Haaretz Journalist Josh Breiner: "I Investigated the Shoshana Strook Rumors; This is What I Found"

Haaretz crime reporter Josh Breiner revealed today that he personally investigated claims regarding the late Shoshana Strook long before her passing. Addressing rumors of alleged familial abuse, Breiner stated that his thorough checks with law enforcement yielded no evidence.

"In real-time, I checked the claims made regarding a public figure. I checked with the police as well," Breiner wrote in a lengthy post. "I know several of my colleagues did the same. While I have no way of knowing the absolute truth, before publishing severe allegations against anyone, one must verify and investigate. That is our job. There are others who run to publish any claim, true or not, because they don't actually care."

Breiner disclosed that during his investigation, he found that the police had looked into the allegations and found them baseless. "As far as I could check, the police investigated the claims and found no foundation for them... As I understand it, the complaint was neither coherent nor clear, and could not be anchored to any specific timeline."

He further revealed that a gag order had been placed on the story, which his outlet initially challenged in court. However, after the judge personally reviewed the case file, the court ruled that the suspicion was "extremely thin or non-existent," and upheld the gag order to protect the individuals involved.

Despite his frequent skepticism of police and court decisions, Breiner emphasized that "one cannot pour filth on a person and stain them without minimal verification."

"One thing is clear: she was a young woman who suffered greatly in her life," Breiner wrote. "That is first and foremost. She had a very difficult life, and the news of her death is heartbreaking."

Regarding Minister Orit Strook, Breiner added: "I know from personal knowledge that she did a great deal throughout her life for her daughter, and I am certain the news of her daughter's death is an unimaginable devastation for her as a mother."

While acknowledging that allegations of "ritual abuse" within religious communities are an issue that requires journalistic vigilance, Breiner concluded that he currently sees no evidence that this applies to the Strook case.

"Everyone who harms or abuses the helpless must be held accountable. At this stage, and perhaps I am wrong, I am under the impression that this is not the case at all," he noted. "Everyone is free to do as they wish, but I humbly suggest putting political opinions aside and letting this public figure mourn her daughter."