Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal

The Jerusalem District Court, where proceedings related to the Leifer case have been held

The Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal (Hebrew: פרשת מלכה לייפר, lit. 'the Malka Leifer scandal/affair'[1]) is a criminal case and extradition dispute regarding incidents of child sex abuse at a Jewish religious school in Melbourne, Australia. A former principal, Malka Leifer, faced trial on 70 sex offence charges laid by Victoria Police, with accusations from at least eight alleged victims.[2][3][4][5][6] Leifer, a dual Israeli-Australian citizen,[7] fled under suspicious circumstances shortly before a warrant could be issued, and remained in Israeli-controlled territory from 2008 until January 2021, under varying levels of police and court supervision, pending the resolution of her extradition case.[8] Leifer's trial did not address other alleged sex crimes in Israel and the West Bank because they did not occur in Australia.[4][5]

The degree of freedom she enjoyed under Israeli jurisdiction prompted worldwide media coverage and criticism of Israel's judicial system;[9][10] activist Manny Waks described the case as "a farce"[11] and "an embarrassment".[12] Leifer lived an apparently normal life for some time in the Israeli settlement of Emmanuel in the West Bank, despite a court ruling that she was mentally unfit for proceedings.[13][14] She was eventually rearrested after media and police scrutiny of her behavior,[9] but continued to evade extradition, with more than 70 court hearings and appeals requested by her legal team, and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] In January 2021, after more than 13 years as a fugitive, Leifer was extradited to Australia; she appeared before a Melbourne judge via video link in April 2021, her first appearance in Australian court. On 3 April 2023 Leifer was found guilty of 18 charges, including rape and child sexual abuse.[16]

In 2015, the Supreme Court of Victoria awarded a judgement of over AU$1 million against the school, as well as $150,000 of exemplary damages personally against Leifer. A further investigation, into the actions of some members of the Adass Israel community for helping Leifer leave Australia, continued after the Supreme Court judgement.[17] Israeli police investigated and indicted former Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman, following an investigation into official interference with Leifer's extradition case.[18][19] Litzman eventually pleaded guilty to breach of trust in the case in early 2022.[20]

  1. ^ "פרשת מלכה לייפר: התפטרות ליצמן מעלה שאלות נוקבות ("The Malka Leifer scandal: Litzman resignation raises sharp questions")". Law Offices of Sharon Nahari & Co. (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Malka Leifer to face sexual abuse trial in 2022". SBS News. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021. Leifer faced a directions hearing in Victoria's County Court on Thursday when Judicial Registrar Matthew Phillips confirmed her case would go to trial in 2022...
  3. ^ Latza Nadeau, Barbie (23 September 2021). "Three Sisters Among Dozens Sexually Abused by Orthodox Headmistress: Cops". Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b Zhuang, Yan (23 September 2021). "Australia Court Orders Ex-Principal to Be Tried on Abuse Charges". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b "A haven for paedophiles: The ultra-Orthodox settlement where Malka Leifer hides". Sydney Morning Herald. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Witness feared alleged victims would sue if she testified against Malka Leifer, court hears". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 20 September 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference stewart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference milligan2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b "Malka Leifer: how the alleged abuser's trial became entangled in Israeli politics". Reuters. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  10. ^ "Israel won't extradite ex-school principal wanted in Australia on sex crime charges". Reuters. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  11. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (18 May 2019). "PI: Leifer Functions Like A Normal Woman". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  12. ^ Waks, Manny (18 February 2018). "Israel's Justice System Let Down Abuse Victims; It's Time To Do The Right Thing". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  13. ^ "Former Adass Israel Jewish girls' school principal Malka Leifer evades extradition hearings". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  14. ^ Shuttleworth, Kate (8 July 2016). "Malka Leifer: former Adass Israel principal and alleged child abuser living free in Israel". The Age. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  15. ^ King, David (23 September 2020). "Please Explain podcast: Israel rules alleged pedophile Malka Leifer can be extradited to Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Malka Leifer found guilty of rape and child sex abuse of two sisters as jury reaches verdict". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference milligan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference ynet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Kelly, Cait (23 April 2021). "Israeli minister to be prosecuted over alleged interference in Malka Leifer extradition". The New Daily. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  20. ^ Times of Israel Staff (27 January 2022). "Litzman signs plea deal in Leifer case, avoiding jail time and paying symbolic fine". Times of Israel. Retrieved 18 April 2022.