Dear VIN,
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I recently took a trip to Eretz Yisrael, and I discovered two Seforim stores in the heart of Yerushalayim, which were both selling Chaim Walder books.
I must say, I’m very torn about this. On the one hand, I’m sure that the stores want to salvage their investment and don’t want to throw out books and lose money.
With that said, Gedolim were very strong in their warning that these books should not be brought into one’s home, or be read by children.
The man was a monster and a sociopath. To put it into perspective – if Charles Manson or Vladimir Putin or Jeffrey Dahmer wrote children’s books, would you let your child go within 500 feet of them?
For one thing, reading these books seems insensitive to the victims. In addition, the books may be filled with subtle nuances, that a twisted genius like Walder used to harm readers and mess with their heads.
So I came up with a simple solution. Perhaps there are people out there willing to donate money, so that we can buy up all the Walder books from these stores and dispose of them?
That would be a win-win. The stores would not need to lose money or throw out inventory, but we can protect Klal Yisrael from further harm.
Thank you.
Bringing up this point to the stores’ management is a good way to let them know they are not doing right by people that shop by them.
I would definitely give money to such a cause. No jew should ever have to set eyes upon the written letters of that predator’s name even on a book in a bookstore. Other commenters would change their tune if their daughter met up with such an animal
I have a better idea.
If the store doesn’t want to lose their money and keeps selling this rapist pedophile’s books – then speak the shopkeeper’s language – BOYCOTT THE BOOKSTORES. When they see how much money they lose, they will throw out the pedophiles books to try to win some business back.
It seems the same person or persons is posting over and over again? Attacking the writer of the letter is dispicable on so many levels.
Tzedaka money shouldn’t be wasted on this. Feldheim publishers needs to refund the retailers for having produced a faulty product, unfit for the consumers.
I breathe a sigh of relief that I completed cleaning the bookshelves in my home and did not find any of Walder’s books. I am glad he is not alive now, and am horrified by the fact that someone purported to be a savior and mentor for youth turned out to be the opposite. I am numb with pain for the victims. And I feel awful for all the secondary victims, including his family, that must endure lives full of shame because of the monstrous crimes.
There were few lines in this letter that I found uncomfortable. “Reading these books is insensitive to the victims”. What if I told you that I was opposed to any other author, for whatever reason, and that I would be offended by you if you chose to read his books? You would probably tell me that your choice of books is not under my control, and that I may feel badly if I chose to do so. No, I am not defending Walder’s books. Poskim spoke about banning them, and I will follow their wishes. But my feeling bad about someone or something, as legitimate as it may be, does not authorize me to control your behavior or choices.
I concur that there may be subtle messages in the books (never read them, but open to the possibility) that are not healthy. I strongly doubt he intentionally inserted things there to mess with other people’s heads. That sounds more paranoid to me.
Lastly, business involves risks. Publishers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers all take risks when they produce and sell a product. I do not believe it is a cause for Klal Yisroel to engage in such protection, to buy back the books in order to destroy them. Our community, with all the extremes of chesed that we are privileged to witness, still has many gaps and suffering families. It won’t take much to identify such people with needs, and tzedokoh money would likely serve a better purpose being directed to them. Now, if a publisher or store would become destitute and at risk of closing down, we would be speaking of a needy person or family. But just to prevent a business loss – it doesn’t rank high. Countless people have downturns in their careers, and we seldom jump into fund raisers for them.
Both of these stores are Feldheim Stores. They told the public they wouldn’t sell it anymore but they are.
There’s an amazing number of really stupid comments here. If you care about his many many victims you don’t continue selling his books. Not rocket science
Earmarking tzedaka to a for-profit venture is wasteful and not a charitable act. All businesses take risks, make investments and either reap the fortunate or suffer the loss. This is the way a successful conservative capitalist economy works best.
The market will correct itself.
Consumers should be bothered (if not outraged) by a retail establishment selling Walder’s books. And aside from not purchasing them, should consider shopping elsewhere.
Every few years a story appears about somebody selling Nazi paraphernalia for profit. There is outrage, disgust and calls to remove the products from public purview. Nobody calls for giving tzedaka to these people so that they do not suffer a loss.
