Chaim Walder, 53, Israeli rabbi and author, suicide by gunshot.[34]
"In November 2021, an investigative piece by Haaretz reported that several women alleged that Walder sexually assaulted them while they were under his care as a therapist.[2] Two of the accusers were minors at the time of the alleged assaults. Since then, over 25 women came forward with accusations against Walder. "
Chaim Eliezer Walder (Hebrew: חיים אליעזר ולדר, romanized: Ḥayyim Eliʿezer Valder; 15 November 1968 – 27 December 2021) was an Israeli Haredi rabbi and 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 Talk 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.[1] Walder was also 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.