Israeli ex-headmistress convicted of sexual assault of female pupils

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Apr 2023 10:16

Israeli-Australian Malka Leifer, the former headmistress of Adass "Israel" School in Melbourne, Australia, was charged with sexual assault after being extradited back to Australia 15 years after she evaded arrest.

Israeli-Australian Malka Leifer is brought to a courtroom in Al-Quds on February 27, 2018. (AP)

After having escaped arrest by fleeing to "Israel" 15 years ago, Malka Leifer, a former headmistress, was found guilty on Monday of 18 charges including rape and sexual assault.

The jury, in 2023, found Leife guilty of 18 charges but cleared the convict of nine others.

Leifer, a mother-of-eight, who served as the former principal of the Adass "Israel" School in Melbourne, Australia, was initially accused, in 2008, of sexual assault against two minor females that attended her school.

Once accused, the convict escaped arrest by fleeing to "Israel", starting a court battle that included over 70 extradition hearings.

In 2021, Leifer was extradited to Australia and in February 2023, the convict faced trial.

The trial extended over seven weeks and then another seven days for deliberation. Once concluded, the jury found Leifer guilty of sexual assault against two students in what has been reported to be a series of incidents that occurred between the years 2003 and 2007.

Foreign sex offenders find refuge in 'Israel'

Although Rabbi Baruch Lanner, a convicted sex offender, was allowed into "Israel", he was not granted Israeli citizenship after he requested it due to pressure. Advocate groups say that about 100 rabbis, teachers, and other figures accused or convicted of sexual abuse have found refuge in "Israel".

Israeli Ministry of Welfare data revealed that in 2019 and 2020, "Israel" saw an increase in child sex abuse, and nearly half of them were committed by family members. pic.twitter.com/R5tUJjYumf
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 2, 2021

Israeli Interior Minister, Ayelet Shaked, revealed, in 2022, that the Rabbi would not be granted "Israeli citizenship", sparking a wave of relief among women who have been formerly abused by Lanner in the United States.

However, Lanner, who was convicted of abusing a student in 2002, has an Israeli "residency visa" that allows him to remain in "Israel" and that can be repeatedly extended.