Journalist Avri Gilad, who was for several years the co-host of former Minister Uri Orbach on Army Radio, on Monday credited Orbach for opening his eyes and influencing his change of position from left to right.
Orbach for years was the co-host of a show on Army Radio called “Hamila Ha’acharona” (lit. “The Last Word”) which pits a leftist and a rightist journalist against one another for one hour daily. Orbach was the original host of the program, which began in 1998, and continued to host it for 10 years until he joined politics.
"I think Uri is behind some of the change in my worldview, and I owe him for it,” Gilad said in an interview on Galey Yisrael radio on Monday, hours after Orbach passed away at the age of 54.
"I came to our shows as the host in charge of the ‘left side’ and the more dialogue we had over the years, the more I saw how some of the opinions I brought with me were not deep enough, not reasoned enough, automated, but not really consistent with reality,” he continued.
Gilad explained, “At first I fought with him, then just gave in. I gave in to his conviction and the rightfulness of some of his claims.”
“I do not hold the exact same worldview [as Orbach], I'm not a member of Jewish Home, but he made me wake up from some of the leftist dreams which I held onto,” he concluded.
Thousands were in Jerusalem on Monday afternoon for Orbach’s funeral, who passed away at the Shaare Tzedek Hospital after battling a long illness.
Orbach was known as a popular figure across Israel's often fractious political spectrum, famous for his quick wit and sense of humor.