A recent documentary has caused a massive uproar in Israel by exposing the oppression, torture, and even sexual harassment suffered by students in religious schools. These institutions, known as “Haredi” Jewish schools, cater to thousands of students from the age of five until the eighth grade, where they endure extreme forms of abuse at the hands of their rabbis.
The documentary Haider sheds light on the horrific violence prevalent in early Haredi education. While there are no official statistics regarding these abuses, estimates suggest that the Haredi educational system—responsible for shaping the future of Jewish children—is rife with severe and systematic violence against students.
Even more alarming is that, alongside this physical abuse, students receive an education steeped in extremism and hatred toward Palestinians and Arabs in general. The rabbis who oversee their education issue extremist religious rulings, producing generations conditioned to embrace violence against Palestinians.
Torture and Humiliation in Israel’s Religious Schools
The abuses suffered by students in these religious schools include severe psychological harm, various forms of physical assault, and public humiliation. Students are beaten in numerous ways, shamed in front of their classmates, or degraded before the entire school. The credibility of these claims is reinforced by the documentary’s director, Meni Philip, who personally endured this educational system and suffered similar violations. The film features testimonies from hundreds of survivors, recounting their harrowing experiences, as well as disturbing footage from inside these institutions.
Shockingly, the rabbis who work in these religious schools justify their actions, and what is even more astonishing is that the broader Haredi community—including parents—does not object to these abhorrent practices. Many parents support these transgressions under the pretext of maintaining a strict disciplinary system, which is then passed from one generation to the next. The lasting scars from these experiences manifest in violent tendencies that are later directed toward Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Among the reported abuses, a rabbi was said to have kicked a five-year-old child in the stomach, slapped him forcefully, or struck him with a stick while humiliating him in front of other students. Another student revealed that his teacher forced him to swallow hot chili peppers, sealed his mouth shut with adhesive tape, and bound his hands behind his back. One former student described being tied up with a wire and left hanging over a chair during the class break. The documentary also exposed the use of various punishment tools, including belts, hammers, plastic hoses, and rulers.
In these schools, young students are subjected to brutal beatings using hands, belts, chair legs, or any object capable of inflicting pain. These violent methods are often used as a means to instill religious teachings derived from the Torah and Talmud.
Gabriel, a pseudonym, recounted in the documentary: “The rabbi always used a stick or a ruler—anything within reach. He made me hold a cup of boiling tea, not by its handle, but directly, for five minutes. We were taught by truly sadistic instructors.”
Sexual Crimes by Religious Figures
Noam Peretzky, a media figure, shared his harrowing experience in the documentary Haider, recalling the abuse he endured in these religious schools thirty years ago when he was only nine years old.
“I found myself standing in the middle of the classroom, shoeless, with my usually coiled hair pulled up into a tight knot, resembling a shoelace. I was ordered to hold my backpack filled with books above my head for nearly an hour, unable to move,” Peretzky recalled.
A few days later, the rabbi repeated the same humiliating ritual, forcing him to stand at the window overlooking the schoolyard during lunch break, turning him into a spectacle before 400 other children. He described it as feeling like “a living display case or an aquarium containing only trapped fish.”
The documentary also uncovered a prominent Haredi rabbi accused of sexually abusing 80 students. Yet, silence pervades the religious school system regarding sexual assault cases, leaving hundreds of victims without justice.
Many students and even parents remain silent out of fear that speaking out might damage their children’s future marriage prospects or tarnish their family’s reputation within the community. Yitzhak Kadman, CEO of the Child Welfare Council, confirmed that this silence is typical of insular communities like the Haredi sector, where a lack of awareness and strict cultural barriers prevent victims from seeking help.
A Jewish mother living in a Haredi city, who was herself a survivor of childhood abuse, wrote in a letter: “In our city, there are many teachers and rabbis who allow themselves to harm small children. No one speaks out. People lack the courage to go to the police, fearing expulsion from the community. The criminals exploit this culture of silence to satisfy their sick urges at the expense of young children.”
Rabbi Aharon Shlomo Lison was convicted of committing indecent acts against three brothers over five years. The court found him guilty on all charges, yet leading rabbis condemned the family for filing a complaint rather than denouncing the crime itself. The prevailing belief within these circles is that sexual abuse of children is a lesser offense than reporting it to secular authorities.
While thousands of minors suffer sexual abuse annually in Israel, the phenomenon is particularly widespread within the Haredi community. However, accurate figures remain unknown because religious law discourages reporting such crimes to secular courts, framing child abuse as a moral deviation rather than a criminal act.
According to the Israeli Knesset Research and Information Center, an estimated 60 cases of sexual abuse occur monthly within Haredi schools, further underscoring the depth of this crisis.
State Support for Religious Schools
Despite these alarming findings, the Israeli government continues to provide substantial financial support to religious schools. A comparative study found that the government allocates 116,000 shekels (approximately $32,000) per religious student, compared to 52,000 shekels (around $14,000) for secular students.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs funds the education of approximately 35,000 students in these schools, with 5,500 new students enrolling each year. Since 1948, the number of religious institutes has grown from 50 to over 600, accommodating between 1,300 and 1,500 students annually.
Instead of penalizing these institutions, the right-wing government has increased their budget by an additional 97 million shekels ($30 million) as part of coalition agreements. These schools refuse to adopt government curricula, reject ministerial oversight, and have consistently opposed installing surveillance cameras to monitor school violence.
The Impact: Psychological Trauma and Aggression Toward Palestinians
Many Israelis acknowledge that the violent upbringing in these schools results in psychological disorders, emotional suppression, and social anxiety, all of which manifest later in aggression against Palestinians when these individuals join the Israeli army.
Former Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein advocated for ending state funding to a religious school in the Yitzhar settlement, known for its students’ violent actions against Palestinians. Yitzhar’s rabbis either ignored or outright encouraged these attacks, which included stoning, arson, and acts of terrorism against Palestinians.
Radical Religious Rulings Encouraging Violence
Some of Israel’s most influential rabbis openly promote extreme religious interpretations that justify violence against Arabs. Rabbi Itzik Shapira, author of The King’s Torah, issued a ruling permitting Israeli soldiers to kill non-Jewish children, arguing that they pose a future threat to Israel.
These violent teachings persist within religious schools, fostering an ideology that sees non-Jews as inherently inferior. This indoctrination plays a significant role in shaping extremist ideologies among young Israelis, reinforcing the belief that Arabs should be targeted, oppressed, and even exterminated.
These schools not only produce individuals who harbor deep-seated hatred toward Palestinians but also cultivate a broader culture of violence that permeates Israeli society, fueling ongoing aggression in the occupied territories.
