An Israeli former principal has been sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting two students at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Australia.
Malka Leifer, aged 56, was found guilty by a jury in April of raping and indecently assaulting sisters Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper between 2003 and 2007. The jury acquitted her of abusing a third sister, Nicole Meyer.
The conviction and sentencing mark the culmination of a 15-year effort to bring Leifer to justice. She had initially pleaded not guilty to over two dozen charges and had fought against extradition from Israel.
However, in 2021, an Israeli judge ruled that she had feigned mental illness to evade facing the legal system and ordered her extradition to Melbourne.
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Throughout the trial, evidence emerged that Leifer had abused the sisters in locked classrooms, on school camps, and at her home.
Detailing the 18 charges, Judge Mark Gamble described her actions as “insidious” and highlighted the “calculating way” in which she exploited the vulnerability of her victims for her “perverse sexual gratification.”
Leifer, who had been held in Israel, will be eligible for parole in June 2029 considering the time she has already spent in prison.
The sentencing has brought a sense of closure for the victims, who spoke about the lasting impact of guilt, shame, and fear. Ms. Erlich emphasized that the fight for justice was not just for themselves, but for all survivors who have undergone similar ordeals.
With Leifer’s trial now concluded, law enforcement authorities have reopened an investigation into her attempts to evade justice.
The former headteacher had fled to Israel in 2008 after accusations emerged, reportedly with the assistance of members of the school board.
She was arrested at Australia’s request in 2014, but her extradition was suspended by an Israeli court in 2016, citing mental unfitness. However, her subsequent behavior, including actions captured by undercover private investigators, led to her re-arrest in 2018 on charges of impersonating mental illness.
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