Any profit gained (or even loss mitigated) from the sale of these books is dirty money and not worth any value to anyone benefitting from it.
Let the retailers come to their own conclusions about what they are doing, based on the market and normative business practice, or maybe even their own integrity. They will soon conclude that discarding the books even as a ‘loss’, will be to their gain.
I get that this is a more recent “hot button” topic/personality, but why isnt there the same outrage against all previous cases & people who are no longer with us (and some that still are)? They still sell & promote jewish music “stars” who have done many things wrong / questionable but were shoved under the rug at the time. It is very selective revisionist history to fit with what people want to hear / do at the time, not actually following the same logic and standards applied equally all around.
To the best of my knowledge these stores never buy anything without the middleman standing ready to take it back. Selling frumkeit is a business like no others, that is why they never discount items when the season is ending. i suggest let the middleman eat the loss or the stores should boycott their supplier.
Go clean for Pesach !!
Wow, so many rapist defenders here, it’s scary.
Do you people have LOCAL rabbanim / vaadim that pasken sheilos? Get a din on the books, and follow up with your bookseller. This arguing deios on Internet forums is ludicrous.
Stop the book burning.
Walders book doesn’t contain negative material otherwise they would of been banned a long time ago.
Walder and his family paid the ultimate price for his actions.
To continue to hurt walders family by banning his books is overkill.
His victims shouldn’t fear the sight of his books and if they do they should receive psychological councling.
Jews are still mechallel Shabbos is large numbers. How come no one is screaming about that?
If the violation of the Torah through trying to “win “ through causing another Pain, through misuse of internet /browser access, As all the gedolim gave decried ,would effectuate half the writers pain ,
Something ironic will occur ,
They will keep their focus and energy on cleaning up their own full plate of violations and refuse
And
Guess what they would be doing klal yisroel the biggest service they can
Go ahead & buy them to dispose of them – why waste everyones time & energy writing & posting on a website.
with out getting into the discussion if Walder was or wasn’t, his books were extremely popular.
Now if a kid reads them or a parent reads them to his kids, the kids NEVER care who is the author, they are interested in the stories.
So there is a side to keep selling them and a side to stop selling them.
Vladimir Putin has denied involvement with the Bucha killings, though I wouldn’t read children’s literature written by him for other reasons.
Im gonna tell my mommy, you not wearing a mask, or you using plastic bags in New York, or violated my safe space.
Get a life!
Mind your own business (quite literally) and move on.
Old news. Big deal. Who cares. I had his books in my house but some rabbis said not to put it in the Garabage. But my wife wanted it out of the house so I came up with a great idea. I took it to the upper west side where these black guys sell old books and used books. I gave it to them for free. After all there are many reform secular Jews living there. Maybe it will be mekariv their youth.
I sincerely hope the author of this letter is very careful about the books that she brings into her house including the secular books, where many of those authors are people you would not want your kids hanging around.
If you don’t want to buy those books, don’t buy the books. Don’t make everything your business. Don’t be a yenta!
Grow up
Mind your own business and don’t buy.
If stores are publicly displaying the late Rabbi Walder’a books despite all the opprobrium heaped on him, either Thay are buying them to trash them or they are buying them to read them. Some Gedolim, not all by any means, said these were not books to now be read. If they are not buying the books to burn, metaphorically or literally, obviously there are people who rely on other opinions or simply feel that the book buying market is a free market.
Also, let’s say a person was a monster but why after he’s not around, his family his wife and kids should suffer?????? Please anyone, shed some light on this! He won’t benefit from the books sale, but his אלמנה and kids, that did nothing wrong may benefit……
Enough!
Who in the USA needs to see these every few days?
If he sinned he died in shame and along with it VIN exposed innocent children to suicide, sin and vulnerability.
This is such a leftist WOKE approach, similar to what DeSantis is fighting in Florida, exposing young lovely (was I allowed to use that term?) kids to the exception rather then the rule.
Bring it on…..
Move on with your life, this isn’t your crusade. R Dessler would have picked you apart and discovered YOUR issue and why it’s bothering you. When you find that EMES, you’ll see that it’s not outvof concern for the victims or for toeles hatzibur. It’s just playing to sone specific emotion or trigger of yours. If you can’t identify it yourself, book a session with Dr Friedman to help you do so.