Malka Liefer.

A former Australian school principal, wanted in her home country on suspicion of sexually abusing at least 70 students, was freed from house arrest in Israel on Tuesday but ordered to undertake medical treatment after a court ruled her mentally unfit for extradition.

Malka Leifer will receive mandatory drug treatment for six months before her case is reassessed by the Jerusalem District Court, according to a ruling released by the Israeli Justice Ministry.

Leifer, who has Israeli citizenship, fled Australia in 2008 with what Australian authorities believe was the assistance of the insular Adass Jewish community, after accusations against her surfaced.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

She is the former principal of the Adass Israel School, an ultra-orthodox Jewish girls’ school in Melbourne, and is wanted by police in the Australian state of Victoria in connection with 74 sexual assault offenses involving students at the facility.

Last week, a court in Jerusalem decided not to extradite Leifer, basing its ruling, her lawyer said, on the determination of a psychiatric panel that she was not mentally competent to stand trial.

Reconvening on Tuesday, the court said Leifer would no longer have to remain under house arrest but a “flight risk” ban on her leaving the country would remain in effect.

Australia’s ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, said last week that Canberra would “remain patient and determined in pursuing justice” in the case.

Since 2013, an Australian commission on tackling child sexual abuse has shed light on offenses and cover-ups, including within ultra-orthodox Jewish communities in Sydney and Melbourne, triggering the resignations of some senior figures.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount