Malka Leifer
Malka Leifer was the principal at the ultra Orthodox Adass Israel school in Melbourne, Australia, where she was accused of multiple sexual abuse claims.
Background
The Adass Israel school appointed Leifer to the role of principal. In her time in the role, Leifer is alleged to have groomed and abused numerous female students. She is currently facing 74 charges of abuse in the State of Victoria.[1]
The Adass community is a very secretive and insular community, with very strict regulations on their sexual lives. They also have limited contact with the outside world, with no TV or internet permitted in the home.[2] This was the environment that it has been alleged that Leifer exploited in order to abuse the children. With a lack of sex education, it has been claimed that the children were told that this was preparation for marriage, which traditionally takes place in the late teens or early 20s in the Adass community.[3][4]
After accusations of abuse became known, there was a meeting attended by several significant members of the Adass community where it was decided to buy Leifer a plane ticket and send her to Israel.[4][5] The police investigated the school with regards to this, although to date no criminal charges have been laid.[6]
The victims who came forward with the accusations were threatened by members of the community, both personally and with ramifications for their families.[1]
Court case
In 2011, three of Leifer's alleged victims sued the school and Leifer, and were awarded $1.2 million, an unprecedented amount in Australia at the time.[4] Justice Jack Rush said the school acted in a way that was "deplorable and disgraceful" and the school was criticised for not contacting the police.[7]
During the court case it was revealed that local MP, Michael Danby wrote two letters on behalf of Leifer, and he was instrumental in obtaining the visa to work in Australia in the first place.[8] While Danby does not deny this, he claims that he was unaware of the circumstances at the time.
It was later revealed that the students who brought the civil case were Dassi Erlich and her two sisters.[7]
Extradition efforts
Since fleeing, there have been a number of attempts to bring Leifer back to Australia to face trial. Despite an extradition treaty existing between Australia and Israel, Leifer's legal team have succeeded in avoiding extradition.
Leifer has claimed significant mental health issues as the reason that she is unable to travel,[9][10][11] thus obtaining numerous delays in the final judgment. The judge said the process of treatment and assessment could take up to 10 years.[12] While in Israel, she has spent a significant amount of time under house arrest,[13] although she has also been seen out in the community leading a normal life after this ruling was lifted.[14][15]
Political efforts
There have been a number of political efforts to bring Leifer to trial, both in Australia and in Israel. Many of these efforts have been driven by abuse survivor, Dassi Erlich.
The Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull has met with Erlich and has raised the issue with Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu.[3][16]
David Southwick, a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, has been very active in petitioning for Leifer to return, including delivering a petition with over 17,000 names to the Knesset.[17]
Other MPs who have raised the issue include shadow Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus.[18]
Netanyahu has taken an interest in the case and is assisting the efforts to secure the extradition.[19]
Aftermath
In 2017, the school attempted to hire Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant as principal.[20] Kluwgant has faced troubling allegations regarding the cover up of child sex abuse at Yeshiva College, and was eventually forced to resign from his numerous communal positions after he sent a highly inflammatory text to a journalist about the father of a victim.[21]
After a significant amount of pressure, the school relented and withdrew Kluwgant's appointment.[22]
Kluwgant later sued Phillip Weinberg, a spokesman for victims, for allegedly vilifying him to the Adass secretary.[23]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Student says alleged paedophile Malka Leifer 'manipulated all of us'". ABC News. 2016-04-07. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ Donelly, Beau (2016-04-22). "Melbourne's most reclusive Jewish sect lets cameras in". The Age. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Jewish community investigated over escape of principal accused of abuse". ABC News. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Haredi principal sued for years of sexual abuse in Australia". Ynetnews. 2015-05-14. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Adass Israel School Principal Malka Leifer Helped by Officials to Flee from Student Sex Abuse Claims, The Australian, May 8, 2015". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Australia Jewish School Board Faces Probe for Letting 'Sex Abuse' Headmistress Flee". The Forward. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Australia Hasidic School Must Pay $1M for Same-Sex Abuse of Girl". The Forward. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "MP unwittingly helped principal later accused of sex abuse". Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Judge orders new psych test for teacher wanted in Australia". Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Court finds teacher wanted in Australia unfit for extradition". Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Israeli court refuses to extradite Orthodox Jewish lesbian paedophile to Australia". Redress Information & Analysis. 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Accused Victorian pedophile walks free in Israel". SBS News. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ Short, Michael (2016-09-24). "Malka Leifer extradition: Accused principal must be brought back to Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Alleged victims of Melbourne school principal take extradition fight to Israel". ABC News. 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Rape-accused principal dodges extradition". BBC News. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ Lillebuen, Steve (2017-10-23). "PM to push Israel for extradition of ex-principal accused of abusing girls". The Age. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Southwick delivers Leifer petition - The Australian Jewish News". The Australian Jewish News. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Erlich to meet PM - The Australian Jewish News". The Australian Jewish News. 2017-09-28. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ Preiss, Benjamin (2017-12-19). "Israeli PM to review extradition of alleged abuser Malka Leifer". The Age. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Outcry over Adass appointment - The Australian Jewish News". The Australian Jewish News. 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Australia's most senior rabbi resigns after damning testimony". ABC News. 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Kluwgant quits Adass - The Australian Jewish News". The Australian Jewish News. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
- ↑ "Subscribe to the Herald Sun". www.heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
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