| THE LIE The Talmud permits the rape of non-Jewish children. |
| THE TRUTH The Talmud and the entire body of Jewish law unequivocally prohibit rape—whether of children or adults, Jews or non-Jews. |
| BACKGROUND On June 22, 2026, influencer Ian Carroll posted a tweet claiming the Talmud permits the rape of Gentile babies under three years old: “Then there’s that other part of the talmud where it says if you rape a gentile baby of less than three years old its all good,” he wrote in a tweet which received over 27,000 likes. |
| TRUTH EXPLAINED Ian Carroll’s claim that the Talmud permits raping Gentile babies under three is a known antisemitic hoax. The Talmud contains no such statement. The word “Gentile” doesn’t even appear in the relevant passages. (Ketubot 11b), (Niddah 44b), (Kiddushin 41a) The passages Carroll distorts are legal discussions about consequences — specifically, whether a rape victim retains her status of virginity for the purpose of dowry rights. Rabbis debating what happens to a victim’s legal status after a crime are not endorsing the crime. (Ketubot 11b), (Niddah 44b), (Kiddushin 41a) The Talmud explicitly states that seducing a minor constitutes rape even if she verbally consents (Yevamot 33b). Rape — of adults or children — is explicitly forbidden by Jewish law. (Yevamot 33b), (Chabad), (Aish) Maimonides — the most influential Jewish legal authority of the last thousand years — classified all pre-marital relations as forbidden. Since Jewish law prohibits sex outside marriage, the acts Carroll describes were never permitted to begin with. (Maimonides) The Talmud forbids marrying off a minor (Kiddushin 41a). Jewish law permits relations only within marriage, so if a minor cannot be married, relations with a minor can never be permitted. Carroll counts on his audience never tracing this simple chain of reasoning. (Kiddushin 41a) The Talmud is not a legal code. It is a record of centuries-long rabbinic debate that explores extreme hypotheticals to establish legal boundaries. Citing its edge-case discussions as permission for the acts being discussed is like citing a murder statute as a how-to guide. |
| QUOTES “The seduction of a minor girl is considered rape.” — Yevamot 33b”Do not defile your daughter [by allowing her to engage in] premarital relations.” — Leviticus 19:29 |
| TAKEAWAY The Talmud doesn’t permit child rape. It forbids it — explicitly, repeatedly, and across multiple legal frameworks spanning centuries of Jewish scholarship. What Carroll posted is an old lie, recycled from the same playbook used to justify pogroms, expulsions, and genocide. The only thing Carroll proved is that a large social media following and a talent for deception are all you need to keep one of history’s oldest smears alive. |
