Nir Wolf, Israel Hayom
Mar 3, 2025
Beatings that break bones, public humiliation, and psychological abuse of elementary school children—all under the guise of strict and outdated educational methods. No Child Spared, Meni Philip's documentary, is so shocking that it makes you want to scream: Enough!
Meni Philip's documentary No Child Spared demands to be talked about. It compiles a horrifying collection of first-hand testimonies, exposing the systematic abuse inflicted by rabbi-teachers on their students. The result is a film so harrowing that it leaves you wanting to shout: Enough!
This is precisely what makes No Child Spared such a powerful and unsettling document. It lays bare the full scope of the physical and emotional violence that has been practiced for decades (and continues today) in the ultra-Orthodox education system—beatings severe enough to break bones, public humiliation, and mental torment inflicted on young children, all justified by rigid, archaic teaching methods.
Philip is not just the filmmaker—he is also a survivor. As a child, he endured severe abuse during his own time in a cheder (traditional religious boys' school), and he shares his experiences openly on camera. Alongside his interviewees, he examines the lasting impact of these traumas into adulthood—the development of anxiety disorders, struggles with trust, and even a tendency toward physical violence.
One of the most chilling moments in the documentary is a recorded phone call between Philip and the principal of his son's cheder. The concerned father listens as the principal explains why such violence is considered an effective educational method, justified by intricate religious interpretations. After a long negotiation, Philip manages to secure a promise that his son will not be physically harmed. But what felt in that moment like a victory for a protective father later revealed itself to be something more troubling—an unwitting complicity in the system.
After all, there are countless ways to mistreat children without physically hitting them. And leaving a helpless child trapped inside an abusive institution—that is the real catastrophe. This is the painful realization Philip came to while working on the documentary.
A slap in the face, literally.
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*This article was translated from the original Hebrew version.