“Kadisha Challenge” Horror: Tel Aviv First-Grader Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted at School, Father Pulls Him Out

A 6-year-old boy (name withheld, pseudonym “Aron”) suffered weeks of physical violence and sexual harassment at a state-religious elementary school in Tel Aviv, including repeated participation in the notorious social-media “Kadisha Challenge,” his father revealed.

The “Kadisha Challenge” is a viral TikTok trend that has spread rapidly among Israeli children and teens. In the act, one child grabs another child’s head and forcibly shoves it toward the perpetrator’s (or a third child’s) genital area while others film and laugh. Experts and police classify it as sexual assault and severe bullying.

Mako reported the shocking incidents:

According to the father, four classmates, three from Aron’s first-grade class and one from another class, carried out the “Kadisha Challenge” on his son multiple times.

“When he first told me, I didn’t understand,” the father told mako. “Then he showed me the motion. They literally rammed his head into their private parts. It’s sexual harassment, plain and simple.”The father says similar acts were also committed against girls in the school.

In addition to the sexual assaults, Aron endured other violence: classmates sat on him and beat him, deliberately licked his food so he couldn’t eat it, and in one incident another boy shoved him into a table, injuring his ribs. When Aron finally fought back, he was the one suspended for four lessons, while the perpetrators faced no suspension or expulsion, the father claims.Since the beginning of the school year, at least ten students from various classes have left the school, according to the father. “Stealing, stripping girls, unimaginable things are happening there,” he said.

After learning the full extent of the abuse, the father immediately removed his son from the school. He is currently homeschooling the boy and taking him to work while awaiting approval from Tel Aviv municipality to transfer him to a different school.

Ministry of Education response

A spokesperson stated: “The incident took place during the after-school program and was handled immediately with removal of the involved parties, educational talks, and clarification of behavioral rules. The class is now receiving enhanced pedagogical support to improve the social climate. Out of respect for privacy and the ongoing process, no further details can be provided.”

The ministry emphasized that final authority over student placement and transfers lies with the Tel Aviv municipality.

The case has reignited national outrage over the “Kadisha Challenge,” with parents, educators, and child-protection organizations demanding stronger action from schools and social-media platforms to stop the dangerous trend before more children are harmed.

Mako contributed to this article.