Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community - Is the Hysteria Justified?

“Ritual abuse.” If you haven’t encountered this phrase recently, you probably don’t have a social media account. In recent weeks, platforms like Facebook and X, along with both mainstream and independent media, have been filled with horrifying accounts of alleged satanic rituals taking place across Israel. Locations mentioned include the tomb of the Ari in Safed, settlements in Judea and Samaria, and the alleyways of Meah Shearim in Jerusalem. The stories claim these events are led by well known rabbis or simply ordinary individuals.

These accounts include claims of brutal rituals involving every imaginable atrocity. Sexual abuse. Incest. Idol worship. Child sacrifice. Live burial. Torture. Forced abortions. Cannibalism. Even murder. The descriptions often combine Canaanite mythology with Kabbalistic mysticism. For example, a red satanic pentagram is supposedly drawn around the victim while the community leader recites a blessing attributed to Sabbatai Zevi. The sheer volume, graphic detail, and apparent precision of these reports may convince even rational individuals that these are not just actions of isolated perverts in secret cults, but events happening now within normal communities and by seemingly normal people.

Alongside these abuse claims comes another claim. That the ritual organizers are protected by police, the justice system, and various government agencies. These authorities are said to be complicit in the crimes, covering up for each other, since many of their members allegedly participate in the abuse themselves. Another element of this conspiracy theory says that the Israeli legal system prevents the publication of names of dozens of pedophiles caught in the act, while the man who supposedly caught them was imprisoned. The reason given is that these pedophiles are influential, connected people with political power. In reality, the person in question attempted to extort sex workers by switching identities before meeting them.

This is not an Israel specific theory. It echoes earlier global conspiracy theories. One well known case is the satanic panic of the 1980s, in which people claimed that children and adults were abused in the name of the devil by an organized global network of elites. These claims led to over 12,000 criminal investigations in the United States alone. None resulted in convictions or credible evidence. After it faded in the US, the same panic arose in Canada, Australia, the UK, and Norway. Again, no proof. Just hysteria.

A modern version of this phenomenon is the QAnon theory, originating from the far right in the United States. It claimed that a secret elite group of politicians, celebrities, and business leaders engaged in satanic rituals and child trafficking. Donald Trump was said to be fighting them in secret. A related conspiracy called Pizzagate claimed Democratic Party officials used coded language to facilitate ritual child abuse inside a specific pizzeria in Washington DC. A photo of President Obama playing ping pong with a child was offered as evidence that children were being held at that location.

These theories do not always stay in the digital world. In the case of Pizzagate, a man named Edgar Welch entered the targeted pizzeria armed with a rifle and fired three shots. Thankfully, no one was hurt. After turning himself in, he said he was there to rescue the children allegedly trapped inside.

Israel had a similar case in the 1990s, when Uzi Meshulam accused the state of trafficking children of Yemenite origin and selling them abroad for human experimentation. This also ended in gunfire and arrests, and unlike in the US case, a follower of Meshulam was killed by police after trying to shoot at them. The new ritual abuse theory in Israel includes similar themes of international child trafficking.

One anonymous commenter wrote in response to a post on this topic. “Just a bit of information on these abuse networks. I’m investigating a case involving rabbis running one of the biggest prostitution networks including illegal child adoption. Some are pedophiles. This spans Europe, Israel, and Africa. I discovered the network corrupted thousands of judges and lawyers in Europe. Many courts are involved including the one in Safed. We need independent honest lawyers. They’re paid by French and German millionaires.”

This strongly resembles older antisemitic conspiracy theories that claimed Jews control the world via banks and media and kidnap Christian children to use their blood for ritual purposes. In today’s version, Ashkenazi Jews replace “the Jews,” and Yemenite children replace Christian ones. The motivation remains the same. Greed and malice.

It is important to acknowledge that human trafficking is a global problem. Sexual abuse is tragically widespread. Many people have been harmed. Many more may be harmed. Sexual abuse is especially common in closed communities, including religious ones or cults. Just today, a well known Breslov rabbi was named publicly for having abused his daughters in horrific ways. Organized sexual cults did exist in ancient Israel around three thousand years ago as part of the Canaanite pagan system.

