by Mila Polderman
Roald Dahl is perhaps one of the most famous children’s book writers, with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) and Mathilda (1988) being just two examples of his successful works. Many of his books were also adapted into movies, one of the most recent being The Witches (2020). This movie, starring many well-known actors like Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci, is an on-screen adaptation of the eponymous 1983 book. The book tells the story of a little boy (simply referred to as ‘Boy’) who has a run-in with a large group of witches in a hotel with his ‘Grandmamma’. The story speaks to children’s imagination by painting a vivid picture of what witches are like, predominantly through the description of their physical characteristics as well as their habits. However, these same descriptions have also been grounds for criticism as they have been linked to antisemitic stereotypes, thus making the children’s book problematic.
In the wake of the Israel-Palestine conflict, antisemitism is as relevant as ever. In July of 2025, the BBC reported on an increase in anti-Jewish discrimination across the UK following the 7 October attacks in Israel in 2023 (“Antisemitism report”), while TIME reports seeing a 361% increase in antisemitic incidents in the US after the attacks (Sutherland). These reports illustrate that the impact of the war can be seen on a global scale, as it negatively affects people who are falsely associated with Israel. Though the injustices committed against the people of Gaza at the hands of the Israeli government deserve criticism, this outrage should not be directed at Jewish people that are groundlessly and incorrectly assumed to be aligned with Israel. In a time like this, it is therefore imperative to understand not only what antisemitism is, but also the power it holds in perpetuating harmful ideas, especially through works of literature.
Antisemitism is defined in The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion as “hatred of and hostility toward the Jews, at times including the belief that they pose a threat to society and should be eliminated” (“Antisemitism”). The word ‘belief’ in this definition allows for antisemitism to be classified as an ideology in this framework. Lydia Kokkola and Sara Van den Bossche state that the term ideology can be used to refer to “belief systems that are less formally defined [than a religion or political doctrine]” (91). The belief that hatred toward Jewish people is justified because of the possible danger they pose can thus be seen as an ideology. Kokkola and Van den Bossche furthermore assert that children’s and young adult literature “is, perhaps, one of the best sites for examining ideologies because it expresses adult authors’ beliefs about the world as it is, as well as hopes for the future” (93). As such, it is important to analyse the presence of harmful ideologies within children’s literature, as it reveals the author’s personal ideologies and their desire to perpetuate this through their writing. This can also prove damaging, as Kokkola and Van den Bossche explain that the ideological beliefs that children’s literature promotes can be internalised by children and thus have a negative effect on them (93). It is because of this negative effect that it becomes valuable to analyse Roald Dahl’s The Witches, especially because Dahl himself is no stranger to antisemitism.
Despite fighting in the Second World War along the Allied Forces as a fighter pilot, Roald Dahl has admitted on various occasions to harbour prejudiced beliefs towards the Jewish population. In 1983, Dahl wrote a book review in the Literary Review on God Cried by Tony Clifton and Catherine Leroy. The book covers the 1982 Lebanon War, in which Israeli forces invaded Lebanon and sought to attack Palestinian liberation forces. In the review, Dahl uses the conflict to comment negatively on Jewish people by conflating them with Israelis: “Never before in the history of man has a race of people switched so rapidly from being much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers” (Not a Chivalrous Affair). Here, Dahl attributes his prejudice, which seems to have changed from his time in the war, to a change in the Jewish people themselves. One of his most famous antisemitic quotes can be found in a statement he made for the New Statesman in the same year, where he justifies his antisemitism outside of an Israeli context by stating that “there’s always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them [e.g. Jewish people] for no reason”(qtd. in Coren). In this shocking quote, Dahl seems to attempt to condone the Holocaust by stating that Hitler had a reason for ‘picking on them,’ thus further putting the blame on Jews. Adding to this even further, Dahl later emphasises his view in an interview with The Independent in 1990 by explicitly stating that he is “certainly anti-Israel” and has “become antisemitic” (Oppenheim).
What’s perhaps most surprising about his antisemitic statements is their similarity to Nazi propaganda, as he seems to directly echo various antisemitic conspiracy theories on which Nazi rhetoric was built. According to the Holocaust Encyclopedia, Nazi propaganda often used a book called The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to “rally Germans around the idea that Germany needed to defend itself from Jewish aggressors” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). This book was a fabricated account of meetings held by Jewish leaders in which they conspire to “control world politics, the economy, financial markets, media, education and other parts of society” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Dahl echoes the conspiracies perpetuated by this book indirectly, as he admits to thinking that Jews control the media: “There aren’t any non-Jewish publishers anywhere, they control the media – jolly clever thing to do – that’s why the president of the United States has to sell all this stuff to Israel” (qtd. in McCluskey). He reportedly believed the US government was controlled by them as well by stating that it was “utterly dominated by the great Jewish financial institutions over there” (qtd. in McCluskey).
