Malka Leifer to remain in Israel prison after court overturns decision to free her
An alleged abuse victim of former Melbourne teacher Malka Leifer has expressed relief after a decision to release the former Melbourne teacher from an Israeli prison was overturned.
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An alleged abuse victim of Malka Leifer literally woke up from a nightmare about her former school principal to discover that she had been kept behind bars in Israel.
The Supreme Court in Israel announced early today that it had overturned an earlier court decision to release Leifer, who is facing 74 sexual abuse charges in Australia, to house arrest at her sister’s home.
Dassi Erlich said the decision to overturn Leifer’s release under house arrest was a “small step on a long road to justice.”
“I actually woke up at 4am from a nightmare about Leifer. That was definitely worth waking up to that news,” she said.
“Today’s decision just gave me a little more confidence in the justice system, it’s become a very political case.”
Judge Anat Baron said in her judgment that she was concerned the former Melbourne teacher might flee Israel if released.
“The respondent fled from Australia to Israel shortly after the suspicions against her began to be revealed, and only two days after she was suspended from her position as school principal — and this is enough to raise a real concern about the recurrence of this course of action,” she said.
“The very doubt as to the respondent’s credibility regarding her mental state raises fears that this is an attempt on her part to escape the law and disrupt her trial.”
A new panel of medical experts will now be appointed to decide whether she was fit to be extradited.
The case has dragged on for five years and 60 court hearings, with the next appearance listed for December.
Manny Waks, of Jewish sexual abuse victims rights group Kol v’Oz, said the decision was a step towards justice for Leifer’s alleged victims.
“I’m absolutely elated. Despite my cautious optimism after the Supreme Court hearings, I’m absolutely elated for the alleged victims,” he said.
“It would have been heartbreaking for them for her to be released.”
Mr Waks said that the fight for Leifer to face justice would continue.
“It’s a just outcome. I have been following this case since 2011 and have been at most of the 60 hearings,” he said.
“But this is only part of the battle, the end result we are looking for is to see Leifer on a plane and extradited back to Australia to face the full justice that her alleged victims deserve.”
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Australia has been trying to extradite Leifer over allegations she abused female students at Melbourne’s ultra-orthodox Adass Israel School in Elsternwick, Melbourne.
She fled to Israel in 2008 but was arrested over the claims in 2014.
However, she claimed that she was too ill to face a trial and was released in 2016.
Leifer was rearrested late last year in a sting that uncovered video of her living a normal life in Israel.
Jewish Community Watch (JCW) organisation, another victims’ rights group, said: “We are pleased that the court has adopted the prosecution’s arguments and ordered not to release Malka Leifer for house arrest. Since the district court’s decision, the victims have been in a deep mental crisis, and we hope that the decision to continue her arrest will give them some peace of mind”.
The Jerusalem District Court’s decision last week to release Leifer sparked outrage.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wrote to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding her immediate return to Australia.
Judge Baron added that she was not making a decision on whether Leifer should be extradited.
Leifer’s lawyers Tal Gabay and Yehuda Fried said in a joint statement: “Ms Leifer was released into house arrest without the state questioning it.
“Since then, facts only reinforced the truth — our client is a woman in need of psychiatric medical treatment, evidently this treatment is given her on a daily basis by the prison medical staff who repeatedly diagnoses her as mentally ill.”
Leifer’s lawyers said they were considering her legal options.