Who Killed Tair Rada?

Inside Israel's true crime obsession.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story August 5, 2022 Photo illustration by Mike McQuade. Source photograph: Screen grab courtesy of Ilana Rada. The case of Tair Rada, a 13-year-old girl who was found with her throat slit in a bathroom stall of her middle school, has riveted Israel almost from the moment she was killed in 2006. The murder took place in broad daylight in Katzrin, a sleepy northern town. After confessing to the crime, a Ukrainian-born man named Roman Zdorov was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. But doubts about his guilt have dogged the case, furnishing material for no fewer than six prime-time investigations and as many books. Last year, a Supreme Court judge granted Zdorov a new trial. Over the past 10 months, 85 witnesses have testified. Most days, the case has dominated the headlines, becoming a "national obsession," as Maariv, the daily newspaper, has put it. Zdorov is the first high-profile defendant in Israel to have his case transformed by social media. His conviction in 2010 coincided with the rise of Facebook in Israel, resulting in a digital petri dish where speculations and counterspeculations about the murder bloomed. In 2013, three young filmmakers set out to investigate the various theories. Their four-part docuseries, "Shadow of Truth," portrayed Zdorov as the unwitting victim of prosecutorial overreach and offered up an alternative suspect. Many Israelis credit the series and the outcry it generated with the decision to award Zdorov a new trial. But legal observers have balked. Israel's former state attorney Shai Nitzan has called "Shadow of Truth" and true-crime productions like it an "imminent danger to democracy." He went on: "Criminal trials aren't a reality show, where the public gets to vote by text message. Do we really want to live in a country where a person's life, fate and liberty are decided by media polls?" A TV documentary upended a murder case and captivated a nation. But its sensational theories might also be distorting justice. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THIS WEEK'S MAGAZINE Photo illustration by Mike McQuade Who Killed Tair Rada? Inside Israel's True Crime Obsession A TV documentary upended a murder case and captivated the nation. But its sensational theories might also be distorting justice. By Ruth Margalit Photo illustration by Tyler Comrie How the Claremont Institute Became a Nerve Center of the American Right They made the intellectual case for Trump. Now they believe the country is in a cultural civil war. By Elisabeth Zerofsky Stay in touch: Follow us on Twitter (@NYTmag) or check us out on Instagram, where you'll find photography from our archives, behind-the-scenes snippets from photo shoots, interviews on how we design our covers and outtakes that don't make it into the issue. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Appreciated this email? Forward it to a friend and help us grow. Loved a story? Hated it? Write us a letter at magazine@nytimes.com. Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here to get the magazine newsletter. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The New York Times Magazine from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018