Journalist and author Smadar Shir has responded to Hadassah Ben Ari's reaction to her separation from her husband, singer Hanan Ben Ari, and to his recent public comments about her. Shir has one request for the couple.
The writer addresses the separation of singer Hanan Ben Ari and his wife Hadassah, urging them not to start modeling a "happy divorce." In her column, Shir reflected on Hadassah's response to the separation and Hanan's comments during a recent performance that Hadassah attended.
Shir wrote: "From the moment Hadassah and Hanan Ben Ari announced their separation - and only God knows why they chose to share this with the nation on Tu B'Av (the Jewish holiday of love) - my phone has been buzzing. Everyone wanted to know if I had noticed any warning signs when I interviewed Hadassah in April. Did she seem sad? Depressed? No, I answered. She mainly looked tired. She wrote, edited, and produced the masterpiece project about war heroes while nursing. Kudos to her, a mother of seven. I reminded myself how Hadassah politely but firmly deflected any personal questions, like how they met. Six months ago, I thought religious modesty made her weigh every word."
"Following these questions, I considered writing about the pain the audience experiences when their star - religious, handsome, exceptionally talented, and a model family man - breaks their heart. On second thought, I abandoned the idea. It's their right to divorce, and it's proper to respect their privacy. But it's precisely Hadassah and Hanan, who throughout their 16 years of marriage truly kept their private lives to themselves, who are now surprising me. And not in a good way."
"She's musing, 'Live, love, love is the strongest thing in the world,' while he, during a live performance, points to the mother of his seven children and asks the audience what to call her. 'My future ex'? So I wanted to ask you, dear and beloved Hadassah and Hanan. Please do us a favor and don't start modeling happy divorces for us. It's clear such a thing exists, but don't take away from me the last pleasure I have left - to cry quietly."