Harish resident Elhanan Mishmarti, a well-known singer and paytan (performer of Jewish liturgical poetry), was held and questioned for several hours at Budapest airport overnight into Tuesday, 15 September 2026, over a counterfeit 100-dollar bill.
Mishmarti had spent Rosh Hashanah in Uman, Ukraine, and was travelling home via Hungary with two of his children, who were taken for questioning with him. Kikar HaShabbat reported that he received the note as change at a stall in Uman and did not know it was fake; other outlets said the problem surfaced when he tried to pay with it at the airport. The children phoned their mother in distress.
He was released after several hours, but missed his flight. Kikar HaShabbat reported that he was booked onto the next flight to Israel with the help of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and ministry staff. Yedioth Harish, which spoke to him after his return, said the journey also included a problem with the original flight, a long delay, about five hours of questioning and checks, and a suitcase that failed to arrive. He told the site he felt like a criminal.
Source: Kikar HaShabbat, 15 September 2026, and Yedioth Harish, 18 September 2026.
