Blackmail, extortion, threats: Haredi site redefines journalism

Police released more details Monday about their investigation into alleged crimes committed by top executives at the popular online ultra-Orthodox news portal Behadrey Haredim.

Undercover policework over the past several months exposed a troubling picture involving alleged extortion and blackmail directed at public figures as well as members of the business community in both the secular and haredi (ultra-Orthodox) communities, including senior rabbis and haredi members of Knesset. Police believe the victims of the scheme often had to pay tens of thousands of shekels to the site's managers or else they would be the subject of damaging press reports about their personal lives.

According to the newly released police information, the site’s managers allegedly told “clients” they would withhold unfavorable user comments -- police believe these are often ghost-written by the site's employees themselves -- in exchange for money. Payments included a monthly fee, a retainer, that could range from thousands to hundreds of thousands of shekels. The portal’s name, Behadrey Haredim, means “in the rooms of the ultra-Orthodox,” but is also a play on the words “behind closed doors.”

The affair made the news on Monday, but in light of a gag order on this case only partial information has emerged. This week the Jerusalem Police Central Unit questioned the suspects for hours on suspicion of extortion.

Investigators believe the suspects walked a fine line between racketeering-style protection and charging a fee for publicity or promotional content, which would not constitute a felony but may be a violation of journalism ethics. This makes it much more difficult for the police to prove clear-cut extortion. The suspects allegedly approached dozens of individuals or institutions, from small businesses to brand-name companies, Hassidic communities, senior rabbis such as rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, haredi PR figure Dudi Zilbershlag, who is currently involved in a legal dispute with the portal, and even politicians, including former Shas MK Aryeh Deri.

Israel Hayom has learned of dozens of extortion cases over the past several months and gained access to victim testimonies against the portal’s managers.

”They operated like the Mafia,” one of the main witnesses in the case said. “They asked me to buy space on their site but made it clear that if I don’t they may run damaging stories against me, and that they would be unable to withhold unfavorable comments or other content.”

Israel Hayom has also gained access to a document seized by police which appears to be a contract between ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism and Behadrey Haredim. The contract bears the title “Electronic Advertising Agreement.” One of the provisions stipulates that the party agrees to pay NIS 50,000 ($13,000) in return for running promotional pieces, withholding negative press and posting favorable user comments on the site’s online forums. Party officials said Monday night that they could not recall such a document, but the signatory on the document claims that the party and the site did sign advertising agreements and that this conceivably could be one such agreement.

The Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court extended the remand of one of the site's managers until Thursday. Two other executives were placed under house arrest with restrictions until Friday. Police expect more arrests in the case.

Attorney Sharon Keinan, who represents one of the suspects, defended her client Monday, saying, “There was no wrongdoing on his part, he explained everything and cooperated with the investigators. He believes this is a smear campaign by competitors bent on destroying his own business.” Rabbi Pinto declined to comment on the investigation. Aryeh Deri said he would not comment to Israel Hayom.

The main suspect in the affair has repeatedly talked with Israel Hayom over the past several months but said he was not aware of any investigation. “This is the most overt undercover police investigation in history,” he said. “I do not know of any investigation, although everyone knows there is one.” He said that he believed that Zilbershlag, the haredi PR man, was responsible for spreading rumors on the investigation to “smear his legal adversaries,” adding that “the allegations are just baloney, true to the style of haredim. If there is proof, publish it; we know the truth and know that it will eventually come out.”

Behadrey Haredim started out in 2002 as an ultra-Orthodox Internet forum on the Israeli online community Hyde Park. Over the years it gained an audience and was eventually acquired by the Global Networks group, headed by Guy Cohen, who also serves as CEO of the website.

The portal has become one of the two leading news sources for the ultra-Orthodox community. The website is credited with having broken a number of news stories relevant to the haredi community, including the infamous “Taliban mother” case of a woman in Beit Shemesh who was suspected of severely abusing her 12 children. Following the report on Behadrey Haredim, the woman was convicted in April 2008.

Despite the web portal’s success, the enterprise faced bankruptcy some three years ago when several respected haredi rabbis issued a call to boycott haredi websites, specifically naming Behadrey Haredim. The boycott ultimately fizzled, mainly due to the fact that the ultra-Orthodox community never stopped using the portal.

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו