Latest news with #DanBrotman
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside enemy territory: A former IDF soldier's journey from Tehran to a Beirut jail cell
MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: American-Israeli Dan Brotman has travelled across the Middle East as a citizen journalist in order to "understand the world" unseen by mainstream media. Dan Brotman is deeply concerned about the issue of due process, particularly with how mainstream media and society selectively focus on certain cases, such as that of Mahmoud Khalil. Why, for example, was Brotman's detainment and abuse in Lebanon for six days in December 2024 not something that outraged the masses? 'There's been so much support for Mahmoud Khalil, for example, in terms of him not being afforded due process, as well as the other international students, and there's so much media attention,' the seasoned world traveler began. 'And I'm like, Okay, well, I am an American, and I also wasn't afforded due process, and I was probably held in even worse conditions than them – surely there should be people who at least also want to tell my story. He lamented that there has been almost no interest from the mainstream media. 'So every time I see Mahmoud Khalil, I'm like: 'Is my life not worth as much as his?'' Brotman, who has American, South African, and Israeli citizenship and is in the process of adding a Canadian passport to his collection, had visited Lebanon twice before his arrest on his way home from Syria. A passionate traveler, he has also visited Taliban-run Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea – all countries where Americans and Israelis are generally unwelcome. He has also visited wartime Ukraine and Russia. He considers himself to be a 'citizen journalist' looking to uncover the truth about countries and their cultures. 'I don't only travel to crazy countries. I don't only travel to majority Muslim countries. One of my missions in life is to understand the world and to understand the complexity that we don't necessarily see in the mainstream media.' Brotman spends his free time 'going to different parts of the world, telling the stories of ordinary people,' showing people, for example, why we shouldn't be afraid of Iran, because 'we should understand that the people of Iran are very much against their government and deserve a lot of sympathy.' Of the many stories that Brotman shares on his social media, he goes out of his way to look for the Mizrachi Jewish component – something slowly being lost to time and the rewriting of history after most Jews were purged from the Middle East. In Damascus, under the new government, he spent time with one of the country's six remaining Jews. In Lebanon, he visited a Jewish cemetery, and in Iran, he filed formal permission with the regime to spend time with the Jewish communities of Isfahan and Tehran. Despite visiting some of the most regressive, suppressive, and violently run countries in the world, it was visiting Lebanon that made him the 'most scared' he had ever been. 'I was terrified in Lebanon the first time, but overall, I had a very positive experience,' Brotman confessed. 'I was terrified, because the conflict with Israel is so visceral. In Iran, it's not so visceral – they're far away. It doesn't impact people personally, like it does in Lebanon, because they're so close.' He first visited the country in 2021, and then again in 2022 when he had first intended to travel to Syria, but the Assad regime rejected his visa application. Despite forming connections and friendships in Lebanon, Brotman remained cautious. When his attempt to return from Syria via Jordan was canceled, he was somewhat nervous to make his exit through Lebanon. After arriving back in Beirut following eight days in Damascus, the traveling social-media journalist said the border officer took his passport and began staring at a screen 'for too long.' The wait seemed 'suspicious' at the time but the officials reassured him that there was just some kind of 'mix up.' With a 'thumbs up' from his tour leaders, Brotman followed the official but remained 'worried.' As it turned out, Brotman's anxieties were warranted. They asked him directly, 'Daniel, have you ever been to Israel or been in the Israeli army?' While he may have omitted that truth, he asserted that he had never lied about serving in the IDF and had little choice but to respond with an honest answer. 'I never lied to the Lebanese. No one ever asked me about Israeli citizenship before,' Brotman explained. 'I was never dishonest. And so I said, 'Yes, I was' and explained I lived in Israel, and I had to do army service.' AFTER HIS response, Lebanese officials told Brotman they were suspending him – something he didn't quite understand. They confiscated his phone, wallet, and watch and transported him to a cell with no bathroom and no natural light. 'There was no water in the cell. It was really filthy,' he recounted, explaining that he had been forced to urinate in empty plastic bottles due to the lack of facilities. His tour guide fled the country with his bag, Brotman said. He explained that she feared there would be something incriminating inside. Before leaving, she alerted the American consulate and informed his captors that he was an American citizen, hoping that would hold some weight and prevent him from being tortured by local authorities. The sudden captive traveler would later discover that each person in the tour group was investigated and Lebanese authorities had each of them write down their mother's names – searching for any indication that they were Jewish, he explained. The group quickly fled the country, changing their existing tickets. Brotman was later taken to an office and questioned. Authorities typed out a statement in Arabic and demanded he sign it, even though he doesn't understand the language. He demanded to speak to the US embassy, which authorities promised he would be allowed to do once he signed the form. Brotman still refused to sign until they translated the document with Google and he could verify its contents. During questioning, he asked the interrogator if he thought he would be treated this way if the roles were reversed and he tried to visit Israel. The interviewer just responded that he would never be in his situation. After a full day of questioning, he was driven 30 minutes away to be held in another city. Despite spending the day in custody, authorities failed to provide him with any food, and he was still not allowed to speak to the US embassy. It was on this first night that the psychological torture began, Brotman explained. A guard called into his cell that the embassy had sorted everything out and that he would soon be on a flight from Beirut home. This false statement would be repeated to him throughout his imprisonment. 'That's when I first learned that the Lebanese really lie, and you cannot trust what they say,' Brotman recounted. 'The Lebanese authorities came back eventually – this is maybe nine o'clock at night – and they put me in handcuffs. They put me in the back of a prisoner transport vehicle, and it sped to Beirut. Bottles were flying everywhere. I was in this cage thing in the back of the vehicle… holding on for dear life with handcuffs on,' he said. 'I was hoping that maybe we're going to meet at the embassy like they said we would. But of course, that didn't happen.' Instead of being taken to the US consulate, the terrified prisoner was delivered to the headquarters of the country's general security. They asked for the pass code to his phone, photographed him, and returned him to the vehicle to be driven back to a new cell, where he was again denied food. 'They went through everything in my phone – everything – every message, every photo, everything,' Brotman explained, speaking of his fear for his Lebanese friends and acquaintances whose numbers he had saved. Authorities had 'found the Lebanese numbers, and asked, 'Do these people know about you? How do you know this person?...' They even questioned him about a taxi driver who had driven him during a previous trip to Lebanon. During the search of his phone, they found a photo of Brotman donning tefillin (phylacteries) in Russia. Although he had already admitted that he was Jewish, they believed that this was evidence of some greater crime. While obsessive about his Judaism, authorities seemed unconcerned about his sexuality, despite Article 534 of the Lebanese penal code often being used to imprison and target members of the LGBT community. While not explicitly illegal under Lebanese law, the article punishes 'any sexual intercourse contrary to the order of nature' with up to a year in prison, with authorities using it to target non-heterosexual relationships, according to Amnesty International. 'They took me to a prison. I slept on a mattress in a cell, no blanket. It was really cold. I ask for a blanket. They didn't give me a blanket,' he recounted, speaking of the freezing conditions in the room. 'No access to the bathroom. Luckily, there was an empty water bottle, which I was able to use. And I wound up having to use water bottles during my entire detention.' When morning arrived on the second day, Brotman was crammed into a vehicle with many, mostly Syrian, prisoners. He was returned to the headquarters for more interrogations, but was placed where he could hear the sound of the Syrians being subjected to physical and psychological torture, he said. One Palestinian-Syrian man had a bag placed over his head as authorities pulled the trigger of a gun loaded with a single bullet, playing Russian roulette with his life. He recounted hearing the man being hit, but the gun never went off. Throughout this time, Brotman was never afforded an attorney. From that night onward, The petrified prisoner slept handcuffed in the locked office. He was only able to speak to two other prisoners during his time there. A German-Syrian man named Ahmed, who was denied access to the German embassy, provided him with comfort and advice on surviving the harsh conditions, advice he would later impart to another prisoner having suicidal thoughts as a result of his detainment. He was released by the authorities ahead of him; Brotman never learned the fate of the German man. On the third day, officials from the US embassy arrived. Brotman explained that the Lebanese had attempted to mask his treatment, even removing the handcuffs he had spent days living in. Still, the American prisoner showed the cuts on his wrists and did what he could 'to embarrass the Lebanese about the conditions I was being held in.' From then on, he was allowed to sleep without handcuffs. He was informed by the embassy that the White House did not want Israel to know about his situation, potentially fearing it could create wider issues in the region. 'I wanted Israel to know about it personally, but this was out of my control,' Brotman explained. 'I had no access to communicate with anyone, so I didn't even know if my family knew. I didn't even know if anyone was fighting for me on the outside; I didn't know if Israel knew; I didn't know who in the US knew. I really knew nothing.' Throughout his detainment, he was denied frequent requests for medical attention. He had picked up a parasite in Syria and was growing increasingly ill. 'I was very sick while I was there. I had a parasite. My whole group got very sick in Syria from the food,' Brotman recounted. 'The entire time, they kept on saying I could get medical attention, that I could get medication, but I never got it. So, eventually, on day five, when I met with the US Embassy again, I embarrassed the Lebanese and said, 'I haven't gotten the medical attention that I was promised. I have a parasite.'' Brotman braved making the comments in front of the head of general security, even going so far as to tell the embassy staff of the torture he had witnessed. One thing that continues to bother his is why the US Embassy failed to provide him with legal representation. He said staff arrived with a list of lawyers, but never presented him with the list. He was forced to appear before judges and go through the legal processes alone, representing himself. On the fifth day, Brotman's release was finally ordered by a judge, but they held him longer over an 'administrative step' they needed to take. 'They were constantly changing the rules; the goal posts were constantly shifting. I hadn't showered the entire time, hadn't brushed my teeth in days,' he said. 'Then they're like, 'ah, and now there's another administrative step. We have to get administrative permission for you to leave the country. And that could take three days.' Despite the appearance that the Lebanese officials were dragging their feet, Brotman was more confident that he would soon be freed. He had learned that US President Donald Trump was visiting Riyadh and knew that Beirut would not want to be holding an American prisoner while the president was in the region. 'I knew that Trump was meeting with the Lebanese president, and I was like, there is no way in hell that they can hold me when Trump is meeting with him. So I knew that the timing was perfect,' Brotman recounted. At 10 o'clock that night, 'the guard came into the room with my phone. This is the first time I've had access to my mobile phone... and the investigator says, 'We just got administrative approval. Book your ticket now.'' Despite wanting him gone, the guard denied his attempts to get an early morning flight the next day, telling him they didn't want to wake up that early. So, he was forced to wait another 24 hours to travel to London. Guards also warned him they would arrest him again should he wear the Magen David necklace that was confiscated from him at the airport. Even though he was eager to leave the country, Brotman explained that he knew he was being placed in dangerous conditions. Several articles have been written on Hezbollah's control of Beirut airport and the surrounding location, and the terror group had already made foiled attempts to take Israeli hostages in the same way Hamas did. The US Embassy had also promised to send staff to meet him at the site, a promise they failed to fulfill. Despite the risks, Brotman flew to London and was greeted by friends and loved ones without incident. Despite leaving Lebanon unscathed, he explained that the incident had left him with deep psychological scars. He feared Arab people approaching him for a week after his return, despite his general love of the Middle East, and panicked at the sound of footsteps outside his door. Brotman has since consulted with a Human Rights lawyer and is looking into taking action against Lebanon at The Hague. 'I know the UN is a bit useless, but for me, it's very important, just from a justice perspective, to have on record what happened to me.' He still struggles with the lack of understanding and sympathy he experienced upon his return. 'You don't have to agree with Mahmoud Khalil's activism, and you don't have to agree with people deciding to stay in the United States illegally, but at the end of the day, everyone, regardless of whatever they allegedly did, should be afforded due process,' the abused former prisoner said. 'That's the principle. And I just don't understand why there's such an outpouring of sympathy when some are denied due process. But when I'm denied due process, some people tell me 'You deserved it.' It's been very painful,' he said sadly. 'I'm an American who was held in subhuman and inhumane conditions without due process. Why did AOC [US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] greet Mahmoud Khalil at the airport when he arrived in New York? Why didn't I receive any contact from my senator, Marsha Blackburn [D–Tennessee], who knew I was being held? So I think that there are just questions – 'Why is my life worthless?' – I'm grappling with that.' Of the many difficulties now faced by Brotman, one particularly sour point is knowing that the incident will bar him from traveling to many countries throughout the Middle East, stopping him from engaging and learning from people. He was also doxxed in Canada by anti-Israel activists, which cements his situation as a known Jew and Israeli. Still, he has hopes that more countries, including Lebanon, would sign the Abraham Accords and he could resume his adventures. Despite serving in the IDF and holding Israeli citizenship, Brotman visited Iran. He visited the Islamist country after gaining South African citizenship in 2018, something that allowed him to avoid the complicated visa process he would have had to undergo as an American. He explained that during his 2019 trip, he had to seek government approval before being able to visit and speak with the Jewish community – a bureaucratic barrier not experienced by other populations there. Not one for abiding by red tape, Brotman asked a young boy in Isfahan if he knew where the local synagogue was. By some divine luck, the boy was Jewish and had been heading to synagogue, so he invited Brotman to accompany him. Walking into the synagogue, Brotman was met by an Islamicized version of the Judaism he grew up with. He recounted having to remove his shoes before entering the shul, a practice usually reserved for mosques, and how the crowds of Jewish women were forced to wear Islamic hijabs. The synagogue could not display the Magen David, he said, and instead relied on the menorah as a symbol of their faith. Despite the large number of attendees on Shabbat, Brotman found himself isolated and alone. He explained that he believed those around him were suspicious of an outsider and feared finding themselves in trouble with the authorities. Still, one man took the risk of opening up to the suspicious Shabbat guest and explained the abuse that the community suffered under the Islamic regime. While the country has Jewish schools, all must be overseen by a Muslim head master, Brotman explained. It is also illegal to teach about the atrocities of the Holocaust, separating Iranian Jewry from one of the greatest tragedies to befall their people and a major low moment in Jewish history. If any member of the Jewish community is found to have gone against the regime by visiting Israel or some similar slight, the entire community is collectively punished, Brotman recalled the man telling him. Still, many had made the journey to visit the Jewish state, their ancestral homeland. AFTER GETTING the green light from the regime to meet with the Jewish community, Brotman journeyed to Tehran's Palestine Street, which houses a large synagogue. It was here he was able to learn about what Jewish life was really like in a country that saw swastikas being openly sold in the streets. Tehran's four kosher restaurants were not allowed to advertise themselves as such and were barred from placing mazuzot on their external door frames. Throughout his conversations with local Jewry, he discovered the extent to which they were treated as 'second-class citizens' by the state. They were barred from owning large businesses or working in the civil service. The restrictions around Jewish labor may be one reason so many Iranian Jews find themselves in poverty and, Brotman explained, many distanced themselves from the idea of aliyah over fears of destitution in Israel. 'I felt it was very much a humiliating status that they were in, being barred from certain professions… the fact that people have to get permission to talk to them… My understanding is they had to cut all ties with any family members in Israel,' he shared. 'I cannot even imagine what it's like for the Jews in Iran now, because this was in 2019, but being constantly surveilled, not being able to fully teach about their history, they're cut off from the Jewish world. It was quite shocking.' Despite forming friendships and connections in Iran, Brotman came to the difficult decision to let that social network go cold. He was aware that many would face harsh sentences, potentially death, over connections to him, despite the community not knowing he was Israeli. While the Jewish community could be predicted to be treated with suspicion for unknowingly interacting with a former IDF soldier, Ayatollah Khamenei's personal media crew interviewed Brotman about his experience visiting a local shrine. During his first two visits to Lebanon, the country was without a real government, and its economy was in free fall. The Lebanese people were reeling from the Beirut blast tragedy and the coronavirus pandemic. During his visit, he was advised to avoid eating meat and dairy because the frequent power blackouts would put him at serious risk of food poisoning. Despite the country's messy situation, Brotman enjoyed his trip and the company of the civilians of the country. Still, little things were reminders of the control Hezbollah had. Brotman's tour guide took him to meet with Hezbollah, and visit a museum dedicated to the terror group, the Museum for Resistance Tourism. He described how the building was covered in a faux spider web, the sound of assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and footage of Israeli soldiers being killed. He laughed as he recalled the absurdity of an American Jewish woman at the museum who asked their Hezbollah tour guide what they thought of the two-state solution. The man's face 'went white,' he joked. Despite being surrounded by people who considered him an enemy, Brotman's adventurous spirit led him to take advantage of all that Lebanon had to offer. For the low cost of $50, he was able to fly above the Syrian border in a helicopter flown by the country's military – an experience unlikely to be had in a Western nation. He was even able to visit a military base, despite being a foreign national. Despite his love of the Lebanese people and his enjoyment of the country, Brotman was nervous to reveal himself as being Jewish. He eventually confessed to one friend, who responded well to the admission. Putting aside his feelings of insecurity, he elected to visit the country a second time in hopes of exploring Jewish history there. He located a Jewish cemetery but found it locked – although he was eventually able to access it after climbing over from the neighboring Christian graveyard. A local shop owner told him about the country's once-flourishing Jewish community, his memories of the Jews, and how he himself had been circumcised by a Jewish mohel as a baby. Despite not being able to find a living Jew in Lebanon, the community still had signs of life. He discovered a grave from 2018 and some Danish embassy workers told him of a local family who ran a chocolate shop, but he was unable to meet them. 'In a nutshell, my experiences in Lebanon were very positive. The people have been given the short end of the stick,' Brotman concluded. 'They have a government that has not been held accountable for the port blast, where hundreds of Lebanese died, and I saw the damage. They have an economy that's in ruins. They deserve so much better than what they have. The Lebanese people are good people and they're very resilient.' When he built the confidence to ask about Israel, many civilians said they dreamed of peace with their Jewish neighbors. It was only the Shi'ite Muslims in Lebanon who seemed intent on conflict, he said. Having had the rare opportunity to rub shoulders with many in the Arab world, including members of terror organizations and officials from hostile nations, The Jerusalem Post asked Brotman what his findings were on whether Israel's enemies have an issue with antisemitism or anti-Zionism – a debate which continues to overshadow the global anti-Zionist movement. Reflecting on how Lebanon threatened him if he wore his Star of David while still in the country, the way authorities checked if his fellow tour members had Jewish mothers, and how a photo of him donning tefillin was treated as evidence, Brotman concluded that antisemitism was an essential component in how the country treated him and was embedded in their mentality. 'I think in some of these places, they say: 'We don't have a problem with Jews, we just have a problem with Israel' [but] I've sort of concluded that that's not the case… because I think it's too hard to separate the two,' he shared. 'Any Jewish person, even if they're not an Israeli citizen, is an Israeli citizen in the waiting. They can become an Israeli citizen tomorrow. A Jewish person can come to Lebanon, or any of these countries, do whatever they want to do, and then the next day apply for Israeli citizenship. 'Every Jew is a potential Israeli citizen. Most of us have either family or friends or some kind of ties there, because half of the Jewish people live there. So I think it's very, very hard to separate Jews and Israel as much as they'd like to say so.' DESPITE THE risks of traveling as an Israeli on a foreign passport – highlighted by cases like that of Russian-Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov – and his own treatment in Lebanon, Brotman said he had no regrets about his trips. He saw them as a first step toward building peace and restoring humanity to people shaped by government incitement. The world-traveling journalist stressed that for things to improve, change had to come from within. In democratic nations, the people had to decide to vote for something better and where voting wasn't an option, they need to take action to demand better. 'They all deserve better governments, and it's going to need to come from the people. That's one thing that needs to happen for the path forward: a bottom up change,' Brotman shared. The other thing that needs to happen is we need to start humanizing each other, he said. 'How many Israelis have actually met a Lebanese person who lives in Lebanon or an Iranian person who lives in Iran? I'm not talking about a bitter exile living in Los Angeles, I'm talking about someone who really lives in Iran. I think that building human-to-human bridges is extremely important, and it becomes very difficult when those bridges are criminalized,' Brotman said. 'In Lebanon, if they even see that you make a phone call to Israel, they'll arrest you. So when human-to-human bridges are [blocked], there's a reason why they don't want us to have contact with each other. If we want contact with each other, we're going to realize that the other side is human, that we deserve a better reality, and we're going to want to change the government. So I think countries like Lebanon and Iran want to prevent that in every way possible,' he said. 'I think that we need to stop fearing each other,' Brotman concluded. 'As Jews and Israelis, we need to realize that these people are the biggest victims of their own governments. As horrible, as terrible as these countries are to Israel, do you know what they do to their own people?' The Jerusalem Post elected to withhold parts of this interview to protect members of Iran's Jewish community.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Windsor man, accused of being Israeli spy, imprisoned in Lebanon for six days
OTTAWA — What was supposed to be the end of a groundbreaking eight-day excursion for a Windsor man turned into nearly a week in Lebanese custody, facing accusations of being an Israeli spy. Enduring feces-caked cells, witnessing torture and enduring endless interrogation, Dan Brotman was eventually released — but the seasoned world traveller said he'll be more judicious about future travels. 'I've been to all of the Arab countries, except four,' the 38-year-old told The Toronto Sun. 'I'd love to return to Lebanon once they've signed the Abraham Accords, and I'll continue to travel to all regions of the world, I just won't do countries that are enemies of Israel anymore — I'm too exposed and now I'm too scarred from this experience.' The ordeal began in early May, when Brotman — part of the largest western tour group since the 2024 fall of the Assad regime — travelled to Syria for an eight-day excursion, exploring the country's dwindling Jewish history. 'From Beirut, we drove an hour and a half to Syria,' he said, adding he'd travelled to Lebanon before without incident. Problems began upon re-entering Lebanon from Syria. 'The guard takes my passport and scans it — he's staring at his screen,' Brotman said. 'And then he says, 'Come with me.'' Brotman was told not to worry and he'd be on his way in five minutes. 'They asked me, 'Have you been in the Israeli army?' and at that point I can't lie because if they're asking me, they know — so I said 'Yes.'' Brotman, originally from Boston, moved to Israel, making Aliyah at age 18 and — like all Israeli citizens — was conscripted into the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) for mandatory military service, serving three years in an administrative role. He spent a decade in South Africa before moving to Windsor, where he's in the final stages of obtaining Canadian citizenship. Brotman's past IDF service was enough for Lebanese officials to detain him as an Israeli spy. Confiscating his watch, wallet and phone, Brotman was shackled and thrown in a dark, windowless cell. 'I was just waiting there, I didn't know exactly what I was waiting for.' His tour leader eventually visited, saying the guards planned to transport Brotman to Beirut. The soldier accompanying the tour leader then started pointing at Brotman, shouting that he was an Israeli spy. 'They forced the group to leave the border and continue to Beirut, but before they did, they made each participant write down their mother's full name because they wanted to know who might have a Jewish mother,' Brotman explained. What followed was a six-day ordeal of filthy cells, little food, and endless interrogations about his life in Israel, and his military service. His captors also forced him to sign statements in Arabic. Brotman, who holds American and South African passports, was detained by the Hezbollah-linked Lebanese General Security — equivalent to the CIA or CSIS — and housed in a cell with no toilet, lights, blanket or running water. 'We went through eight-hour interrogations daily,' he recalled. In a diary he secretly kept in custody, he recalled a guard named Hussein who was kind to him, spoke of his uncle in Brampton and bought Brotman food. Brotman also overheard guards torturing and performing mock executions on prisoners in adjacent cells. Brotman comforted himself by singing Nyet Nyet Nikavo — a Jewish song affirming faith in God whose Russian title translates to 'No, No, Not to Anyone,' It took days to meet with American embassy officials, who convinced his captors to remove the handcuffs he'd worn constantly for days. Six days into his ordeal, Brotman was brought before a judge who told him he'd be able to leave in three days — so he was surprised to find out later that night his departure would be immediate. 'I was blindfolded, put in handcuffs, driven through Hezbollah territory near the Beirut airport,' he said, dismayed to find his promised escort from the U.S. embassy never showed up. Iran regime change the only path forward, Iranian-Canadians say Another group adds to call for Canada to take Iranian threat seriously 'They said they were going to meet me when I was released, to make sure I actually got on the plane.' His plane to the UK eventually departed, and he returned home. Convinced his detention was illegal, he plans to file a complaint with the United Nations — but says the mental and psychological scars will take a long time to heal. 'I know the UN doesn't do much, but it has to be on record,' he said. 'I'm part of a much longer chain of people in Jewish history who have been detained or imprisoned simply because of who they are. If Lebanon wanted to, they could have just refused me entry — there was absolutely no reason for Lebanon to break international law, to deny me due process and hold me for as long as they did.' bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume0
Toronto Sun
29-06-2025
- Toronto Sun
Windsor man, accused of being Israeli spy, imprisoned in Lebanon for six days
