Adass Israel School, Melbourne, Australia While the Malka Leifer extradition scandal drags on and victims continue to suffer from this prolonged terrible injustice, it is timely to remember that the Adass Israel School, the organisation responsible for this mess, maintain their shameful silence and continue to force their victims to fight for justice alone and without their support.
Based on the dozens of charges against her, Leifer should have been in an Australian jail cell for the last 10 years, not living as a free woman in Israel. The battle to bring her back and the trauma that has caused so many should never have been necessary. However, when the Adass Board found out what Leifer had done, they simply arranged for her to flee to Israel in the middle of the night to escape justice.
In a 2015 judgement, Justice Rush of the Supreme Court of Victoria held that the decision of the Adass Board to arrange urgent flights was “likely motivated by a desire to conceal her wrongdoing and confine and isolate the conduct and its consequences to within the Adass community. The conduct amounts to disgraceful, contumelious behaviour demonstrating a complete disregard of Leifer’s victims. The conduct demonstrates a disdain for due process of criminal investigation in
this state.”
Based on the dozens of charges against her, Leifer should have been in an Australian jail cell for the last 10 years, not living as a free woman in Israel. The battle to bring her back and the trauma that has caused so many should never have been necessary. However, when the Adass Board found out what Leifer had done, they simply arranged for her to flee to Israel in the middle of the night to escape justice.
In a 2015 judgement, Justice Rush of the Supreme Court of Victoria held that the decision of the Adass Board to arrange urgent flights was “likely motivated by a desire to conceal her wrongdoing and confine and isolate the conduct and its consequences to within the Adass community. The conduct amounts to disgraceful, contumelious behaviour demonstrating a complete disregard of Leifer’s victims. The conduct demonstrates a disdain for due process of criminal investigation in
this state.”
Abe Weiszberger, Adass School Secretary At this time, the community has every right to ask some basic questions of the Adass Board and demand answers:
1. Why have the Adass Board remained silent and not taken responsibility for their actions?
2. Last year, Adass School Secretary, Abe Weiszberger, promised that the Adass Board would do whatever they could to help bring Leifer back and would seek to make a public apology to her victims. When will this apology be forthcoming?
3. Are there any current Adass Board members who remain on the Board from the time Leifer was helped to flee Australia? Has anybody been held to account?
4. As the institution responsible for this mess, what steps have the Adass Board taken to help in the campaign to bring Leifer back?
5. Have the Adass Board reached out to Rabbi Grossman and denounced his support for their former Principal?
In the absence of satisfactory answers we should continue to hope and exert pressure so that not only will Malka Leifer be brought back to face justice in Australia but that the Adass Board and the individuals responsible for Leifer’s escape will also meet the full face of the law.
While we expect the Adass leadership to continue to ignore these matters (at least publicly), it is important we as a community do all that we can to hold this institution to account.
1. Why have the Adass Board remained silent and not taken responsibility for their actions?
2. Last year, Adass School Secretary, Abe Weiszberger, promised that the Adass Board would do whatever they could to help bring Leifer back and would seek to make a public apology to her victims. When will this apology be forthcoming?
3. Are there any current Adass Board members who remain on the Board from the time Leifer was helped to flee Australia? Has anybody been held to account?
4. As the institution responsible for this mess, what steps have the Adass Board taken to help in the campaign to bring Leifer back?
5. Have the Adass Board reached out to Rabbi Grossman and denounced his support for their former Principal?
In the absence of satisfactory answers we should continue to hope and exert pressure so that not only will Malka Leifer be brought back to face justice in Australia but that the Adass Board and the individuals responsible for Leifer’s escape will also meet the full face of the law.
While we expect the Adass leadership to continue to ignore these matters (at least publicly), it is important we as a community do all that we can to hold this institution to account.
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