Case 334: Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich & Elly Sapper

*** Content warnings: Child sexual abuse, sexual assault, self-harm ***When renowned teacher Malka Leifer joined the staff at Adass Israel School in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick, she was welcomed by the entire community. For the girls who attended the ultra-Orthodox Jewish school, Mrs Leifer’s warm, outgoing and friendly personality made her a breath of fresh air. But all was not as it seemed. It would take three former students – sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper – to finally reveal the truth...
---
Narration – Anonymous HostResearch & writing – Erin MunroCreative direction – Milly RasoProduction & music – Mike MigasAudio editing – Anthony Telfer
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
A Cast recommends Hello, this is blind By.

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Please see the show notes for this episode on your
app or on our website. In the spring of two thousand,

(01:28):
the Adas Israel School in the Melbourne suburb of Elstenwick
needed to hire a new senior school teacher. Finding the
right person wouldn't be an easy task. The all girls
school catered to a small ultra orthodox a Jewish community
known as the Adas Israel Congregation that was based in

(01:49):
a small pocket of Melbourne's Inner Southeast. Students who attended
the school adhered to a strict religious upbringing and were
sheltered from broader society. The community was so insular that
they had their own shops, their own medical service, and
their own rules for raising children. Children were not allowed

(02:10):
to watch television, listen to the radio, or access the internet.
Only certain reading materials were permitted outside of a family setting.
Girls were not permitted to mix with boys, and stories
that featured girls and boys being friends were forbidden. Girls

(02:31):
were primarily expected to become wives and mothers, and much
of their educations centered around this. Unlike most other schools
in the state, Adas Israel did not adhere to a
Victorian Certificate of Education curriculum. Its final two years primarily
consisted of a program that saw students trained to become

(02:54):
teachers within the community. For many years, an elderly, highly
respected female teacher had been responsible for the program. When
she passed away, her position had to be filled. The
school board began looking for suitable recruits overseas in Israel,
considering teachers from ultra Orthodox communities over there. One school

(03:19):
board member had heard about a particular teacher who sounded promising,
a charismatic thirty three year old with glowing references. Her
name was Malka Leifer. Within a matter of months, Malka
Leifer relocated to Australia to be head of Jewish Studies
at Adas Israel and to teach the senior school program.

(03:42):
For the students, seeing a new face in their small,
tight knit community was a big deal, and Missus Leifer
was nothing like the teachers they were used to. Most
other teachers of the school were aloof and reserved, but
Missus Lifa was warm, vivacious and charming with a good

(04:03):
sense of humor. From the moment she arrived, she engaged
with students and took the time to chat with them
one on one. The overall consensus amongst the girls at
Adassis Rael School was that Malka Laifar was a breath
of fresh air. Born in nineteen eighty five, Nicole Sappa

(04:49):
had attended Adassis Rael School since her very first year
of primary school. The third of seven siblings, Nicole's home
was devoid of parental love. While her father was mostly
absent when it came to parenting. Nicholl's mother was emotionally
and physically abusive. She played her children off against one

(05:11):
another by favoring some and excluding others. These dynamics shifted
from week to week, so that Nichole and her siblings
never knew when they would be cast in the role
of the bad child. When their mother was angry, she
would hit, kick, and beat them. Punishments for perceived wrongdoings

(05:32):
included missing out on meals, being shut out of the house,
or locked in a small, dark cupboard under the stairs.
Nicholl's mother was also incredibly controlling. If the children were
even ten minutes late home from school, she would fly
into a rage. Sometimes she would pull Nicholl out of

(05:53):
school for a day and demand she complete domestic chores
around the house instead. Nicole and her siblings kept this
abuse a secret. They already felt like outsiders within their community.
Unlike most other members of the Adas congregation, the Sapper
family did not have relatives who had been murdered in

(06:15):
or survived the Holocaust, nor were they from an Eastern
European background. Instead, Nicholl's parents had immigrated to Australia from
the Middle East. This different background led to Nicholl's mother
constantly telling her children that all they had was their
good name. If they wanted decent marriage prospects and bright futures,

(06:40):
then they had to behave impeccably, and if anyone in
the community discovered the truth about their home life, it
would lower their standing even further. School was Nichole's one escape.
She was an intelligent child who loved studying so much
that she would complete her home work quickly than ask

