Chaim Walder

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Chaim Eliezer Walder (Hebrew: חיים אליעזר ולדר, romanized: Ḥayyim Eliʿezer Valder; 15 November 1968 – 27 December 2021) was an Israeli Haredi author of literature for children, adolescents, and adults. In 1993, he became an Israeli publishing sensation with his bestselling first book, Yeladim Mesaprim al Atzmam (Hebrew: ילדים מספרים על עצמם, Children Tell About Themselves, translated into English as Kids Speak), which revolutionized literature for Haredi children by introducing young protagonists who speak openly about their problems and feelings, and opened the door for many more writers to produce original fiction for Haredi youth. Walder was a long-time columnist on social issues for the Hebrew daily Yated Ne'eman, an educational counselor, and manager of the Center for the Child and Family, operated by the Bnei Brak municipality. In November 2021, an investigative piece by Haaretz reported several women's allegations of sexual assault committed by Walder while they were under his care as a therapist. Two of the accusers were minors at the time of the reputed assaults. Afterwards, over 25 women came forward with further accusations against Walder. The Safed rabbinical court found that over a period of 25 years, Walder had sexually abused women, girls, and boys that had come to him for treatment. On 27 December 2021, Walder committed suicide, at the age of 53. The allegations and death divided the Haredi community on the appropriate response to allegations of sexual abuse and was described as the community's #MeToo moment.