Journalist Says Israeli Army Radio Tried To Block Sheldon Adelson Report
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Former Army Radio journalist Avner Hofstein says that his investigation into possible misconduct in billionaire businessman and philanthropist Sheldon Adelson’s relationship with Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center was blocked by his superiors.
Hofstein, once the head of investigative reporting at Army Radio, also claimed in a Facebook post that he was threatened with dismissal after refusing to reveal a source, according to Haaretz.
Hofstein wrote that a year and a half ago, he had completed an investigative report looking into the possible acquisition of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center by Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson, rumors of which had followed the latter’s appointment to the organization’s board of directors.
Included in the report was a recording of the executive director of the Hadassah women’s organization in Israel, Audrey Shimron, discussing the interest expressed by the Adelsons in purchasing the medical center. Shimron is the wife of David Shimron, currently embroiled in the German submarine scandal.
Hofstein says that higher-ups initally refused to broadcast the piece, eventually insisting that he reveal the source of the recording, which he refused to do. The report was eventually broadcast, but Hofstein was fired earlier this year.
Contact Jesse Bernstein at bernstein@forward.com or on Twitter @__jbernstein
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