(07:01):
for more. When Malka Leifer arrived to teach at the
school in two thousand and one, she began working closely
with the students who were in their final years. This
meant Nicole, who was sixteen years old and in year ten,
became acquainted with her quickly. Like other students, Nichole was

(07:22):
struck by missus Lifer's warmth and outgoing personality. The young
teacher took a real interest in her students. It was
an unusual for her to call individual girls out of
class and into her office for a chat so she
could get to know them better. Missus Lifer's kind and
friendly demeanor was unlike anything Nicole had experienced before. She

(07:47):
felt safe talking to her. Over time, Nicole began to
open up to missus Lifer more and more. Eventually, she
told her about her struggles at home. It was the
first time she had confided in anyone about the abuse.
To Nichole's relief, missus Leifer provided a supportive and sympathetic

(08:10):
year During her first year at Adas Israel School, missus
Laffer's standing in the community grew, as well as holding
her own prestigious position at the congregation's all girls school.
Missus Laffer's husband was a rabbi. Wives of rabbis were

(08:31):
given the title of Rabbitson, which was an esteemed role
to hold within Orthodox Judaism. Other members of the congregation
looked up to missus Leifer and considered it an honor
to be close with her. If she needed assistance, they
were eager to offer it. She couldn't drive, so people

(08:52):
went out of their way to give her lifts. At
the end of two thousand and two, there was a
restructure at a Day Israel school and missus Leifer received
a promotion. She was made principal, putting her in charge
of both the primary and secondary schools. By the beginning

(09:14):
of two thousand and three. Nicole Sappa was in year twelve.
Her sister Dussy was two years her junior and starting
year ten. Just like Nicole, Dussy was very unhappy at home.
Her mother's abuse and controlling behavior was an awful secret
that weighed heavily on her. One day, Dussy was approached

(09:38):
by missus Leifer, who asked to speak with her. To
Dussy's surprise, missus Leifer explained that she knew all about
what Dussy was going through. She also offered to help her.
Dussey knew that her elder sister, Nicole, was close with
missus Leifer. The relationship appeared be a positive one. Missus

(10:02):
Lifer was supportive of Nicole and would often favor her
by taking her out of class for special projects or activities. Now,
missus Lifer began showing the same care for Dussi. The
two would meet one on one in missus Lyfer's office,
where the teacher would express concern for Dussi's home life.

(10:23):
Missus Lifer also arranged for Dussi to attend extra classes
on Sundays. These lessons would focus on Jewish morals and
values and take place both at school and at missus
Life's home, this special treatment from such a well regarded
community leader was seen as an enormous privilege. There was

(10:46):
real status in being one of missus Life's favorites. Even
Dussy's mother was flattered that Missus Lifer would take such
an interest in her daughter's education. At home, Dussie felt unworthy,
but when Missus Lifer showered her with attention, she felt
cared for and special. It was the first time she'd

(11:09):
ever felt loved. Dussy began confiding in missus Leifer just
as Nicole had done, and trusted her completely. One day,
she wrote in her diary quote, I love missus Lifer.
She is the only person I feel has ever loved me.

(11:33):
Missus Leifer had always been a touchy feely person. She
would touch students shoulders, often as she guided them down corridors,
or sometimes give them a quick pat on the back
or leg. Although this behavior was highly unusual in the
Adash community and none of the other teachers ever touched
their students, nobody ever questioned missus Lifer's actions. They were

(11:58):
seen as further evidence of her warm nature. But when
Dussie was fifteen years old, the attention from missus Lifer
took a turn the teacher's touches began to escalate. During
their meetings at school, missus Leifer would take Dussie into

(12:18):
her office, close the door and shutter the blinds. Then
she would rub Dussy's back and thighs over the top
of her school uniform. Missus Lifer told Dussi that she
loved her and felt like a mother to her. These
touches were her way of showing how close she felt
to her. Then they escalated further. As well as touching

(12:45):
Dussie in her office, missus Lifer touched her during their
one on one classes at her home and to during
school camps. She began removing Dussi's clothes and focusing on
the fifteen year old stomach and brass. Eventually, she started
to digitally rape Dussi and would take the teenager's hand

(13:06):
and place it on her own body. Throughout this abuse,
missus Lifer repeatedly told Dussi how much she loved her.
Dussie felt frozen in place, unable to move or speak.
Dussy's strict religious upbringing meant that she had no knowledge
of sex or sexual abuse. Children in the adask community

(13:29):
didn't receive sexual education once they were engaged and planning
a wedding. They would attend classes to learn about matters
relating to marriage. This focus on modesty extended to Dussy's
home life. She would only remove her clothes, which consisted
of long skirts and sleeves, in the privacy of the bathroom.

