Reputation of Israeli government ‘sullied’ by appointment of Litzman
In letter to Netanyahu, the umbrella organization for Jewish community says ‘basic decency’ should have mitigated against Litzman’s appointment.
By JEREMY SHARONUnited Torah Judaism chairman Yaakov Litzman gets a briefing at the UTJ election campaign headquarters for the Jerusalem sector on Tuesday morning(photo credit: JEREMY SHARON)
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the central umbrella body of the Australian Jewish community, has strongly criticized the appointment of United Torah Judaism chairman Ya’acov Litzman as health minister, saying the government as been “sullied” by the decision.This past August, the police recommended Litzman be indicted on charges of witness tampering, fraud and breach of trust in connection with his alleged effort to obtain psychiatric evaluations of accused pedophile Malka Leifer to prevent her from being extradited to Australia.Litzman was deputy health minister in charge of the Health Ministry since 2017, but on Sunday he was given the full ministerial portfolio because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held it from 2017, was required to resign his ministerial roles due to his indictment on fraud charges.In a letter to Netanyahu, the ECAJ said it was deeply concerned about Litzman’s appointment because of his alleged efforts to block Leifer’s extradition, noting what it said was the “unbearable impact” of Leifer’s alleged crimes on her victims. It described the lengthy delays in the extradition process as “profound wrongs.”Leifer is wanted in Australia on 74 charges of sexual abuse and rape of minors while serving as a teacher and principal of the Adas Israel School in Melbourne from 2000 to 2008.She fled the country when allegations of her abuse came to the attention of the school.“Basic decency dictates that the psychological torment inflicted on these girls should be a paramount consideration for ministers of the State of Israel when evaluating whether Mr. Litzman is fit to join them in the cabinet,” the ECAJ wrote.“In promoting Mr. Litzman while he remains under investigation and the case of Malka Leifer remains unresolved, the trauma of the victims has been compounded and the reputations of the Israeli justice system and the executive arm of government have been sullied,” it said.“The deplorable manner” in which Leifer’s case has been handled, “the denial of justice to her victims,” and “the incomprehensible lengths to which members of the Israeli government have apparently gone in aid of a woman who is alleged to have devastated the lives of her fellow Jews have without question caused immense distress among Jewish Australians,” the ECAJ said. It called on the government to reconsider the appointment.A spokesman for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before Litzman was appointed, Zionist Federation of Australia head Jeremy Leibler called on Netanyahu not to proceed with Litzman’s promotion to full minister because of his suspected involvement in the Leifer case. Groups against sexual abuse also condemned the appointment.The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council described the appointment “a deplorable decision and insulting to Australia and all those many Australians justifiably expecting the prompt extradition of Malka Leifer.”
