Teacher held in Israel
THE overseas arrest of a Melbourne schoolteacher who allegedly faked a mental illness to avoid extradition on child sex charges after fleeing Australia 10 years ago, has been greeted with “overwhelming emotion” by one of her alleged victims.
Malka Leifer, who has been sensationally arrested in Israel, is finally facing extradition proceedings almost a decade after she fled Australia after being accused of abusing female stu- dents at the Adass Israel School in Elsternwick, Melbourne.
She was principal of the ultraconservative Jewish school at the time and faces 74 allegations of rape and sexual abuse against children.
Since fleeing in 2008 she has managed to avoid extradition by arguing she was too mentally unwell to face court in Australia.
However, Israeli authorities yesterday swooped on Ms Leifer, aged in her 50s, after a month-long undercover investigation by police that conclud- ed that Ms Leifer was allegedly faking her mental illness.
The development was welcomed by one of Ms Leifer’s alleged victims, Dassi Erlich.
“There is an absolute, overwhelming amount of emotion. Not just of myself but of my sisters as well,” she told Neil Mitchell on 3AW.
She said she found out from Israel’s Ministry of Justice late on Monday night.
Ms Erlich said she was “around 14/15 years old” when the alleged abuse took place.
“I still have anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder that still affects my day-to-day life,” she said.
Ms Erlich said the Ministry of Justice in Israel had told her Ms Leifer would face a domestic hearing on Tuesday.
“Then on Wednesday she will face an extradition court and hopefully renew the extradition process,” she said.
Israeli police have issued a statement saying a woman in her 50s had been arrested on suspicions of “obstructing court proceedings and attempting to hide evidence of a case’’.
Ms Leifer is due to attend the Petah Tivka Magistrates Court outside Tel Aviv.