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Jewish community leaders in Australia have expressed outrage at the latest setbacks in the bid to extradite Malka Leifer from Israel to Australia to face 74 charges involving alleg­a­tions that she sexually abused at least eight pupils under care while she was principal of the Adass Israel school in Melbourne.

On 23 September 2019, Judge Chana Lomp of the Jerusalem District Court ordered that Leifer submit to yet another round of psy­chi­at­ric tests to ascertain her mental capacity to stand trial. There have already been more than 30 such tests. Those seeking Leifer’s extra­di­tion have produced evidence to suggest that she has been feigning mental inca­pa­city to avoid extra­di­tion.

The case has come before the court more than 50 times.  Israel’s Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman has been accused by Israeli police of seeking to influence at least one psy­chi­at­rist in Leifer’s favour.  Litzman and Leifer are both members of the Gur chasidic sect.

On 2 October 2019, Israeli Judge Ram Winograd ordered that Leifer be released from prison, where she was being held pending the outcome of the case, and allowed to remain in home detention with her sister.

Anton Block, President of the Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry, the peak national body rep­res­ent­ing the Aus­trali­an Jewish community, described the delays in the case and the alleg­a­tions of political inter­fer­ence as “a standing indict­ment of Israel’s justice system”.

“These devel­op­ments are adding to the trauma and pain already endured by former pupils of Leifer whom she allegedly subjected to sexual abuse”, Mr Block said. “They have been incred­ibly brave and dignified in cam­paign­ing for Leifer’s extra­di­tion.  They are entitled to justice, and they are entitled to it now”.

“We commended Federal Attorney General Christian Porter for under­tak­ing to raise the matter per­son­ally with his Israeli coun­ter­part when he visits Israel later this year”, Mr Block added. “We would also like Prime Minister Scott Morrison to raise the issue, as his pre­de­cessor did.” 

Mr Block noted that the ongoing denial of justice to Leifer’s accusers is also causing pain to Israel’s many friends and sup­port­ers in Australia.  “When present and former political leaders in Australia who have been long-standing sup­port­ers of Israel take the Israeli justice system to task over its handling of this case, then it’s time for the acting gov­ern­ment in Israel to take notice and act.  The approach of Yom Kippur would seem like an espe­cially appro­pri­ate time for a turn away from injustice towards justice”, he concluded.

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