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	Female Principal at Jewish School Stood down over Claims of Inappropriate Conduct By Conor Duffy ABC News March 15, 2008 http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2007/s2190314.htm VIRGINIA TRIOLI: The principal of an Orthodox Jewish girls' school in Melbourne has been stood down after being accused of inappropriate conduct with students. The president of the Adass Israel Congregation has confirmed that the allegations are being investigated and says the principal left the country 24 hours after the accusation was made. Conor Duffy reports. CONOR DUFFY, REPORTER: This is the Adass Israel Girls School in inner Melbourne. The Melbourne Adass community is made up of just 150 families. It's very small, ultra Orthodox and is considered reclusive even by the wider Jewish community. Today, that anonymity was pierced when the Australian Jewish News published reports that the female principal of the girls' school, Malka Leifer, a mother of eight, had been stood down because of allegations about improper conduct with her students. The Age newspaper went further, saying the accusations were that the principal had shared a bed with some of the girls in her care. In a statement to Lateline, the president of the Adass Israel Congregation, Benjamin Koppel, confirmed the school had investigated an employee after a complaint to the school last Tuesday. He said: BENJAMIN KOPPEL'S STATEMENT (voice over): The employee denied any wrongdoing, but was suspended from all school duties on Tuesday 4 March 2008, the day of the telephone call, pending further investigation. The person who was suspended is regarded by the school board as being no longer employed by the school, as that person left Australia, seemingly indefinitely, on the evening of Wednesday 5 March 2008. NORMAN ROSENBAUM, LAWYER: When the allegations came to the attention of the school council, they immediately stood Mrs Leifer down. Our information is she has now left the country. CONOR DUFFY: With her family? NORMAN ROSENBAUM: I believe with her family, yes. CONOR DUFFY: Members of the ultra Orthodox community say it's not unusual for people to visit Israel at short notice. Mr Koppel says the school has engaged a psychologist to counsel the students. BENJAMIN KOPPEL'S STATEMENT (voice over): The school is taking every step possible to ensure the welfare of the students is protected and that everything is done to minimise the prospect of any such behaviour occurring in the future. CONOR DUFFY: As well as counsellors, the school has engaged a lawyer, Norman Rosenbaum, who says police are aware of the allegations. NORMAN ROSENBAUM: The school is really an extension of family for the students and this has rocked the community to its core. The mere allegations of misconduct by any teacher, but in particular this teacher, goes against all the principles, beliefs and practices that this school stands for. CONOR DUFFY: Mr Rosenbaum says he believes girls at the school are more vulnerable than other teenagers. NORMAN ROSENBAUM: The girls do really lead a sheltered life. They are very innocent, they're very naive almost to many worldly aspects which other teenagers their age may come into contact with. So, on that basis alone, I believe it is not an unfair comment to say that they are more vulnerable. CONOR DUFFY: One of the few others prepared to talk on camera today was counsellor Rafael Aron. He says the principal was well respected. RAPHAEL ARON, COUNSELLOR: This wasn't a person who came in as a one-off, fill-in teacher or somebody who was doing some emergency teaching who was not known. This was a person who was part of the community, part of the faculty, part of the staff, part of the whole organisation over years and years and years. CONOR DUFFY: He's spoken to a number of parents from the school and says that the claims are still only allegations but that there is a high level of distress. RAPHAEL ARON: I think it would be fair to say that the reaction of the community in relation to this is one of shock and one of amazement, one of disbelief. The notion of a person and a principal in a position of authority who is a female allegedly being involved inappropriately with other females is something which we just generally don't hear about. CONOR DUFFY: Lateline has been told that the rabbi for the small community has asked the congregation not to speculate on the case or to pass judgment until the accusations have been investigated.
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