Malka Leifer The Alleged Sexual Abuser has been found mentally competent and fit to undergo an extradition hearing. VIDEO

An Israeli woman accused of molesting several girls while serving as principal of the Charedi Adass Yisroel girls’ school in Melbourne has been found mentally competent and fit to undergo an extradition hearing.

Jerusalem’s District Psychiatrist submitted two reports yesterday asserting that Malka Leifer, 54, is fit to face a hearing despite her longstanding claim that she suffers from crippling anxiety issues that would prevent her from being tried.

Leifer fled to Israel in 2008 amid allegations that she had sexually abused students. She is wanted on 74 charges of child sexual abuse in Melbourne.

In the beginning of July she lost an appeal for release to house arrest during extradition proceedings, the same day that an Australian newspaper quoted an Israeli man as saying she molested his daughter. She had previously missed several court appearances by saying she was feeling unwell. She was arrested in February after an undercover investigation found that she lived a normal life and was mentally fit to face extradition proceedings.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported last month that a resident of Emmanuel, the Charedi Samaria town where Leifer lives with her husband and 10 children, has alleged that she sexually molested his daughter while tutoring her in religious studies.

The man, identified as Daniel, told the newspaper he saw her touching another girl as well and alleged that she lures children into her apartment by offering them food, or to tutor them for free.

Posting on Facebook on Monday, Dassi Erlich, one of the students allegedly molested, wrote that her “abuser Malka Leifer has played the court system for 10 years,” adding the hashtag #nomoredelays.

Malka Leifer's community harassed abuse claimant: court

Sexual Pervert Malka Leifer

Members of an orthodox Jewish community threatened a Melbourne woman with ostracism if her sister didn't drop a civil sex abuse claim against a headmistress, the Victorian Supreme Court has heard.

The woman, whose two sisters made a complaint to police about alleged sexual assault at the Adass Israel School in Elsternwick Melbourne, was harassed and pressured shortly before her death from a heart attack at age 39, the court heard.

"They threatened her with her job, and her reputation and her children's marriage prospects," the woman's sister, and the claimant in the civil matter, told the court on Thursday.

The Adass Israel School in Elsternwick Melbourne and its former headmistress Malka Leifer are being sued by an ex-student who says she was sexually abused up to several times a week from age 15.

Last August Ms Leifer was arrested in Israel, where she fled in 2008 when sex abuse allegations emerged, and is facing extradition to Australia.

Another sister, who also alleges sex abuse, told the court it was impossible for people to speak out against authority figures in the insular, orthodox community.

"You wouldn't dare try because you would be ostracised," she told the court on Thursday.

"I tried and it didn't get me anywhere."

The first sister earlier told the court she was shielded from the outside world as a child, prevented from watching television or accessing the internet and was only allowed to read censored books.

Her first contact with the "outside" world was in 2011 when she was admitted to a clinic after she became suicidal, she told the court.

The woman suffered depression, post-traumatic stress, and had flashbacks that made it difficult to bond with her daughter, born in 2010, but was refused support or money for counselling from the school, she said.

The trial continues before Justice John Rush.

Malka Leifer Adass Israel School principal 'used student's home life to groom, abuse'

Malka Leifer

A school principal used a student's abusive home life as a way to groom and then sexually abuse her over several years, a court has heard.

A former student of Adass Israel Girls School, in Elsterwick, is suing the school for damages stemming from abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of former principal Malka Leifer.

The school sacked Mrs Leifer in March 2008 after allegations of impropriety came to light.

The Supreme Court heard on Tuesday that a member of the school's committee arranged the plane tickets so Mrs Leifer could leave the country within two days of being sacked.

Mrs Leifer was arrested in Israel in August last year and extradition proceedings are underway to bring her to Victoria to face sex abuse charges.

The court heard on Wednesday that the former student's abuse started in 2002, when she was 15, and as a result had suffered flashbacks, nightmares, persistent depression, post traumatic stress disorder and at one point was suicidal.

The former student, now 27, told the court she was brought up in a family dominated by her physically abusive mother and that Mrs Leifer offered to help her.
"She [Leifer] had an interest with my older sister first ... so when she approached me and said she knew what was going on at home and [she said] she could help me with that," she said.

The alleged victim said Mrs Leifer started giving her private religious lessons, during which Mrs Leifer would rub her through her clothes.
This abuse accelerated and by the time the alleged victim was in grade 11, aged 15 or 16, Mrs Leifer was touching her skin and digitally penetrating her, she told the court.

The alleged victim, who can not be named for legal reasons, said she was too scared to speak up about the abuse because of Mrs Leifer's pre-eminent position in the community.
"The community is the school and the school is the community. Because she was the head of the school, the whole community looked up to her and idolised her," she said.
"She had a very powerful personality... I saw how she reacted to people who attempted to cross her. I was scared."

The alleged victim said she feared Mrs Leifer would tell others in the ultra-orthodox Adass community about her abusive home life, which would damage her marriage prospects.

The victim said Mrs Leifer gave her a part-time job at the school when she graduated, aged 18, and the abuse then continued for eight months until she was married and left the school.

The Adass community is a small, ultra-orthodox Jewish group of about 150 families based in Elsternwick and Ripponlea.
The trial in expected to continue on Thursday.
This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/adass-israel-school-principal-used-students-home-life-to-groom-abuse-20150506-ggvq8g.html

Malka Leifer ex- Principal of Adass Israel School in Melbourne arrested over alleged sexual abuse

A FORMER principal of a Melbourne Jewish girls’ school has been arrested amid claims she sexually abused students including sisters.

Malka Leifer was arrested in Israel overnight where it is believed extradition proceedings have started in an attempt to have her returned to Melbourne.

The Attorney General’s office confirmed this morning Ms Leifer is wanted in Melbourne to face allegations of historic sexual offending against a string of girls.

The mother of eight left Australia in 2008 after she was sacked as principal at the ultra orthodox Adass Israel School in Elsternwick.

The sacking followed complaints that she had acted inappropriately with students while principal between 2001 and 2008.

Victoria Police launched an investigation into the complaints in 2011.

A police spokesman confirmed this morning that an investigation into “complaints of historical sex offences at an Elsternwick School” continued.

It is believed Ms Leifer could face dozens of charges of indecent assault and rape.

Her arrest is the latest in a string of scandals to rock Melbourne’s orthodox Jewish community.

Manny Waks, founder of sexual assault victims support group Tzedek, said Ms Leifer’s arrest was a welcome development.

“It should be seen in the greater context of the ongoing child sexual abuse scandal that has been plaguing the Australian Jewish community,” he said.

“This is further evidence that the tide is turning within our community.

“Many victims are no longer willing to remain silent, and neither is the community.”

Mr Waks said he expected the Adass Israel School would co-operate fully with the police.

“I also hope and expect that the police will examine all the circumstances surrounding Ms Leifer leaving Australia and hold to account anyone who may have acted inappropriately.”

Adass Israel School principal Prof Israel Herszberg issued a short statement in light of the arrest.

“The school has and will continue to co-operate fully with the authorities but otherwise is unable to comment further where the matters involving Mrs Leifer are before the courts.”

The school, of about 500 students, caters primarily to members of the closed ultra-orthodox Adass Israel Community in Elsternwick and Ripponlea.

In line with their strict religious beliefs students at the school are segregated on the basis of gender and have little interaction with people outside of the community.