Cases of sexual abuse involving leaders of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, which have come to light over the past few years, have begun to sound a wake-up call and raise sharp criticism amid a deeply devout society.
The phrase “Lo Tishtok”, which in Hebrew means “don’t shut up”, gained strength among the ultra-Orthodox, known in Israel as “haredim”, leading them to face allegations of crimes, including the sexual abuse of minors, against several religious and cultural references.
The writer and rabbi Chaim Walder, author of children’s books and known for having revolutionized ultra-orthodox children’s literature, was found dead in December after the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published allegations of sexual crimes, including against minors, that he had committed. It is suspected that Walder committed suicide.
Months earlier, Haaretz had also reported allegations that Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, 62, founder of the Zaka humanitarian organization and winner of the Israel Prize — the country’s highest public honor — had sexually abused children and women. The social activist denied the allegations and tried to commit suicide in April, before a new complaint surfaced on the N12 television channel.
A spokesperson for the Israeli police told the AFP news agency that there was an open investigation into the allegations against the founder of Zaka, but did not provide information about the criminal investigation involving writer Chaim Walder.
Avigayil Heilbronn, 33, founder of the NGO Lo Tishtok, which provides support to victims of sexual abuse by ultra-Orthodox members, says the community is tense. The accusations against Walder, a cultural icon, represented a coup and led haredim to question whether they can, in fact, trust anyone, says the activist, who defines herself as a modern orthodox.
The ultra-Orthodox community represents about 12% of Israel’s 9.3 million people. The Haredim are not a homogeneous group, like other Jews, but they claim to live in strict accordance with Jewish law.
The most recent case involving sexual violence was made public this month, when the newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported that an ultra-Orthodox radical abused three women.
Adiel Bar Shaul, 43, an ultra-Orthodozo who lives in the town of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, also shared with AFP that he was abused as a child. He said he was abused several times when he was 10 years old by a family friend who was also ultra-Orthodox.
The first case occurred when Shaul’s family received the attacker for “Shabbat”, a holy day for practitioners of Judaism. “He started by giving me stickers as a gift and, soon after, in return, he would put my hand in his pants,” he said.
“I was a child, I didn’t understand. I was alone, extremely ashamed and I felt guilty,” added Shaul, who kept the matter a secret and now works with victims of sexual abuse.
Josiane Paris, a volunteer at the Tahel Crisis Center in Jerusalem, which supports children and women in Jewish communications, said victims often do not report violence. “They are afraid of what people in the neighborhood or synagogue will say,” says the activist.
When the center opened a hotline 30 years ago to help victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, the calls weren’t very frequent. Today, more than 500 a month, says Paris.
For Yair Ettinger, an expert on the ultra-Orthodox community at the Israel Democracy Institute and a journalist with the public network Kan, the rabbis continue to deny the matter. “Haredim are part of an idealistic society that is reluctant to look in the mirror,” he says. “But now, especially after several haredi celebrities have fallen out of favor, there is more real attention to the problem.”
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