Female School Principal "Sexually Abused Girl to Prepare Her for Marriage" at Ultra-orthodox Jewish School, Court Hears

By Sarah Dean
Daily Mail
May 7, 2015

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3071054/Female-school-principal-sexually-abused-girl-prepare-marriage-ultra-Orthodox-Jewish-school.html

The former principal of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school allegedly abused a 15-year-old student to ‘prepare her for marriage’.

Malka Leifer, the 'strict' former principal at Adass Israel School in Melbourne, was named in a negligence and injury lawsuit against the school by a former student who claims Leifer abused her and her two sisters over several years.

Leifer allegedly began grooming the student, using the girl’s physically abusive home life as a way to get close to her, Victoria’s Supreme Court heard this week.

‘She liked to hug me like a baby, and rock me. She said I should consider her like a mother who loved me, and that I was special,’ the woman told the court, the Herald Sun reports.

Former principal at Adass Israel School in Melbourne, Malka Leifer, is expected to be extradited from Israel to face sexual abuse charges

The former student, now in her twenties, claimed Leifer groomed her after offering private religious classes and began touching her and digitally penetrating her when she got older, The Age reports.The woman said that since the alleged abuse, which she was too afraid to speak out about because of Leifer’s high-standing position in the community, she has suffered depression and became suicidal.

The girl had no sex education because of her ultra-Orthodox Jewish upbringing and was not allowed to read newspapers or watch TV while growing up.

Leifer was allegedly frightened her husband would return home and find her with the student.

Leifer was sacked from Adass Israel School in March 2008 and flew to Israel two days later

The principal was sacked in March 2008 after the abuse allegations were made and a member of the school community reportedly organised a flight for her to leave the country two days later.

Extradition proceedings are now underway after Leifer was arrested in Israel in August.

At the time of her arrest in Israel, Australian Jewish News reported the Rabbinic Council of Victoria’s liaison to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Rabbi Yaakov Glasman, said: ‘The RCV applauds the victim(s) for having the courage to come forward to police, and reiterates its longstanding resolution that the prohibition of mesirah [reporting to secular authorities] has absolutely no relevance in cases of the sexual abuse of children.

‘Abuse has been evidenced to have occurred in Jewish schools, sporting clubs and aged care facilities, and efforts made by our community to stamp out abuse for once and for all should be encouraged.’

The trial continues.