Leifer: community reacts
Community leaders have spoken out following the guilty verdict pronounced on Malka Leifer in sexually abusing two Melbourne sisters when she was the principal of the ultra-orthodox Adass Israel School.
Malka Leifer, a former school principal, who is wanted on 29 charges of sexual abuse in Melbourne, Australia, is escorted into the Jerusalem District Court. Jerusalem, Jun 14, 2018. Photo by Hillel Maeir/TPS
Leifer was acquitted of offences allegedly committed against Nicole Meyer.
The co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Peter Wertheim, told J-Wire: “More than 13 years elapsed from the time that Malka Leifer was spirited out of Australia until the time she was forced to return following her extradition in January 2021.
It has taken less than two years for an Australian court to find her guilty of multiple sexual abuse offences. This is a mighty vindication for Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper in their long, courageous struggle for justice.
Whilst Malka Leifer has yet to be sentenced, we hope that Dassi, Nicole and Elly can now begin to find some healing and peace, and to face the future with a restored sense of their personal security and integrity that was their birthright.
This whole shameful saga has brought home some painful lessons for our community. The life and dignity of every individual, and especially of every child, is sacrosanct and must never be sacrificed by any organisation, community or other collective interest.
ZFA President Jeremy Leibler said: “We hope that the verdict brings much-needed closure to Elly, Nicole and Dassi who bravely fought for justice for many years. It also brings closure for the Australian Jewish community who have supported the brave survivors’ demands that Malka Leifer face justice in Australia. We continue to stand with Elly, Nicole and Dassi and all survivors of abuse in their fight for justice.”
Mr Leibler continued, “A key part of their trauma was the time it took to extradite Leifer back to Australia, and the clear evidence of political interference in that process. Israel must take action to ensure that such a travesty cannot recur.”
Daniel Aghion, President of The Jewish Community Council of Victoria, commented: “The Jewish community of Victoria welcomes the guilty verdict and recognises that justice has finally been served.
This verdict demonstrates the importance of pursuing justice, even in the face of difficulties. This verdict is a testament to the strength, bravery and courage of survivors Dassi Erlich, Elly Sapper and Nicole Meyer. We note the role of our Victorian Jewish community in supporting these survivors through the lengthy extradition and court processes and in demanding the return of Malka Leifer to Australia to face justice.
This case has exposed gravely dangerous and damaging behaviour. It is a wake-up call to every community organisation that works with children to do better.
The JCCV urges anybody experiencing personal distress as a result of this verdict to seek help via Lifeline 131114 or the Blue Knot Helpline on 1300 657 380. We also continue to remind all Jewish organisations to put in place the required child safeguarding protections to keep every person in our Jewish community safe.”
Manny Waks, CEO of VoiCSA Voice against child sexual abuse
“Today’s guilty verdict is a great day for justice and vindication of the courageous survivors, Nicole, Dassi and Elly, whose perseverance and dignity have been a hallmark of their long and extraordinary fight for justice. We hope that today’s verdict provides them with some peace of mind and contributes to their long-term healing and well-being.
“We are also mindful that there are several other alleged victims of Leifer who for one reason or another have chosen not to go through this process and we also have them in our thoughts.
“We thank the sisters for sharing their very personal and difficult story so publicly, which has contributed to educating the public regarding the complexities of pursuing justice in the context of child sexual abuse, in particular within the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.
“We call on the Adass Israel School to issue an unequivocal public apology to Dassi, Elly and Nicole for its horrific failure to protect them when they were under its care. We also note that justice in this matter could and should have been served many years ago. We call on Victoria Police to hold to account those members of the Adass Israel School’s leadership who aided and abetted Leifer’s escape to Israel from Australia after being informed of what she had done. Those actions would have allowed Leifer to evade justice entirely if not for the efforts of Dassi, Nicole, Elly and their supporters. The Adass leadership delayed justice for a decade and endangered innocent children in Israel. This is the precise scenario where an example needs to be made to deter others from considering similar actions in future.
“We would like to thank the many people from across the world who were involved in the lengthy campaign to return Leifer to Australia, as well as the incredible support so many have shown the survivors.
“On a personal note, the conclusion of this trial now marks the near-end of my formal support and advocacy role through VoiCSA. I have been involved in the Leifer matter since the very beginning in 2011, when one of the Leifer survivors reached out to me for support and assistance shortly after I had publicly disclosed my personal experience of having been sexually abused as a child. I’m proud and humbled that my actions prompted many others to subsequently pursue their own justice, including the survivors in this case.
“I’m pleased that I was able to assist in this case and see it through to the end, having been present at the vast majority of the 75 court hearings in Israel on behalf of the survivors to keep them and the Jewish and broader communities updated. And I’m grateful for the overwhelming support that I personally received in the context of that work.
“What has happened at the Adass Israel School is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the prevalence of child sexual abuse in Jewish schools and institutions globally. In recent years in Australia alone, we have received many disclosures from members of the community who have been sexually abused while attending communal institutions. The Jewish community, like all communities, must acknowledge what is happening and put a stop to it. The greatest danger to the safety of the Jewish community comes from within Jewish institutions and not from external threats. Yet this is barely spoken about and inadequately addressed at a communal level.
“We take this opportunity to encourage anyone who has been sexually abused as a child to report to the police. VoiCSA and other organisations will continue to support and assist anyone who needs help.”
