Melbourne, Australia – In what is being heralded as a landmark case, a Supreme Court justice has ordered an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school to fork over $1M to a sexually abused student after school board members attempted to cover up the abuse and then aided its molesting principal in fleeing the country to Israel within hours of the story going public.
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The Age (http://goo.gl/0uNgTX) reports that allegations by the student that she was repeatedly molested by then-Adass Israel principal Malka Leifer broke in 2008, and within hours emergency crisis talks were convened by the school’s committee of management—after which Ms. Leifer boarded the next flight to Israel under the cover of darkness.
In his ruling, Supreme Court judge Justice Jack Rush called Ms. Leifer’s actions “monstrous,” while deriding the school board’s behavior as “likely motivated by a desire to conceal her wrongdoing and confine and isolate the conduct and its consequences to within the Adass community.”
An Australian legal expert said that the ruling sets a precedent that would “strike terror into the hearts” of schools embroiled in abuse scandals across the country.
Mrs Leifer, a mother of eight, was arrested in Israel in August 2014 and is facing extradition to Australia, where she is wanted on 74 counts of sexual assault.
Its about time this was taken seriously, and schools were held accountable.
The school board did what was required under Jewish Law in that particular situation: they dismissed her immediately and threw her out of town. Her misdeeds were not covered up – unlike the school in which she served prior to that position, which was aware of her wrongdoing (for which they dismissed her) but did not notify further.
Since when did Israel allow extradition of Jews?
Perhaps some sort of psychological screening should be put in place for all those who work with minors. Seriously…
#2 Are you crazy? And what about Mandatory Reporting? She raped her students and Adass gave her a ticket out of Melbourne. Did she reoffend in Israel? If your daughter and friends were raped would you just tell the rapist to go overseas and everything will be alright? And instead of supporting the victim, they fought her in the Supreme Court saying that Leifer wasn’t the head-mistress and she was never employed by Adass School.
At the time of the principal’s arrest in Israel, Australian Jewish News reported that Rabbi Yaakov Glasman, who is the Rabbinic Council of Victoria’s liaison to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, said: The Rabbinic Council applauds the victim(s) for having the courage to come forward to the police. The Rabbinic Council repeats its longstanding resolution that the prohibition of MESIRAH [reporting to secular authorities] has ABSOLUTELY NO RELEVANCE IN CASE OF SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN.
If you know of a child who is being sexually abused chas veshalom, call the police immediately to report this horrible crime!!!! You will be fulfilling the mitzvah of “lo sa’amod al dam reyacho” – do not stand by while your brother’s blood is being spilled. Many respected Rabbanim in the U.S. are signing a Kol Korei urging to call the police to report child abuse. These Rabbanim include Rav Yechiel Perr; Rav Gershon Tannenbam; Rav Dovid Goldwasser; Rav Aryeh Ralbag; Harav Haim Benoliel; Harav Chaim Schabes; Harav Elozor Ginsberg; Harav Yosef Bechhofer; Harav Michel Twerski; and Harav Eliezer Gibber. For a full list of Rabbanim see Mishpacha Aug. 26, 2015
#7 By saying they did what was required according to jewish law sounds like they acted correctly and deflects the fact that they seriously transgressed civil law and did the wrong thing. You seem to be saying that “Dina D’Malchusa Dina” does not apply to Adass.
And by condoning
“The Rav who paskened that decision is a thoroughly responsible and experienced halachic authority who does not really have to rely on the likes of yourself to reach his decisions.”
you are saying the Rov was correct in sending her away. And if he Ch’vsh ends up in jail because he was under Mandatory Reporting and didn’t contact the police will you still arrogantly say he doesn’t need to listen to civil authorities?
Do you think a rapist is a Rodef? Lefier did it before she came here, when she was here and I presume is still doing it in Israel. Does that bother you?
“The victim, by turning to the civil courts and extorting money from the community where the halachah does not permit, has now placed herself in an extremely difficult position.” Wow, words fail me. I wish you a refuah shelaimah.
#7 belongs to the Adass board of management and is trying to justify the rape of dozens of girls. We have not heard a peep from them except for the fact Adass is fighting the girls in the Supreme Court and lying when they say Leifer wasn’t the headmistress and wasn’t employed by the school. But then lying in the Supreme Court under oath in not a lav min hatorah, only loshon horo is. Leifer is a unrepentant and dangerous rodef who belongs in jail. Read what the Rush said in The Australian newspaper 19th September about Adass and Leifer. Everyone can google it.
In reply to #5 , 9, 11: I am not, and never have been a member of the Adass board of management. I have never beem a member of that congregation. I have not been in Melbourne for over 20 years.
I just happen to have spent time learning, and thus know a little.
I would sincerely ask you to do the same.