Rivka Michaeli
Rivka MichaeliTomer Neuberg, Flash 90

Israeli journalist Nissim Mishal spoke with the hosts of Radio 103FM on the occasion of Rosh Hashannah and asked them who their 'person of the year' was. Famous veteran actor and singer Rivka Michaeli chose Avner Gvaryahu, the CEO of the radical Breaking the Silence organization.

"Gvaryahu is a young man I did not know until two months ago," Rivka admitted, "[Zionist Union MK] Merav Michaeli gave a party to end the term, and a guy who was a little ginger came up to me there. He was a paratrooper, a graduate of Columbia University in the United States, But he chose to devote his life to this country and to join an organization so important to me, and after I met him, I can say that I admire this patriotic activity."

"People like him contribute much more to the state than you think," Michaeli added, "His whole career and activity is about such a painful and difficult subject, an unacceptable and very true issue."

"I'm not an extremist," Michaeli said of her support for an organization the majority of Israelis view as radical leftist. "I do not run on the hills or write pamphlets, I join in and say out loud what I have always felt, but I could not say when I worked for the IBA."

"My father was also an Irgun member who represented all the Arab villages around Jerusalem and made sure to return all the rights that they tried to take from them. My grandfather was a gabbai, so do not put me in the slot of 'extreme leftist.' I am 'Your people Israel,' a Jerusalemite and completely Israeli."

In the past year the public debate over the presence of the Breaking the Silence organization in educational institutions has generated higher levels of controversy. "Although we think that Breaking the Silence should be outlawed, I think it's for the good of the country," she said.

"I tell my audience that this is true - and then I continue on my way. I also sing the song my good friend Naomi Shemer wrote to me all the time: 'It's inconceivable, the state is going crazy.' "