Former Seminary Students Ordered to Pay NIS 80,000 for Defamatory Instagram Hoax

A magistrate’s court in Beit Shemesh ruled on Monday in favor of a young ultra-Orthodox woman who sued two former seminary students for defamation after they posted a false Instagram message about her. The post, which used her name and photo, claimed she had an intimate relationship with an older doctor, became pregnant, and had an abortion. Judge Elad Lang held that the publication was a clear and serious case of libel, saying it accused the plaintiff of conduct that could humiliate and degrade her in the eyes of others.

The case began about two years ago, in December 2023, when QR-code notices were hung on the seminary walls directing viewers to an anonymous Instagram account. From there, the false post spread. Lang stressed that the harm was especially severe because of the plaintiff’s social setting, noting that the statements were “particularly humiliating and degrading” given that she belongs to the religious ultra-Orthodox sector, where there is strong social and moral prohibition on relationships before marriage.

The defendants argued it was only a prank meant to amuse friends, but the court rejected that explanation. Lang said trying to entertain others at the expense of another girl’s good name is not legally protected. He found that both defendants acted together in creating the content, posting it online, and hanging the notices at the school. He also rejected one defendant’s denial of involvement, calling her version unreliable and saying the evidence showed she was a full participant.

The plaintiff testified that after discovering the post she felt as if “the soul left the body,” and that her social and studies were affected. The judge accepted that she suffered real harm and wrote that she stopped spending time with friends and did not return to school for a period. The court ordered one defendant to pay NIS 50,000 and the other NIS 30,000. A request to force them to publish a public apology was denied, with the court saying a compelled apology has no real value. The court also rejected claims that the seminary had been negligent in supervision.