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The ongoing sig­ni­fic­ant delay in extra­dit­ing accused pedophile, Malka Leifer, from Israel to Australia to face 74 charges involving alleg­a­tions that she sexually abused at least eight pupils during her time as principal of the Adass Israel school in Melbourne between 2003 and 2008, is causing growing dismay across the Aus­trali­an Jewish community.

Malka Leifer left Melbourne to return to Israel in 2008 within hours of the alleg­a­tions against her coming to light, and before a warrant could be issued for her arrest in Australia.

Since her arrest by the author­it­ies in Israel in August 2014 following Australia making a formal request for her extra­di­tion, the extra­di­tion pro­ceed­ings have come before the courts in Israel on more than 50 occasions. However, no order for her extra­di­tion to Australia has been made, as her lawyers continue to argue that she is unfit to stand trial due to her alleged mental state. Those seeking her extra­di­tion have produced evidence sug­gest­ing that she has been malinger­ing.

The con­sterna­tion about the delays in the case have been heightened by the fact that Israel’s Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman was inter­rog­ated by Israeli police in February 2019 over alleg­a­tions that he met with Jerusalem’s district psy­chi­at­rist, Dr Jacob Charnes, to pressure him into issuing a false assess­ment for Leifer in support of her claim that she should not be extra­dited to Australia because she is mentally unfit to stand trial. Mr Litzman and Ms Leifer are both members of the Gur chasidic sect.

In recent weeks Israeli media have reported on further alleg­a­tions that Litzman and his ministry inter­vened on behalf of at least 10 convicted sex offenders, including pres­sur­ing psy­chi­at­rists in at least one other case. Litzman has denied all wrong-doing.

These alleg­a­tions of executive inter­fer­ence in the judicial process raise grave questions about the integrity of the handling of the Leifer case in Israel while Mr Litzman remains in any gov­ern­ment position. We call upon acting Prime Minister Netanyahu to announce an official inquiry into the alleg­a­tions, and to confirm that Mr Litzman will not be appointed to any executive office pending the outcome of the inquiry.

Litzman’s political party, United Torah Judaism, which won 8 seats in the recent general election in Israel, may be a coalition partner in Israel’s next gov­ern­ment. We maintain that political con­sid­er­a­tions must have no bearing what­so­ever on the Leifer case, and that Israel’s judiciary must operate with complete inde­pend­ence and impar­ti­al­ity. Justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done.

This is not a matter that concerns Israel exclus­ively. Ms Leifer’s accusers in Australia, the Aus­trali­an gov­ern­ment and citizens of Australia, espe­cially the Jewish community, have a deep and direct interest in the case. We will not rest until Malka Leifer is extra­dited to Australia and put on trial.

We continue to stand with the survivors who have per­severed these long years to bring Malka Leifer to justice. Their dignity in the face of delays in the extra­di­tion trial and alleg­a­tions of impro­pri­ety by various officials are to their great credit.

Contact
Peter Wertheim AM | co-CEO
ph: 02 8353 8500 | m: 0408 160 904 | fax 02 9361 5888
e: [email protected] | www.ecaj.org.au