At the beginning of February 2020, I started working in the distribution of the Israel Hayom newspaper at the entrance to the Davidson building of Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, ISRAEL. My employers insisted that I stand on my feet for about 3 hours straight — something I just could not do as a disabled and handicapped person. My employer on behalf of the newspaper (his phone
number: 972-50-7843455) claimed that there is a procedure according to which newspaper departments are not allowed to sit and that they must do all the shift while standing — and all my explanations that my difficult health condition does not allow it to me and that it should not be a problem newspapers will be delivered for passers-by also when I am sitting encountered the wall in the form of opacity and disregard. Under these circumstances I had to leave the job I wanted after only about three days – and I also suggested that I bring a plastic chair with me to work, which I had purchased specifically for this purpose -but this offer was rejected-and without giving this refusal any explanation.
As is well known, in the State of Israel there is a law for the right to work while sitting that was enacted at the time by the former MK Shelly Yechimovich(her email
address: [email protected]). The law stipulates compensation of NIS 78,000 for those who encounter discrimination on the basis of this law – and in this situation I decided to claim compensation from the israel hayom newspaper(their website: israelhayom.co.il) – and I did so with the help of lawyer Avi Saroussi(his office website: sarusi-law.com).
On May 1, 2121, a hearing was held in the Jerusalem Regional Labor Court in which the lawyer Avi Saroussi represented me – a hearing in which we raised the allegations of discrimination that took place here. The verdict set an evidentiary hearing for 1.2.2022 – but then a problem arose: to continue the procedure I had to go to the office of lawyer Avi Saroussi who is in Tel Aviv(another city in ISRAEL) – and as a disabled person who has mobility I could not physically reach them – as someone living in another city (I live In the Kiryat Menachem neighborhood of Jerusalem). As is well known, the law also allows for the signing of an affidavit from a distance – and I presented to the lawyer Avi Saroussi regulations that are written on the website of the Israel Bar Association(their website: israelbar.org.il) in which this is explicitly written. But attorney Avi Saroussi refused to allow me to sign an affidavit remotely — and without giving his refusal any explanations.
He and his office people insisted that I would do what I could not, that is: reach out to them physically for the purpose of signing the affidavit.
In these circumstances I had no choice and I had to file a complaint with the Israel Bar Association against attorney Avi Saroussi – which led to his resignation from representation in the case.
At this stage, and after a number of civil society organizations I have approached (the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the “bizchut” organization, the Commission for Equal Rights for People with Disabilities, the “schar Mitzvah” organization – “probono” of the Israel Bar Association and the Legal Aid Bureau of the Israeli justice ministry-justice.gov.il) refused to help — I had to start looking for another legal representation.
Eventually, I contacted a lawyer in Jerusalem named Etty Tawil, with whom I also signed an affidavit.
Judge Daniel Goldberg, before whom the hearing was scheduled for February 1, 2002 Idle, seemingly reveals for the most part a hostile attitude to lawsuits of this kind — and a fear arose that the latter would not take into account the terrible injustice done to me, and would decide to punish me for wasting the court’s time in a seemingly idle lawsuit.
Attorney Etty Tawil helped me get out of this trap, and on her advice, the evidentiary hearing scheduled for February 1, 2002, did not take place – and in its place, a plea deal was signed with Israel Hayom , in which I received compensation of only NIS 3,000.
And to sum up: I have a huge appreciation for the help of lawyer Etty Tawil (her email address: [email protected]) – thanks to which I was not charged with legal expenses and yet I received some compensation.
However I believe that Judge Daniel Goldberg represents here a distorted value system, according to which the interests of the owners of the large companies should be taken care of instead of the small citizen who was harmed by a large corporation breaking the law. This is a cruel worldview in which there is no consideration for disabled or needy people who desperately need the help of the court — and thus I believe this judge is guilty of his job, the spirit of the existing law on the subject and the most basic order of conscience. I would not be surprised if Judge Daniel Goldberg decides to sue me for libel on these things, thereby depriving me of even the most basic right to protest the predatory approach and the injustice done to me here — an injustice in which he played a very significant part. As is well known, in the seemingly “democratic” state of Israel, there are many silencing lawsuits with the aim of intimidating and suppressing them – especially when it comes to underprivileged populations. At the same time, and since I have nothing left to lose in my life, it will no longer be able to deter me, and therefore I write, and also publish these words. After all, such an abusive treatment and abuse of office certainly deserves a proper response and attention — and so I do.