Dahl’s antisemitism remains relevant to this day, as there has been recent discourse relating to his values and his works. In 2020, Dahl’s family made a statement on his website apologizing for “the lasting and understandable hurt caused by some of Roald Dahl’s statements” (qtd. in Sherwood). Though there is no explicit mention of antisemitism in the apology, Roald Dahl Story Company tells TIME Magazine that this is what it refers to, as they state they “have apologized unreservedly for the hurt and suffering caused by Roald Dahl’s anti-Semitic comments. Those prejudiced statements are in marked contrast to the values of kindness and inclusivity at the heart of Roald Dahl’s stories” (qtd. in McCluskey). However, the ‘inclusivity’ of his stories that the company speaks of proves to be only a recent addition. In early 2023, revisions were made by publishing house Puffin to various of Dahl’s children’s books in an attempt to make the stories more inclusive by removing language that could be deemed offensive (Vernon). The publishing house hired what they called ‘sensitivity readers’ from Inclusive Minds, who describe themselves as “a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature” (qtd. in Vernon). As such, the sensitive readers reviewed and rewrote parts of some of Dahl’s stories to make sure they “can continue to be enjoyed by all today” (qtd. in Vernon). One of the changes made can be found in The Witches, as they added a sentence to the part of the story that explained the witches to be bald: “There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that” (qtd. in Vernon). This addition is in stark contrast with the message of the original story, which solely asserts that “there is something indecent about a bald woman,” as well as saying that it is “disgusting” (Dahl, The Witches 19).
However, no changes were made to the antisemitic undertone that is pervasive in the story, evidently because integral parts of the story hinge on this underlying ideology. The antisemitism lies mostly in the descriptions and characterizations of the witches, which obviously play an indispensable role in the story. In the chapter in which Grandmamma warns the Boy of what to look out for when trying to spot a witch, one of the first things she mentions is that witches are bald and therefore always wear a wig to blend in (Dahl, The Witches 19). Despite the recent changes made to the story regarding its attitude towards women who wear wigs, it is still apparent that the characterization of witches as wigged women functions to depict these witches as Jewish caricatures. In some Jewish traditions, a married woman is not allowed to show her hair to men other than her husband, and must thus cover it with either a headscarf or a wig (Goldman). The fact that Dahl’s witches wear wigs can thus be interpreted as a direct reference to Jewish women.
In the same chapter, Grandmamma also asserts that witches have “slightly larger nose-holes than ordinary people” (Dahl, The Witches 20). This is justified by explaining that the witches need a stronger sense of smell in order to detect children. However, the fact that witches thus have a larger nose than average furthermore adheres to Jewish stereotyping, as it is a pervasive stereotype that Jewish people have prominent hooked noses (Moffic). This stereotype is further perpetuated by the illustrations that are included in the book, which portray women with large, hooked noses.
Although the above characterizations of witches pertain mostly to prevalent Jewish stereotypes, there are other aspects that also relate more closely to specific conspiracy theories which target Jewish people. It is here that we see Dahl once again echo thoughts that are similar to those found in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Similarly to the Jewish leaders that organize the secret meetings in this book, The Witches asserts that witches hide in plain sight among the population: “REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS. That is why they are so hard to catch” (Dahl 1). The Protocols furthermore suggests that a group called “the learned elders of Zion” secretly controls the world through the meetings they hold (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Similar to the elders of Zion, the witches have “The Grand High Witch of All the World,” who rules all the witches and travels the world to attend annual national witch meetings (Dahl, The Witches 32-3). In addition, Grandmamma specifies that The Grand High Witch is incredibly wealthy and spreads her wealth among the other witches (34). She is able to do this because she owns her own money-printing machine, thus being in control of the economy to some degree (34). This further perpetuates another Jewish stereotype which is repeated in The Protocols, namely that Jews are rich and aim to take over the world economy (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The witches in Dahl’s story thus become almost inextricably linked to The Protocols; a book that played a significant part in the perpetuation of harmful Jewish stereotypes.
Another prominent conspiracy theory which makes Jewish people to be scapegoats is that of the blood libel myth. This theory falsely claims that “Jews used the blood of non-Jewish, usually Christian children, for ritual purposes” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The belief that Jewish people performed blood libels was a running theme in the persecution of Jews during the Middle Ages, as well as an important part in the development of antisemitism in Europe from the 19th century onward (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The blood libel myth also plays a central role in The Witches, as here the witches’ virtual only goal in life is to kill or get rid of as many children as possible: “her mind will always be plotting and scheming and churning and burning and whizzing and phizzing with murderous bloodthirsty thoughts” (Dahl 1). By making the witches want to murder children – a minimum of fifty-two a year, in fact – Dahl directly perpetuates the blood libel myth.
