Leifer studied Political Economy at the University of Reading and subsequently took his doctorate at the London School of Economics in 1959 with a dissertation on "Zionism and Palestine in British Opinion and Policy, 1945-1949".
Leifer mempelajari ekonomi politik di Universitas Reading dan mendapatkan gelar doktoralnya dari London School of Economics pada tahun 1959 lewat disertasi berjudul "Zionism and Palestine in British Opinion and Policy, 1945-1949".