How Melbourne principal Malka Leifer was arrested on child sex claims
THE day Melbourne schoolteacher Malka Leifer was accused of sexual abuse, she fled for Israel, sparking a 10-year legal standoff. Here’s how an abuse watchdog forced her to face her day in court.
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BEHIND a military checkpoint on a hillside in the Palestinian West Bank stands the village of Emmanuel, home to 3000 people, almost all members of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community.
Here, men and women walk on opposite footpaths, people use “kosher phones’’ which are not internet-enabled, and many of the men do not work, but instead devote their days to studying the Torah.
It was in this secretive, closed community that Malka Leifer, the Melbourne schoolteacher who fled to Israel on the day former female students accused her of sexual abuse, found sanctuary.
And it was here that police broke a 10-year legal standoff by dragging her screaming from the apartment she shares with her husband and some of her five children, accusing her of faking the mental illness she has so far successfully argued should prevent her being extradited to
Australia.
SEX CRIMES
That Ms Leifer, a former principal of the Adass Israel School in Elsternwick in Melbourne, was wanted in Australia on 74 allegations of sexually abusing female students, had been an open secret in Emmanuel for years.
But the ultra-orthodox community closed ranks around her, the rabbis defended her, and the courts had little option but to block her extradition after the district psychiatrist and psychiatric committees repeatedly found she was too mentally unwell to face extradition.
A neighbour in Emmanuel, about 90 minutes drive from Jerusalem, told News Corp she knew the 50-something Ms Leifer well, and that she was “sane.’’
“I saw her taking her children (to the synagogue) on Saturday, everything was really nice,’’ she told News Corp.
“She made kugel (a traditional Jewish pudding).
“She was functioning so well.
The neighbour said Ms Leifer had been living “a good life.’’
“I drove with her a lot of times to Jerusalem (hitchhiking). I spent some time with her,’’ she said.
“She is functioning at the house, she’s bringing people at Shabbat, she is going to the synagogue. They have guests all the time.
“Go to Jerusalem, travel, have her kids get married.’’
ALL IN THE MIND
Ms Leifer had argued successfully in court for years that her depression and post-traumatic stress disorder had incapacitated her to the point she was virtually housebound, non-communicative and needed a carer 24 hours a day.
But a child abuse advocacy group, Jewish Community Watch, decided to act when police would not, covertly following Ms Leifer over a period of time, filming her as she went about her daily life.
Founded about five years ago in New York by Meyer Seewald, a victim of abuse in the orthodox community, Jewish Community Watch has about a dozen people operating in Israel and America.
They aim to educate people about abuse by orthodox community leaders, prevent abuse, and provide support and healing for victims.
A spokesman said the group met with Melbourne woman Dassi Erlich, one of the alleged main victims of Ms Leifer, when she had travelled to Israel to lobby for police action last October.
“Jewish Community Watch members met with her ... and were inspired by her courage,’’ the spokesman said.
The group decided to pay for private detectives to investigate Ms Leifer, and gather evidence which could be provided to the police.
ON THE INSIDE
The private detectives infiltrated the community, and secretly filmed Ms Leifer as she caught a bus to Brei Brak, a city in central Israel, as well as going about her life in Emmanuel.
Over a period of time, they followed her as she went shopping, talking on the phone, travelling, attending the synagogue and spending time with family.
They handed the evidence to police.
Behind the scenes, political pressure was growing too.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull personally lobbied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visited Israel in October.
Victorian state MP David Southwick met activists in Israel, while Israeli members of Parliament, and feminists from the orthodox community were also lobbying police to take action.
Ms Erlich and other alleged victims campaigned through the media.
Finally, police decided to act.
STRIKE FORCE
In December, the Special Investigations Unit spent a month investigating Ms Leifer, bugging her phone and following her as she went about her life.
They dressed as members of the ultra-orthodox community and joined the Shabbat services at her local synagogue.
Prosecutor Matan Akiva this week handed Jerusalem District Court judge Ram Vinograd a CD which police claim shows evidence Ms Leifer faked her mental illness in a bid to avoid justice in Australia.
“It’s the suspect on tape walking to buy groceries alone,’’ Mr Akiva told the judge.
“Here the suspect walks into a post office ... She’s sitting on a bench.
“There is a phone call, a recorded phone call ... It is very far from a person who is not communicative.’’
Mr Akiva said Ms Leifer was “functioning in a good way.’’
“In the (court-ordered psychiatrist) assessments she is described as a woman who is laying in bed most of the days and is not speaking to her family most of the days.
“Her sister-in law says to the psychiatrist assessment committee ‘at home Malka rarely speaks to the family, she answers with very short answers and is very non-communicative’.
“These claims are not at one with the movies and the conversations that (the judge) has seen.
“She can host her family for Shabbat for Saturday evening, she can live an ordinary life.
“She hasn’t escaped, but of course since the police have moved to an investigation ... her interest in fleeing is greater now.’’
DEFENCE ON THE OFFENCE
Ms Leifer’s defence lawyer Yehuda Frid, who represents other members of the ultra-orthodox community accused of sexual offences in Israel, ridiculed the police evidence and said prosecutors were simply trying to show Australia they were doing some work.
“What did the police show?’’ he asked the court.
“Ms Leifer is standing on the balcony. The suspect is holding a few bags. Malka Leifer is standing in the window of the balcony speaking on the phone — that’s a combination!
“Going to the post office by herself! Wow!’’
Mr Frid said Ms Leifer had depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, had suffered a psychiatrist episode when she was just 17, and was stigmatised in the ultra-orthodox community because of her condition.
“PTSD is classic, when there is a situation of pressure it erupts,’’ he said.
“And it happened to her on her son’s bat mitzvah in front of everyone.
“And you know how it is, mental illness with ultra-orthodox communities, it is despicable.
“She collapsed in the middle of her son’s event.’’
Mr Frid said the police of the Samaria and Judea District had used “sophisticated technological measures’’ to follow Ms Leifer.
“What does that mean?’’ He asked.
“They traced her, bugged her phone and so on. And I add that they sent someone a week or two weeks ago to her synagogue and he spoke on the phone on Saturday.’’
Mr Frid said mentally ill people were not in a psychiatric seizure state all the time.
“They have ups and down. In the ups they can go to the post office by themselves, maybe sit on the balcony and speak on the phone.’’
HILLSIDE HIDEOUT
Emmanuel is a new settlement, built in 1983, on a dusty hillside in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The international community considers it one of a number of illegal settlements built on Palestinian land.
It’s one of many enclaves where ultra-orthodox communities live under a strict interpretation of their religious rules.
It has one road in and out, and visitors are rare.
In 2001, it was attacked by Palestinian terrorists who blew up a bus, and attacked passengers with hand grades and machine guns, killing 11 people including children and injuring 30.
Ms Leifer lives on the street where a plaque commemorates the dead.
Visitors from Jerusalem travel through four military checkpoints to get to the town, which comprises a small supermarket and post office, a school, and the synagogue.
At the one small shop selling pizza from a doorway, the man behind the counter was praying and simply waved News Corp away.
FIX THE WORLD
The neighbour in Emmanuel said it was an open secret that Ms Leifer was wanted in Australia.
“Everyone knew it. Everyone,’’ she said.
She added that she felt sorry for her family.
“The kids are very nice, quiet, very nice.
“I feel sorry for them. They saw it when they arrested her.
“It was a catastrophe. She acted crazy and screamed. Her husband screamed and the kids tried to intervene. It was a painful sight.’’
Jewish people have a concept of social justice and social action to make the world a better place.
In Hebrew, they call in Tikkan olam — meaning repair, or fix, the world.
The neighbour in Emmanuel said Ms Leifer was a very nice person, but needed to face the justice system.
“If we had justice this whole country would have looked differently,’’ she said.
“We want to fix the world.’’
Pictures by Franck Bessiere, additional reporting: Shakked Auerbach
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