Noam Friedman Opens Up About Autism, Bullying, Eating Disorders and His Fight to Enlist

In a podcast interview with Eli Guthelf, 22-year-old Noam Friedman recounts years of abuse at school, severe anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and the moment an autism diagnosis hit him, in his words, like “100 tons.” He also describes the determined fight that eventually won him the right to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, despite first being told he was exempt.

Friedman says he was in treatment from a very young age because of social difficulties and bullying. He remembers classmates humiliating him, intimidating him physically, and repeatedly destroying his belongings, including once puncturing his desk with scissors and another time choking him in class. During the COVID-19 period, he says he felt some relief from not having to meet the same children, but he also felt rejected after failing to get a leadership role in Bnei Akiva, which he saw as a source of status and belonging.

His struggle with food deepened after he became fixated on his body, lost weight, and grew addicted to praise. What began as exercise and dieting turned into compulsive training, fasting, and strict food control. He says the crisis peaked at a Yom Kippur prayer service in the Hesder yeshiva, where he broke down in tears, feared he was dying, and later left for treatment at Sheluva and then an eating-disorders ward at Sheba Medical Center. He describes cycles of bingeing, hiding food, and shame, including throwing away food his mother cooked because he could not tolerate oil in the pan.

He says his autism diagnosis came abruptly, with no preparation or support, and left him afraid people would think he could never marry or build a family. The interview also covers the death of his friend, Avia Aharoni, whom he met during treatment and who died suddenly of cardiac arrest on his 20th birthday. Friedman says he wore a memorial bracelet for her. After nearly three years of hearings and evaluations, he finally succeeded in overturning the army exemption and says he will soon enlist. His message is simple, “I am Noam. That is all.”