However, combining all these elements into a single coordinated conspiracy is deeply implausible. Judaism opposes harming others. It opposes sexual rituals. It opposes idolatry. Sexual abuse almost always happens in secret. Not in public. Even though perpetrators know it is wrong and fear exposure, that does not always stop them. But it does push them to act in secret. Ritual abuse done in front of others is not how these crimes usually happen. Think about the idea of performing a ritual involving human harm at the tomb of the Ari. It is a public place. Wide open. Highly visible. And yet people echo these claims without question.

Although a few group rapes have occurred in Israel, they are very rare and have never included ritualistic elements. Studies estimate that only ten to twenty percent of rape cases in the West involve more than one perpetrator. In Israel the number is even lower. And even in those rare cases, the motivation is violence or sexual gratification, not religion or satanic ideology.

Here is a description of one such supposed ritual that allegedly happened in modern day Israel a decade or two ago. It was shared online without any disclaimers. The story is based on a post by activist Uriya Meborach and presents the memory of a woman who claims to have witnessed this as a child. “In her memory she is in an open dark space at night. Surrounded by women. Only women. She sees no faces. Maybe they wore masks. She is not sure. There is intense music. Drumming. At some point the women undress. They are all naked.” “Near the circle is a statue of a woman. Larger than life. With emphasized sexual organs. The women worship the statue. They call it Asherah after the ancient goddess. At the base of the statue there is a bowl or shelf. A place to put something. She remembers they placed a girl in it. As if sacrificing her to the statue.” “There is a dramatic atmosphere. Drums. Torches. A ritual of choosing one child. They light her with torches. Bring her to the statue. Do something to her. All the girls stand in front of the statue and are told that one of them will be chosen. Something painful will happen to her. But it will bring healing to everyone.”

This disturbing story evokes fear and horror. But an honest person will find it hard to accept it as real. First. There is no historical or archaeological evidence of Asherah worship involving human sacrifice. Especially not of children. Asherah rituals were associated with trees and fertility. Not exaggerated statues and nighttime rituals. Second. The memory itself is full of uncertainty. “Maybe masks.” “Not sure.” Such vagueness weakens the credibility of the account. People often remember things that did not happen. Especially if they experienced real trauma or mental distress. The story sounds more like fiction or myth than actual history. It is more likely a dream, a reconstructed memory, or influenced by external stories. Not a description of a real event.

In practice, despite many stories filled with drama and detail, there has never been a proven case of ritual abuse in Israel. Most stories are based on delayed memories or moral panic within small communities such as the Nachlaot case. But to believers in the theory, the absence of convictions is proof that the system is corrupt. That the abusers are being protected. Otherwise why were they not caught. The more reasonable explanation. That no convictions exist because there are no crimes. Is not even considered.

In fact this very article will be seen as proof by conspiracy believers. Evidence that powerful global forces are suppressing the truth. That I have joined the cover up. That someone paid me. Conspiracy theories are closed systems of thought. Everything is interpreted through three rules. Nothing is random. Everything is connected. Someone is in control.

So why do well meaning people spread harmful nonsense. Likely because they think they are doing good. Fighting evil. Also. Sharing these stories provides a double thrill. It boosts one’s sense of moral superiority. “We are the few righteous ones battling a powerful evil.” And it provides a way to indulge in lurid sensational content under the guise of justice.

But remove those thrills. And what rational reason remains to spread such theories. If someone remembers a specific abuser. Place. And time. They should be encouraged to file a report. But spreading vague unverifiable stories with no names or specific accusations serves no good purpose.

If we recall the blood libels once leveled at Jews. The reason becomes clear. This new theory is a modern tool for demonizing hated groups. Especially religious and Haredi Jews. That is its core and its goal. That is why supporters of the theory ignore any cases that suggest secular or non Jewish perpetrators. It does not fit the agenda.

If you care about truth and justice. Do not spread such theories. If you want to be moral. Do not take part in this.