(13:52):
No one ever saw her naked body, and she never
saw anyone else's either, until missus life Bad began abusing her.
Dussy didn't have the language to describe her body parts
or an understanding that would allow her to articulate the abuse,

(14:13):
but she was intuitively aware that what missus Lifer was
doing was wrong. She was overwhelmed by feelings of shame, embarrassment,
and fear. She knew how powerful missus Leifer was and
was aware that missus Liifer knew secrets about Dussy's home life.
If those secrets were exposed, the community's matchmakers who arranged

(14:36):
marriages wouldn't find Dussi a husband. Although missus Lifer was
charming and charismatic, she also had a nasty streak. If
there was someone in the community who she didn't like,
she would turn against them and had the power to
turn others against them too. She wasn't above doing the

(14:58):
same to her students. Missus Lifer would pick on girls
whom she didn't like and make rude comments about them.
She was known to be hot and cold by showering
particular students with attention for a couple of weeks, then
giving them the cold shoulder. This behavior left the targeted

(15:18):
girls distressed and confused. Everyone wanted to be liked by
missus Lifer. If a student suddenly found herself in missus
Life's bad books, her friends would often avoid her, Scared
the principal would also turn against them by association. Dussie
felt powerless and had no idea how to stop what

(15:41):
was happening. The abuse continued over months and then years.
In two thousand and five, when Dussy was in her
final year of school, she became engaged to a young man.
Missus Lifer began telling her the abuse was beneficial as
it would teach her what to do when she was married.

(16:02):
On one occasion, she kissed at Dussy on the mouth.
Dussy hadn't even been aware that this was something people did.
By the end of the school year. Dussy graduated at
the age of eighteen, but missus Lifer was so ingrained
in her life that The abuse didn't stop there. She

(16:24):
continued to abuse Dussi over the summer months. At the
start of the next school year, Dussy returned to Adass,
Israel in a teaching role. Missus Lifer was now Dussy's boss.
The abuse increased over the next eight months until Dussy
was married in September two thousand and six and moved

(16:46):
with her new husband to Israel. Now named Dussi Irlick,
this was a chance for her to start a new life.
Almost fourteen thousand columns as away, but Dussie continued to struggle.
A few months after she arrived in Israel, the nightmares started.

(17:10):
Bad dreams about what she'd endured at the hands of
her former school principal invaded her sleep. When Dussy wasn't
having nightmares, she was lying awake at night, plagued by insomnia.
Her waking hours were equally fraught with memories of what
happened back in Melbourne, abruptly invading Dussy's mind. She grappled

(17:32):
with anxiety and flashbacks for months. Finally, Dussie decided to
seek professional help. She was aware that a social worker
she knew from Melbourne was now living nearby. Hanna Rabinowitz,
had been employed as a consultant at a Dass Israel
school between two thousand and one and two thousand and six,

(17:54):
and had worked with students and families there. About a
year after that, Darcy arrived in Israel, she began having
counseling sessions with Hannah Rabinowitz. Darcy didn't tell Hannah the
extent of what she had been suffering. Instead, she explained
that she was having difficulty adjusting to marriage and was

(18:16):
feeling isolated in a new country so far away from home.
Hanna Rabinowitz had the distinct impression that there was more
going on than that. She felt as though Darci might
be repressing something. The two continued their sessions together over
the next few months. During one appointment in February two

(18:39):
thousand and eight, Hannah realized that Darcy had clearly been
abused by somebody in the past. She asked that DARSSI
directly who hurt you. Hunched over and obviously distraught, Darcy
whispered missus Leifa. A few days later, Dussi's sister Nicole,

(19:04):
received a phone call back in Melbourne. On the other hand,
was social worker Hannah Rabinowitz, whom Nicole remembered from Hannah's
time in Melbourne. Hannah didn't waste any time in explaining
the reason for her call, stating, Dussy gave me permission
to call you. I just wanted to ask if you

