Channel 10 political analyst Emmanuel Rosen has taken a leave of absence from his job following an investigative report published in Haaretz newspaper on Friday. The report included testimonies from women claiming that he sexually harassed them and behaved in a sexually inappropriate way. The issue gained momentum with the publication of a letter on Facebook describing the testimonies of 40 women employed in the media who had allegedly been sexually assaulted by Rosen. As soon as the post went up, additional testimonies arrived. Some of them suggested coerced sex. Most of the women claimed to have been sexually harassed by Rosen as young women. Most of the complaints from the last year were from women whom Rosen allegedly approached through social networks, primarily Facebook. For many people who work in the media, the scandal is not at all surprising. In the past, there were attempts to publish an investigative report into Rosen by senior media people who worked with him and reportedly witnessed the harassment. "There is almost no newsroom where Emmanuel worked where this issue did not come up," said a senior media source. Another source told Israel Hayom that he had refused to employ Rosen in the past out of fear that he would harass women at the company. About two years ago, a Facebook group was launched calling on women to speak out against him. "Rosen never hid his love for women. Rumors constantly followed him over this issue. There were rumors about the therapy he underwent, his controversial relationship with a former reality show contestant, about a daughter he fathered out of wedlock, and about an apartment he rented where he allegedly held his trysts," said a source in the industry. In the last year, Rosen separated from his wife, Tali Rosen, and also joined Channel 10 News as a political analyst. The company is currently working on a newscast presented by Rosen and Alon Ben David that will be broadcast on Friday night to compete with Channel 2's Ulpan Shishi news magazine. Several years ago, Rosen was fired from Channel 2 News due to a complaint from a co-worker over inappropriate conduct. A senior staff member confirmed to Israel Hayom that Rosen had been summoned to a hearing at the end of which the decision was made to fire him. "The moment the letter from the women journalists' group was placed on the table of Channel 10 News CEO Golan Yochpaz, the matter was immediately addressed and journalist Emmanuel Rosen took a leave of absence until the allegations are clarified," Channel 10 News said in a statement. In response, Rosen issued a statement of his own: "For 10 years, an anonymous smear campaign has been waged against me behind the scenes and on the Internet, presenting a fictional character who does not exist in reality: 'Emmanuel Rosen, the offender.' During these years there hasn't been a single woman who worked with me, or who was interviewed by me, who wasn't asked by the organizers of the smear campaign if I hurt or harassed them. "Now, as the Journalists' Association has decided to take this witch hunt from the darkness to the light, I praise them for this and am impatiently awaiting a swift and efficient inquiry of all these matters. The time has come to challenge the veracity of the rumor mill and the unverified allegations, which have never been brought before me and which I have never been asked about. "My own thoughts have never been heard. Today [Friday] I told the CEO of Channel 10 News, Golan Yochpaz, of my decision to take a leave of absence until the end of the thorough inquiry into my case and until the cloud dissipates. I hope the inquiry is as rapid as the speed and ease with which this baseless story blew up into monstrous proportions." On Saturday afternoon, the Tik Tikshoret news program, which is presented by Rosen and is usually aired twice, was not broadcast. It had already been broadcast on Thursday night. Meanwhile, several women have decided to approach Rosen's supervisors and describe their alleged experienced at his hands.
