Yeshiva World News6 hours agoPolice said Thursday that an explosion that killed nine-year-old Eliyahu Azriel, z”l, in Beitar Illit was apparently caused by a fire inside a recycling container, ruling out a deliberately planted explosive device or a criminal or terrorist motive.
Investigators worked through the night to establish the circumstances of the tragedy. The investigation involved officers from the Yehuda and Shomron Police District, bomb disposal experts, forensic specialists, and Fire and Rescue Service investigators.
The findings raised strong suspicions that the blast was connected to a dangerous practice in which children and teenagers set garbage containers on fire and remain nearby to watch emergency crews arrive.
According to investigators, the fire inside the recycling container created pressure that triggered an internal explosion while dozens of children were standing close by.
A fragment propelled by the blast struck Eliyahu, causing fatal injuries. Emergency medical personnel fought to save his life, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police did not indicate that Eliyahu had been involved in starting the fire.
Eliyahu, the eighth of ten children in his family, was brought to kevurah Wednesday night. His levayah took place at 11:30 p.m. at the Sephardic funeral home at Har Hamenuchos in Yerushalayim.
Following the findings, Etzion Police Station commander Chief Superintendent Rafi Vaknin held an urgent meeting Wednesday night with Beitar Illit’s mayor.
They agreed to immediately launch an educational and deterrence campaign in the city’s schools to stop the dangerous practice before it claims additional lives.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Vos Iz Neias8 hours agoJERUSALEM (VINnews) — A civil lawsuit seeking more than NIS 2.5 million in damages was filed on Wednesday at the Central District Court in Lod against Meir Leifer, the son of former school principal Malka Leifer, who was extradited from Israel to Australia and later convicted of abusing students.
Meir Leifer was himself convicted of committing an indecent act against a 10-year-old boy. He was sentenced to eight months of community service, a suspended prison sentence and compensation of NIS 45,000.
The new lawsuit alleges that the abuse caused severe and lasting psychological harm to the victim, who is now 13, affecting his education, social relationships and daily functioning. “The plaintiff’s soul remains wounded, and he has become a sad and withdrawn person,” the lawsuit states, describing anxiety, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating and significant social and academic problems.
According to the claim, the boy may require long-term psychological treatment and assistance, while his future earning capacity could also be affected. The lawsuit seeks compensation for medical and therapeutic expenses, emotional suffering, future loss of earnings, pension losses and ongoing care. It also requests damages under Israel’s Prevention of Harassment Law.
The plaintiff argues that the amended indictment to which Leifer pleaded guilty described three separate indecent acts, justifying statutory compensation of NIS 120,000 for each act without requiring proof of financial damage. The court has also been asked to appoint an independent psychiatric expert, at Leifer’s expense, to assess the boy’s alleged psychological disability.
A statement of defense has not yet been filed.
According to the amended indictment, which Leifer admitted as part of a plea agreement, he visited the family’s home several times seeking food, despite having no previous relationship with them. During a subsequent visit, the boy invited him to play a computer game. While they were together in the child’s bedroom, Leifer engaged in unwanted physical contact, including kissing the boy and touching him inappropriately over his clothing.
The child subsequently left the room. When Leifer returned the following day, the boy expressed fear and asked his mother not to let him enter. She instructed Leifer to leave.
Leifer pleaded guilty to committing an indecent act against a minor under 16 without consent. In addition to eight months of community service, the court imposed a seven-month suspended prison sentence, an 18-month probation order and NIS 45,000 in compensation.
In sentencing, the court considered his guilty plea, acceptance of responsibility, participation in treatment and difficult family circumstances. It also noted that he had previously spent approximately three weeks in custody and an extended period under electronic monitoring and house arrest.
Meir Leifer’s mother, Malka Leifer, was the principal of Adass Israel School, an ultra-Orthodox girls’ school in Melbourne, Australia.
She fled to Israel in 2008 after allegations emerged that she had abused students. Australian authorities subsequently sought her extradition to face criminal charges, leading to a prolonged legal battle in Israel.
Following years of proceedings concerning her fitness to stand trial and repeated extradition hearings, Israel’s Supreme Court cleared the way for her extradition. She was returned to Australia in January 2021.
In 2023, an Australian court convicted her of abusing two former students and sentenced her to 15 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 11 years and six months.
Attorney Keren Barak, representing the boy, said the case highlighted the need for stronger enforcement, sentencing and supervision of offenders.
“When criminal justice does not fully address the pain and damage caused, civil justice can provide victims with recognition, compensation and a sense of justice,” she said.
Barak pledged to pursue substantial compensation for the boy and his family, emphasizing that protecting children from abuse was both a legal and public responsibility.
