"We Speak Slowly Here": Judge's Offensive Remarks to Haredi Witnesses

Judge Yifat Unger Biton of the Hadera Magistrate's Court was recorded making offensive remarks to Haredi witnesses, using phrases like "you're used to rushing through prayers in the synagogue" and "this little note you brought." The witnesses filed a complaint with the Ombudsman for Judges, Justice Asher Kola, who ruled that the judge apologized and the matter is closed.

Judge Yifat Unger Biton of the Hadera Magistrate's Court was recorded in exclusive recordings obtained by Channel 14 making offensive remarks toward Haredi witnesses. In one recording, she told a witness: "Sir, you speak at a rapid pace. I say you're used to entering prayers in the synagogue and finishing them quickly. You recite the prayer at a crazy speed. No one except you can understand the prayer... but here we speak slowly, we need to understand what you're saying." In another recording, she told a different witness: "Is this your affidavit? This little note (Yiddish: tzeitl) you brought?" The witness replied: "You refer to it as a little note – but for us, it's a significant document." Following the incident, the witnesses filed a complaint with the Ombudsman for Judges, Justice Asher Kola. The judge responded that she may have chosen poor wording but did not intend to offend, and apologized. The ombudsman ruled the matter closed, emphasizing that judges must be careful with their words. It was also noted that this is not the first time the judge has been recorded in similar circumstances – in 2019, a recording was published in which she asked a party in a proceeding, "Did he give his mother the pills?"