a) >
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israels-malka-leifer-problem/
Israel’s Malka Leifer problem
Shockingly, many childhood sexual abusers who come to Israel make no attempt to hide or even desist in their perverse behaviors
Dec 26, 2019, 9:10 PM
A private investigator tagged Malka Leifer as she spoke on the phone, while sitting on a bench in Bnei Brak, on December 14, 2017. (Screen capture/YouTube)
Right now, the focus in Israel is on the upcoming third Prime Minister election in 12 months. It is a politically stressful time and this issue needs resolution. There are however other significant matters that must be addressed. One in particular concerns protecting children from predators.
Malka Leifer is the focus of a long drawn out legal battle for extradition from Israel because of her alleged sexual abuse of former students in her home country Australia. The court system in Israel has for several years been moving at a snail’s pace to act on the legal action necessary to send her back for her trial. Several recurring excuses, most notably her allegedly frail mental status, provides the pretext for the delaying pattern which seems to be sanctioned and supported by ministerial level individuals.
Leifer’s case is a headline maker in part because of the extradition request and the fact that she is being shielded in an insular community, but she is far from the only person with a history of sexually abusing children that has found sanctuary in Israel. Not that Israel does not have homegrown childhood sexual abusers.
It most certainly does. Israel, though, has unfortunately become the run to place as a refuge for abusers from other countries. Some suggest that as many as 65 people from the world over who have abused children are presently hiding out in Israel to screen themselves from conviction in their home countries or to blend in in a new home and start anew.
I personally would not be shocked if the actual number was three to four times greater. These alleged abusers manage to get to Israel just before being arrested or after posting bail or simply out of fear that they may someday be caught and prosecuted in their home countries.
For them Israel is safe. It is a place where they have little fear of being caught and even if they are reported to the authorities, they believe that there is less likelihood of prosecution in Israel. One reason commonly offered is that child sexual abuse in Israel is not a trending concern.
A more significant reason seems to be the lack of awareness of the reality of childhood sexual abuse, its frequency and its painful consequences along with the community’s intense desire to not accept the reality that such abhorrent behaviors exist and confounded by a fear of speaking out and reporting abuse when it is clearly evident.
One in four girls and one in five boys under the age of 18 are sexually molested. The effects of childhood sexual abuse have been commonly referred to as soul murder.
For many the effects of these childhood violations to the physical and sexual well-being which include major psychological and medical ailments can last a lifetime. This is an overwhelming statistic.
Still, there is the compulsive desire by many to sweep this reality away and even threaten those who attempt to report their attackers to the authorities.
What is most frightening to me as someone who treats survivors of childhood sexual abuse is the openness that I have seen among foreign abusers who have come to Israel.
There is no attempt on their part to hide or even desist in their perverse behaviors. I recently observed one individual, a former school administrator from the US, who is currently being accused by several past students of sexually abusing them, handing out candy to youngsters in the synagogue he regularly attends.
When I asked someone about the freedom he has been allowed to interact with children, even grooming them to be responsive to him, I was told that everyone knows about his history, so they keep an eye on him.
I in my shocked reaction wondered aloud just how it is possible to constantly observe him and protect the children. At the very least he should be banned from interacting with children. My concerns fell on deaf ears.
In another situation I observed a former American rabbi accused of abusing young boys in the States. He had run off to Israel and was now strolling the streets of Jerusalem with a cadre of youngsters in tow.
Here too I questioned just how immobilized or plainly indifferent parents, family and society must be to allow him the freedom to engage with potential victims.
In ancient Israel Arei Miklat, cities of refuge, were designated for individuals who inadvertently murdered to escape to. For these accidental felons the refuge served to protect them from vengeful family members. Israel as a country has become a refuge place for childhood sexual predators.
The paradox is striking. These sexual abusers do not act in an inadvertent manner at all. They plan the steps to victimize and they groom their targets along with family and even the larger community.
We know how they operate and we know the harm they cause. We must publicly confront this heinous problem and overcome the fear of negative reactions. We must not allow predators refuge.
We must do better in keeping them from committing further acts of harm and we must send them to the justice they deserve.
About the Author
Dr Michael Salamon ,a fellow of the American Psychological Association, is a 2018 APA Presidential Citation Awardee for his 'transformative work in raising awareness of the prevention and treatment of childhood sexual abuse". He is the founder and director of ADC Psychological Services in New York and the author of numerous articles, several psychological tests and books including "The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cures" (Urim Publications) and "Every Pot Has a Cover" (University Press of America). His newest book is called "Abuse in the Jewish Community: Religious and Communal Factors that Undermine the Apprehension of Offenders and the Treatment of Victims."
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https://aijac.org.au/media-release/aijac-welcomes-reports-leifer-found-fit-to-face-an-extradition-hearing/
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) today welcomed reports that a panel of court-appointed mental health professionals has determined that Malka Leifer is psychologically fit to face an extradition hearing after countless delays and alleged ministerial interference.
Leifer is facing 74 charges of child sexual abuse in Victoria dating from her time as principal of Adass Israel School in Melbourne. The findings of the panel are due to be formally handed to an Israeli court next Tuesday, Israel time.
AIJAC Executive Director Dr. Colin Rubenstein said, “Reports about the panel’s finding on Leifer suggest we may at last be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in the process of seeking justice for Leifer’s victims. While we are mindful that the Court has not yet made its ruling, and further delays remain possible, any step that brings Leifer closer to facing a court in Melbourne to answer for her alleged crimes is most welcome. Both the survivors and the Australian community at large have already waited far too long to see Leifer extradited and brought to justice.”
For additional information, contact AIJAC on (03)-9681-6660.
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AIJAC describes appointment of Yaakov Litzman as Israel’s Health Minister as “deplorable”
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) has described as “deplorable” the Dec. 27 appointment of Yaakov Litzman as Israel’s Health Minister, despite police recommendations that he should face criminal charges for alleged interference in the extradition case against accused paedophile and former school principal Malka Leifer.
AIJAC’s Dr. Colin Rubenstein AM stated, “Yaakov Litzman’s appointment as Israel’s Health Minister is a deplorable decision, insulting to Australia and all those many Australians justifiably expecting the prompt extradition of Malka Leifer, who has been charged with more than 70 counts of child sexual abuse in Melbourne.
“While we understand that the Israeli government cannot directly interfere in the extradition process for Leifer, which is in the hands of Israel’s independent judiciary, the very least Jerusalem can do is offer support and sympathy to the survivors of Leifer’s abuse, who have already waited far too long to see justice done. The promotion of Litzman does exactly the opposite, actually adding to their anguish.”
Rubenstein also said the promotion “must be” related to Netanyahu’s quest for political survival, with the Prime Minister facing a third election in quick succession in March. “How do you balance moral integrity and pure political survival? We think the Prime Minister has badly erred in prioritising the latter over the former on this occasion,” Rubenstein added.
Dr. Rubenstein was also quoted on the Litzman appointment and the Leifer case in a piece published in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald online on Dec. 30.
END
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