Aaron Reiss, Haifa, Israeli landlord threatens to have abducted woman, Inbar Hyman’s belongings thrown out if her share of the rent isn’t made. Landlord insists never making such demands after text he shared with woman’s boyfriend, Noam Allon goes viral.
Sometimes public shaming goes a long way … case in point the case involving an Israeli landlord who has come under attack after declaring that an abducted woman must come up with her share of the rent or else have her belongings thrown out.
Inbar Hyman, 27, was among the masses who attended the Supernova rave, where 260 people were slaughtered at the start of the militant group’s attack on Israel. Many were abducted Saturday, including the young student.
The landlord of the apartment in the northern city of Haifa where Hyman has been living with her boyfriend of two years has demanded the full rent for the unit, Walla News reported.
‘Look for replacements. You are not doing me a favor by living there.’
When the boyfriend, Noam Allon, told him Hyman had been abducted, the landlord, since identified as Aaron Reiss allegedly replied: ‘Look for replacements. You are not doing me a favor by living there.
‘Let it be clear to you: You have an obligation for the rent of 2,500 shekels [about $630 US]. You can talk to her parents about vacating the room,’ the landlord added, according to the news outlet.
Noam’s father, Mordi Allon, posted a screenshot of the exchange with the landlord (who presumably has his own bills to make) — with text message since going viral amid the national tragedy.
‘Inbar is 27 years old, she and my son Noam have been together for two years. They study together and she is in her fourth year of studying visual communication,’ Allon told Walla.
‘On Saturday, she went with her friends to the nature party in Re’im and served as a helper for people who were feeling unwell,’ he said.
‘Her partner reached me and told me the landlord contacted him and asked what about the rent money. He wrote to him that Inbar was kidnapped and it just didn’t interest him,’ Allon continued.
Landlord insists never having made threat
Rather than show empathy given the woman’s plight amid the national tragedy, Reiss allegedly told the boyfriend to remove Hyman’s belongings if he did not pay her portion of the rent.
The Haifa landlord has since denied the allegation and claimed he made no such demands for the money.
‘I share in the sorrow of the dear parents — that their daughter will return safely and whole and as soon as possible,’ he told Ynet.
‘In essence, there is a whirlwind of shaming here. My tenant and the abducted woman do not owe me a shekel. How did it come to this whole situation? I don’t know. I didn’t ask for money — not from her family and certainly not from her,’ Reiss said.
Outpouring of solidarity for abducted woman along with offers to pay her share of the rent
‘Her possessions remain. It hasn’t been touched and it won’t be touched,’ the landlord added.
When asked if he wanted to apologize, he told Ynet: ‘For what? For something that didn’t happen?’
Earlier, a furious Mordi Allon told Walla: ‘I am 52 years old, I never thought in my life that I would see such obstinance.’
He criticized the landlord for his alleged willingness to put Hyman’s belongings on the street and seek another tenant while she is held captive by Hamas.
‘From the moment the post went up, I receive hundreds of responses that I should give the name of the person. No one is able to understand this stubbornness, meanness and insensitivity,’ Allon told Walla.
‘I published this so that apartment owners beware of treating other people like this and think twice. … I deliberately did not publish his name and his phone number to give him time to apologize. I do not want to hear from him until Inbar is returned to Israel,’ he said.
‘One of the terrorists grabbed her and threatened her with a knife,’ Allon said, citing accounts from two young men who were with her during the attack.
‘One of the guys who was with her attacked the terrorist with a wooden board. They shouted at her to run and she froze and they kidnapped her with a motorcycle,’ he told the outlet.
The family learned that Hyman was abducted to Gaza through a video on social media.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people have offered to help the young couple with the payment. The Maccabi Haifa soccer team also has reportedly offered to finance the apartment for a year, Ynet reported.
‘We have enough offers for donations to pay the rent 2,000 months ahead,’ Mordi Allon told the outlet, adding that an attorney representing the boyfriend is handling the matter and ordered the landlord not to touch Hyman’s belongings.
‘I don’t have time to mess with him, there are more important things than a greedy landlord. We need to get her home,’ he said.
‘Many people said they were shaking in front of the keyboard when they saw this. … I don’t know how it feels for him to get up this morning and to find out that he is the most hated man in the country,’ Allon added.