It can thus be deduced that there is a strong sense of antisemitic ideology present in the story, which directly reflects the societal values of Dahl himself. The witches in the book are described as having physical attributes that coincide with Jewish traditions and stereotypes, like their larger-than-average noses and the fact that they wear wigs. This makes the witches direct Jewish caricatures. The story even goes as far as to mirror conspiracy theories that are found in the highly problematic book of The Protocols, by stating that witches lurk in society and from their hiding places aim to take over the economy and other societal powers. Finally, the witches’ bloodthirst for killing children sustains the blood libel myth, which has proved to be a massively harmful fabricated claim for Jews since the Middle Ages. Following these observations, it is thus undeniable that both Dahl and his work are antisemitic. As Dahl’s family so aptly said in their apology for his antisemitism, “Roald Dahl can help remind us of the lasting impact of words” (qtd. in Sherwood), even if this does not redeem his reputation, or, indeed, the harm he has inflicted by perpetuating his antisemitic ideology to children since the book was first published some 40 years ago. However, reading Dahl’s work critically does allow for us to learn from his misguided views, especially in light of the war in Gaza. Israel should not be conflated with the Jewish faith as a whole, as it can evidently lead to the spread of harmful ideologies and stereotypes. Particularly in children’s literature, where ideologies are so easily disseminated, it is therefore imperative to continue to critically analyze the literature we consume; only then is it possible to be aware of possible ideologies that might influence a person’s view of the world and the conflicts that inhabit it.
References
“Antisemitism report finds ‘unacceptable’ increase in anti-Jewish discrimination.” BBC, 15 July 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crl0p2xk4w3o. Accessed 2 September 2025.
“Antisemitism.” The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. 2nd ed. 2011.
Burrow, Colin. “The Comeuppance Button.” Review of Teller of the Unexpected: Roald Dahl, and Unofficial Biography, by Matthew Dennison. London Review of Books, 15 December 2022, https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v44/n24/colin-burrow/the-comeuppance-button. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Coren, Michael. “From the NS archive: Tale of the unexpexted.” The New Statesman, 8 October 2025, https://www.newstatesman.com/archive/2021/10/from-the-ns-archive-tale-of-the-unexpected. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Dahl, Roald. “Not A Chivalrous Affair.” Review of God Cried, by Tony Clifton and Catherine Leroy. Literary Review, August 1983, https://literaryreview.co.uk/not-a-chivalrous-affair. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Dahl, Roald. The Witches. Penguin Random House Children’s UK, 2007.
Goldman, Miriam. “Why do women have to cover their hair with a wig or scarf after getting married?” Jüdisches Museum Berlin, 2014, www.jmberlin.de/en/node/6255. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Kokkola, Lydia, and Sara Van den Bossche. “Ideological Approaches to CYA Literature.” Engagements with Children’s Young Adult Literature, by Lydia Kokkola and Sara Van den Bossche, Routledge, 2025, pp. 91-106.
McCluskey, Megan. “What to Know About Children’s Author Roald Dahl’s Controversial Legacy.” Time, 18 March 2021, https://time.com/5937507/roald-dahl-anti-semitism/. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Moffic, H. Steven. “The Nose Knows Anti-Semitism.” Psychiatric Times, 21 December 2023, https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/the-nose-knows-anti-semitism. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Oppenheim, Maya. “Roald Dahl after 100 years: Remembering beloved author’s forgotten antisemitic past.” Independent, 14 September 2016, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/roald-dahl-antisemitic-100-years-remembering-author-forgotten-past-a7254266.html. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Sherwood, Harriet. “Roald Dahl’s family apologises for his antisemitism.” The Guardian, 6 December 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/dec/06/roald-dahl-family-apologises-for-his-antisemitism. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Sutherland, Callum. “The Rise of Antisemitism and Political Violence in the U.S.” TIME, 2 June 2025, https://time.com/7287941/rise-of-antisemitism-political-violence-in-united-states/. Accessed 2 September 2025.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “An Antisemitic Conspiracy: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” Holocaust Encyclopedia, 26 November 2024, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/protocols-of-the-elders-of-zion. Accessed 2 September 2025.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Blood Libel.” Holocaust Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/blood-libel. Accessed 2 September 2025.Vernon, Hayden. “Roald Dahl books rewritten to remove language deemed offensive.” The Guardian, 18 February 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/18/roald-dahl-books-rewritten-to-remove-language-deemed-offensive. Accessed 2 September 2025.
Mila Polderman is a postgraduate student who is currently completing a Research Master in Literary Studies at Radboud University. In her work, she focuses on English literature that centres topics of feminism, gender studies, and identity formation. Through her understanding of ‘literature’ as a broad term, she also enjoys analysing movies and tv-shows through a feminist lens in her writing.
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