Dan Brotman was detained at the Lebanese border, and spent six days in filthy cells, denied food, medical care and witnessed torture Dan Brotman on his flight home from six days in a Lebanese prison, accused of being an Israeli spy Photo by supplied photo OTTAWA — What was supposed to be the end of a groundbreaking eight-day excursion for a Windsor man turned into nearly a week in Lebanese custody, facing accusations of being an Israeli spy. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Enduring feces-caked cells, witnessing torture and enduring endless interrogation, Dan Brotman was eventually released — but the seasoned world traveller said he'll be more judicious about future travels. 'I've been to all of the Arab countries, except four,' the 38-year-old told The Toronto Sun . 'I'd love to return to Lebanon once they've signed the Abraham Accords, and I'll continue to travel to all regions of the world, I just won't do countries that are enemies of Israel anymore — I'm too exposed and now I'm too scarred from this experience.' The ordeal began in early May, when Brotman — part of the largest western tour group since the 2024 fall of the Assad regime — travelled to Syria for an eight-day excursion, exploring the country's dwindling Jewish history. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'From Beirut, we drove an hour and a half to Syria,' he said, adding he'd travelled to Lebanon before without incident. Problems began upon re-entering Lebanon from Syria. 'The guard takes my passport and scans it — he's staring at his screen,' Brotman said. 'And then he says, 'Come with me.'' Brotman was told not to worry and he'd be on his way in five minutes. 'They asked me, 'Have you been in the Israeli army?' and at that point I can't lie because if they're asking me, they know — so I said 'Yes.'' Brotman, originally from Boston, moved to Israel, making Aliyah at age 18 and — like all Israeli citizens — was conscripted into the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) for mandatory military service, serving three years in an administrative role. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He spent a decade in South Africa before moving to Windsor, where he's in the final stages of obtaining Canadian citizenship. Brotman's past IDF service was enough for Lebanese officials to detain him as an Israeli spy. Confiscating his watch, wallet and phone, Brotman was shackled and thrown in a dark, windowless cell. 'I was just waiting there, I didn't know exactly what I was waiting for.' His tour leader eventually visited, saying the guards planned to transport Brotman to Beirut. The soldier accompanying the tour leader then started pointing at Brotman, shouting that he was an Israeli spy. 'They forced the group to leave the border and continue to Beirut, but before they did, they made each participant write down their mother's full name because they wanted to know who might have a Jewish mother,' Brotman explained. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. What followed was a six-day ordeal of filthy cells, little food, and endless interrogations about his life in Israel, and his military service. His captors also forced him to sign statements in Arabic. Brotman, who holds American and South African passports, was detained by the Hezbollah-linked Lebanese General Security — equivalent to the CIA or CSIS — and housed in a cell with no toilet, lights, blanket or running water. 'We went through eight-hour interrogations daily,' he recalled. In a diary he secretly kept in custody, he recalled a guard named Hussein who was kind to him, spoke of his uncle in Brampton and bought Brotman food. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Brotman also overheard guards torturing and performing mock executions on prisoners in adjacent cells. Brotman comforted himself by singing Nyet Nyet Nikavo — a Jewish song affirming faith in God whose Russian title translates to 'No, No, Not to Anyone,' It took days to meet with American embassy officials, who convinced his captors to remove the handcuffs he'd worn constantly for days. Six days into his ordeal, Brotman was brought before a judge who told him he'd be able to leave in three days — so he was surprised to find out later that night his departure would be immediate. 'I was blindfolded, put in handcuffs, driven through Hezbollah territory near the Beirut airport,' he said, dismayed to find his promised escort from the U.S. embassy never showed up. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They said they were going to meet me when I was released, to make sure I actually got on the plane.' His plane to the UK eventually departed, and he returned home. Convinced his detention was illegal, he plans to file a complaint with the United Nations — but says the mental and psychological scars will take a long time to heal. 'I know the UN doesn't do much, but it has to be on record,' he said. 'I'm part of a much longer chain of people in Jewish history who have been detained or imprisoned simply because of who they are. If Lebanon wanted to, they could have just refused me entry — there was absolutely no reason for Lebanon to break international law, to deny me due process and hold me for as long as they did.' bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume0 Sports Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists
