A popular haredi author in Israel has been suspended by several media outlets, following accusations of sexual abuse.
Chaim Walder, author of dozens of books including the popular “Kids Speak: Children Talk About Themselves” series, was recently accused of sexual abuse by three young women, including two who were minors at the time of the alleged attacks, Ha’aretz reported recently.
After a prominent Brooklyn bookstore announced that it would no longer carry Walder’s books, two haredi media outlets in Israel both suspended Walder.
The Yated Ne’eman newspaper on Wednesday halted publication of Walder’s column, while the Radio Kol Hai station has suspended Walder from his regular radio show.
Walder has denied the allegations, with his attorneys – Micky Hova and Guy Shamer – telling Ha’aretz: “Our client has denied and is disgusted by any accusations of misconduct on his part, especially what has been claimed in the report.”
“These allegations are outrageous falsehoods based on total lies and amount to complete and utter libel.”
Walder’s lawyers said that the accusations stem from the author and educator’s work to help children who had suffered from abuse.
“As a result of this, a group of individuals came together with the goal of hurting him, and we have evidence of part of their attempts to implicate our client.”
Furthermore, Walder’s attorneys claimed that the author had undergone polygraph tests which indicated he was not lying.