, and Iran. According to '' Der Spiegel'', "The blogger who lives in the United States is considered to be very well informed when it comes to Israeli security matters. His blog 'Tikun Olam' regularly exposes stories which cannot be published in Israel due to military censorship." According to journalist Richard Spencer, the blog "has a record of revealing information censored inside Israel". Journalist Ehud Yaari describes the blog's credibility and reports as "highly doubtful". Guy Lehrer of Israel's Channel 10 news explains that unlike Wikileaks which brings to light new information that their team had gathered, Silverstein reveals information that is already known to a large group of people but cannot be revealed in Israel due to publication bans which may effects censorship decisions. Lehrer adds there are many stories on the blog, some horrifying, but without verification it is hard to say what is true and what isn't. The French
newsmagazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or n ...
L'Obs (), previously known as (1964–2014), is a weekly French news magazine. Based in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, it is the most prominent French general information magazine in terms of audience and circulation. Its current editor is Cécil ...
said that "Simply mentioning Silverstein's name in an article might precipitate a publication proscription. His case illustrates the lost war of military censorship in the digital era. Faced with social media and the instantaneous transmission of information, the system, designed to function on the basis of a "gentleman's agreement" with a few established publishers, has reached its limits.


References


External links


Website
* Lital Grosman
בקרוב במרתפי השב״כ (Coming Soon to Shabak's Dungeons)
(in Hebrew), August 6, 2010, ''City Magazine'' (Tel Aviv)
English translation
* Jonathan Martin
Influential Seattle blogger inflames left and right alike about Israeli security issues
September 12, 2011, ''
The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington ...
''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tikun Olam (Blog) American political blogs Censorship in Israel Blogs about Jews and Judaism