Master charedi educationalist and children's author commits suicide following numerous sexual abuse allegations: a concise THREAD π 
Chaim Valder was a towering figure in the charedi education scene. Few charedi child haven't heard his name. We will grew up on his books, which spoke to us about the struggles of childhood and the dangers of the world. One of his stories is about being aware of predators.
The charedi community doesn't talk about sex and sexuality. Critics have argued that that creates a safe haven for predators. Earlier this year another prominent charedi figure Yehuda Meshi-Zahav faced serious allegations of sexual abuse: google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.β¦
The charedi community also often have policies against reporting abuse to the police and some rabbis consider it a severe sin. Senior charedi rabbis in London have been on record forbidding the reporting of abusers to the authorities: thetimes.co.uk/article/reportβ¦
Last month @AronRabino1 and @ShiraElk did an investigative piece for @Haaretz in which multiple allegations of sexual abuse were made against Valder. This story shook up the charedi community, leading to a polarised response.
Whilst many in the community refused to believe the allegations and saw it as mere slander, many charedi distributers dropped Walder's books and he was forced to step down as a communist for multiple charedi publications.
https://twitter.com/MordyGetz/status/1460734926576312323?t=uDrFbRjR9-nEzPuMG1q4CA&s=19
The Chief rabbi of Seffad, rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, presided over a rabbinical court that took evidence and listened to witnesses on the matter. They invited Valder to represent himself before court but he refused.
Yesterday the court found him "guilty beyond any doubt" in his absence. In one of the recordings presented before the court, Valder tells one of his accusers that he'll kill himself if these allegations go public. facebook.com/31419135869687β¦
This morning Valder was found dead, apparently by suicide, fulfilling the threat that he made. The community's response has been polarised with some charedi outlets eulogising him as a respectable figure. This is being widely criticised by activists:
https://twitter.com/avitalrachel/status/1475442996023894018?t=PE2EXV5eUqVxZHnwNGNR6g&s=19
There's no doubt that this saga will leave a deep mark on the charedi community, as it begins to seriously grapple with an old problem. The journalists who exposed this predator are doing holy work but are sadly facing abuse and death threats. The full legacy remains to be seen.
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