Big Brother
Big BrotherFlash90

A Jerusalem court will this week hold a hearing on a complaint filed by two Israelis who say they were insulted by a desecration of the Bible on a recent broadcast of the Israeli version of the Big Brother television program.

The complaint refers to an episode of the program that was broadcast at the end of 2010, when Freida Hecht, a resident of the house where participants were living, “began to intentionally provoke another resident, Yoram, by bringing a Bible into the bathroom, or appearing to do so,” the complaint reads. “She did this despite the fact that Yoram, who played the role of the 'religious settler' in the cast, along with other non-religious cast members, requested that she not do so.”

The complainants blame the Keshet Broadcasting Company, on which network the program runs, and its production company, Kuperman Productions, for “aiding and abetting the desecration of the Bible for ratings. They not only failed to prevent the incident, but actually emphasized it in editing, publicity, and broadcast.” The desecration was emphasized not only on television, but on the internet and in cellular broadcasts and advertisements as well.”

The complainants are demanding that the defendants apologize and take “corrective action.” According to the plaintiffs, “the Bible is the holiest book in Judaism, and reading it in the bathroom insults and demeans the faith and feelings of many Jews,” the complaint added.