Israel Segal

Israel Segal was born in 1944 in Jerusalem

Segal was born in 1944 in the Sha'arei Hesed neighborhood of Jerusalem to a modern religious family. His older brother, Rabbi Dan Segal, pushed for him to study at Haredi yeshivas, including Ponevezh in Bnei Brak. At 19 he left religious life, and his brother led efforts to shun him.

After leaving the yeshiva he joined the IDF and served at the Shivta base, where Amnon Dankner lent him books. He then moved to Tel Aviv.

He began at the magazines Haolam Haze and Bul, then reported for Israel Radio from 1971 to 1973. In 1974 he joined Israeli Television as a reporter and later an editor and anchor, and from 1985 to 1988 he was its correspondent in Europe. In 1987 he faced suspicion over a stock option deal, but no criminal offense was found and a disciplinary court acquitted him.

In 1991 he co-founded Hillel, a group that helps people leaving Haredi society. From 1998 he edited the Channel 2 program Mishal Ham, and in 2001 he began hosting a culture interview show. His 2004 novel was a finalist for the Sapir Prize for 2005.

In March 2007 he suffered a heart attack while driving and was hospitalized. He died on September 27, 2007, at Hadassah Ein Kerem after a brain hemorrhage.