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| UTJ MK, Yaakov Litzman (TOI) |
"I conclude with great satisfaction many years of activity in the Knesset, out of gratitude to the Creator who gave me the privilege to serve the public with dedication and loyalty, out of aspiration and duty to sanctify the name of God and safeguard the things that are holy for Israel,"
Litzman was accused of using his former position as deputy health minister to block Leifer’s extradition to Australia, which ultimately came to pass in January of last year, 13 years after she fled to Israel to escape investigation…
I suppose that sanctifing the name of God is what he thought he was doing when, as Deputy Health Minister he tried to help of Malka Leifer escape justice on 70 charges, including multiple counts each of rape, indecent assault, committing an indecent act with a child, and sexual penetration of a child.
His resignation is part of a negotiated deal with Israel’s attorney general. A deal where he actually pled guilty to a charge of fraud and breach of trust. Thereby avoiding the much more serious charges of obstruction of justice and the designation of moral turpitude.
One might wonder how any human being with the slightest bit of compassion for victims of sexual abuse would want the perpetrator to escape justice - and even risking his career in trying to do so with deceptive methods. Methods that in Leifer’s case was trying to get a diagnosis of mental incompetency - when this was clearly not the case. That would have prevented extradition.
He considered this a Kiddush HaShem?!
I guess he must. Because that is what he said he has spent his 23 years on the Keneset doing
I don’t really know his motives. But one can speculate that this has something to do with not allowing secular courts to mete out justice for a Jew. He probably felt that he was required to prevent Leifer from that eventuality by any means necessary – including deception and fraud if necessary. Which I suppose is why he ended up doing it that ways since there was nothing he cold do legally to prevent it.
The problem with this kind of thinking is that if she had not bee extradited – Lerifer would not have had to face justice at all. To the best of my knowledge, there was no Beis Din that would hear the case. Is it possible that Litzman might have actually believe Lefier’s protestations of innocence? Perhaps he did but I find that hard to believe. Maybe he just felt his hands were tied by Halacha which presumed Leifer to be innocent. I don’t know.
Be that as it may, Leifer was extradited in January of 2021 and is set to face her long overdue trial (I don’t think it has happed yet).
I assume Jutice will eventually prevail albeit delayed by many years. True – Justice delayed is justice denied. But I assume that her victims will at least finally feel a sense of relief that they have been vindicated. And a sense of justice if Leifer is found guilty and pays for what she did to them with a prison sentence commensurate with her crimes.
And Litzman will walk - with a slap on the wrist and his head held high.
