Apart from the horror that was engendered by the Chaim Walder revelations and his subsequent suicide, there has been significant discussion about the Chareidi media’s varied responses to the terrible situation. Some media outlets lauded Walder after his death, which apparently helped trigger the suicide of one of Walder’s victims. Ignoring truth for the sake of a supposed higher value has consequences, some potentially catastrophic.
To better understand ultra-Orthodox media, Scott spoke to Dr. Yoel Finkelman, Curator of the Haim and Hanna Salomon Judaica Collection at the National Library of Israel. (Please note that in this podcast, Dr. Finkelman is speaking as an interested observer of Chareidi media and not in any official work capacity. The opinions expressed are his own.)
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Music: “Happy Rock” by bensound.com
Head shot of Dr. Finkelman by Yorai Lieberman