Chaim Walder with some of his books
Chaim Walder with some of his booksDaniel Ratzbi

Mordy Getz, CEO of the popular Eichlers Judaica store in Brooklyn, New York, has announced that it will no longer carry author Chaim Walder's books, due to requests from his alleged rape victims.

Claims that Walder had raped three women, two of them when they were teens, made headlines last week. The case has not yet seen its day in court.

The letter to his customers shared piece-by-piece on Twitter, read:

"Dear customers,

It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that we will no longer carry the books of Chaim Walder in our stores due to shocking allegations recently revealed.

This decision was not made lightly and will no doubt come at a heavy financial cost, as these books were bestsellers— but as a business that cares about our community, we cannot ignore the pleas we have received on behalf of the alleged victims.

Given that the access to alleged victims was largely by way of the author’s books and work, we believe that this decision is an essential step in protecting our children and building a safer, healthier community.

Our heart goes out to all who had to, and those who still have to, suffer in silence and it is our hope that this statement serves as an encouragement to them to come forward knowing that we care about them and will have their back and help them heal.

צדק צדק תרדוף

Sincerely,

Mordy Getz

Eichlers Judaica

The Hebrew words before the signature line translate to, "Justice, justice shall you pursue," (Deuteronomy 16:20).

Zvi Gluck, CEO of Amudim Community Resources, responded to Getz's tweets with one of his own: "This type of letter would NEVER have been published years ago. For a store owner to do this, publicly supporting victims of abuse, at the risk of losing money and customers, shows what a real person Mordy Getz is."

Walder, who has published around 80 books, has denied the allegations. His lawyers said that he passed a polygraph test proving him to be telling the truth, and that will use every legal means available to clear his name.