The blunder of the Channel 13 reporter: "Thought I was Ninet"
Suleiman Maswadeh wanted to thank singer Ninet Tayeb, with whose help he taught himself the language, but did not realize he was actually speaking to presenter Einat Holland. The chance meeting at a cafe went viral and forced him to respond to the amusing incident on live television.
The mistake that broke the internet: Suleiman Maswadeh, a Channel 13 reporter, never imagined that a chance meeting at a cafe would become one of the most talked-about viral blunders of the week.
The amusing story was revealed on the podcast "Who Cares" (Lemi Ichpat), where presenter Einat Holland told of the awkward incident from her perspective. According to her, Maswadeh approached her, recognized her (or so he thought), and told her excitedly: "Wow, nice to meet you. I learned Hebrew, and I learned Hebrew through you."
Holland, who was surprised, asked how he learned Hebrew through her — was it through the podcast? "I told him, 'Wow, what an honor, thank you very much!' and he shook my hand," she recalled. However, then came Maswadeh's confusing answer: "I learned through your songs." Holland, who is not a singer, was left stunned and tried to understand which songs he was referring to.
The mystery was solved about ten minutes after they parted ways, when Holland received a surprising private message from Maswadeh on Instagram: "Hi Einat, this is the idiot who thought you were Ninet and talked to you about the songs he grew up on when he taught himself Hebrew. Please take it as a compliment and don't hate me." Holland, who told the story on the podcast while bursting into laughter, confessed: "I was in shock, I stood there helplessly, but I took my keys and went home."
"Love you, sorry I embarrassed you"
The clip from the podcast went viral, and Channel 13 could not ignore it. Maswadeh, who was given the opportunity to respond on live air, addressed the incident with an embarrassed smile:
"I will say the following and we will return to serious matters. Einat, I apologize. I really got confused. I love you, I love both of you."
Maswadeh revealed that the story he told Holland was completely true — it was just intended for Ninet. "11 years ago I learned Hebrew, and part of it was through songs. I would write down the songs to translate the words. That's how I learned Hebrew, a 20-year-old from East Jerusalem," he said.
"So we have one thing in common — we are both from Jerusalem," Maswadeh addressed Holland. "Sorry I embarrassed you, and now I am embarrassed and need a touch-up."
