How Yaya Fink and His Associates Seized Control of the Democrats Party

This week we exposed how a senior member of the Democrats party, Yaya Fink, transferred hundreds of thousands of shekels to non-profit organizations (amutot) identified with the party. We further exposed that the person heading the organizations to which the funds were transferred is Avishai Ben Aharon – one of the most powerful people in the Democrats and a personal friend of Fink. This evening (Thursday) we published in News 14 additional details about the affair, which reveal the story of the young group that, with determination and perseverance, established a complex political network of connections involving non-profit organizations, entities benefiting from public funds, government ministries, and crowdfunding projects. By exploiting this network, Yaya Fink and his friends became the de facto rulers of the Democrats party.

Juntas

It all started with a young group connected to Shelly Yachimovich that consisted of several couples, and today its members constitute the dominant factors in the Democrats party. Among other things, the group is responsible for leading the "Tlamim Circle" – a group of Democrats party members – with our acquaintance Ben Aharon heading it, while simultaneously being a member of the party's management, which itself constitutes a small and influential circle. Among the centers of influence in which the "Tlamim Circle" operated was the promotion of Naama Lazimi and Yaya Fink. We note that these are, as mentioned, close friends and, in fact, families that not only work together but also spend vacations together.

Another figure in the network of connections is Ben Aharon's wife, Laura Talinovsky, also a friend of Fink and formerly an assistant to Shelly Yachimovich. Talinovsky is a committee member in the "Beit Yigal Allon" organization, to which Fink, as we recall, transferred funds from the Histadrut. Another friend of Fink is Shani Granot-Luboton, wife of the party's CEO, Omer Luboton. She also previously served as an assistant to Shelly Yachimovich and was the head of Yaya's headquarters in the Democrats' primaries.

Democrat TV and other organizations

Another organization called the "Israelis Association," which Fink founded, is also involved in the network of connections. Through it, Fink collected funds for his various projects, such as establishing a Shabbat bulletin in synagogues. This organization received a donation of ten million shekels from various entities in the USA. Among the activists in this organization, one can again find the involvement of the party's CEO, Omer Luboton, and also his wife, Shani Granot-Luboton, whom Fink employed for several months with a salary of over 20 thousand shekels per month. In addition, members of the "Tlamim Circle" are also active in the Israelis Association, who, as mentioned, warmly supported Fink in the primaries.

Another project that Yaya Fink founded is an internet media channel known as "Democrat TV." He established the project through the "Darkenu" organization, where he also served as CEO. Today, the position is held by our acquaintance Avishai Ben Aharon, who ran Fink in the primaries. Among the committee members, one can also find members of the organizations that received funds from the Histadrut through Fink.

The mechanism: connections

In short, it seems that Fink takes care of his friends in the Democrats' mechanism, and they repay him by promoting him on the party list. Sometimes it comes from Histadrut funds and sometimes from crowdfunding and donations from abroad. The picture becomes particularly problematic when the Histadrut, through Fink, strengthens his political partners within the party, who also take care to benefit him in the future. A complaint has already been filed with the police on this matter, and MK Almog Cohen demanded an urgent investigation by the State Comptroller.

Although the network of connections was recently exposed to the public, there are those who have already been exposed to the grim reality on the ground: other candidates in the Democrats who arrive at the primaries without all the infrastructure under the control of Fink and Ben Aharon feel hopeless. In summary: although the party's name is "The Democrats," there are those, like Fink, who are close to the network of non-profit and organizational mechanisms, and they are the ones running the show.