(19:26):
were abused too. By this time, Nicole was twenty two
years old and working as a teacher at a Dass
Israel school. She'd been teaching there for several years. Following
her graduation in two thousand and three, Nicole had also married,
changed her name to Nicole Meyer, and given birth to

(19:48):
her first child. Through all of these milestones, malcol Leifer
had been a constant presence in Nicole's life. Missus Leifer
was still the principal of the school, and Nicole worked
with her every day. Nichole had struggled to tell anyone
about the impact missus Leifer had held over her for

(20:10):
so long, but when she was confronted by Hahna's direct question,
she answered automatically, yes, I was. The abuse Nicole had
suffered at the hands of missus Leifer followed a very
similar patent to Dussy's. Not long after they met, missus

(20:33):
Leifer had started grooming Nichole and gaining her trust. She
singled her out for special treatment and gave her one
on one Sunday classes. Missus Lifer had gradually pushed boundaries
by first touching Nicole over her school uniform, then progressing
to more overt sexual abuse. After a couple of years,

(20:55):
when Nicole was participating in the school's teacher training program intensified.
This program involved working very closely with missus Leifer in
a more isolated part of the school. It meant that
missus Lyfer had greater access to Nicole than she'd ever
had before, and to the control she exerted over Nicole

(21:18):
became increasingly extreme. She assaulted Nicole at the school and
at her home, where she had Nicoll over for weekly
meals to mark the Jewish Sabbath. School camps were another
opportunity for missus Leifer to commit abuse. Nicole first attended
these as a student, than later as a teacher. On

(21:41):
one occasion, missus Leifer insisted on sharing her bad Nicole
covered herself up entirely, even wearing thick tights to sleep in,
hoping they would deter missus Lifer, but they didn't. During
one camp, while Nicole was teaching, but Darsi was still
a student, the two sisters shared a room with twin beds.

(22:06):
Late at night, when missus Lifer believed Darcy was sleeping,
she climbed into Nicole's bed and raped her. The next day,
Darcy gave Nicole a knowing look, which Nicole returned without
exchanging a word. The sisters knew for the first time
that they were both victims of the same woman. Nicole

(22:32):
began teaching at a Dars Israel in two thousand and four.
That same year, she also became engaged to a young man.
He was the son of a woman whom missus Lifer disliked,
and missus Lifer made it clear to Nicole how disappointed
she was. After missus Liifer continually demanded she break off

(22:54):
the engagement, Nicole finally gave in to the pressure. Just
five weeks before the wedding. She called her fiance and
read from a script missus Lefer had provided, telling him
they could not get married. Nichole subsequently became engaged to
another man. In the seven weeks leading up to her wedding,

(23:16):
missus Lifer repeatedly raped her, telling Nichole she was preparing
her for marriage. The abuse continued after Nichole was married
a turning point came when she was four months pregnant
with her first child. During one assault, when missus Leifer
was lying on top of her, Nicole became terrified that

(23:38):
her baby might be crushed by the much larger woman.
As much as possible, she began avoiding situations where she
was alone with missus Leifer and the abuse lessened, but
it didn't stop. Time went on, and Nicole Meyer gave

(23:58):
birth to her first child. She also continued to teach
at at Darsisrael School. She didn't speak of the abuse
to anyone until she received the call from Hannah Rabinowitz
in late February two thousand and eight. A few days
after the phone call, Nicole was at work teaching when
malcol Laifa suddenly entered her classroom. She looked scared. It

(24:24):
was the first time Nicole had ever seen missus Leifer
appear unsettled. She pulled Nichole out of the classroom and
began to ask her what she knew and what was
going on. Nichole said she didn't know anything, and missus
Leifer left behind the scenes. Word had started to spread

(24:45):
about Darcy's allegations. Darcy had told Hannah Rabinowitz that one
of her classmates was abused by missus Leifer as well.
The girl's mother was a staff member at a Darcisrael school,
so Darcy told her to call her. Hannah did so,
which prompted the staff member to ask her daughter if

(25:06):
she had been abused. The daughter said she was. Five
days later, on Wednesday, March five, two thousand and eight,
an urgent meeting was convened at the home of prominent
Adass Israel figure and renowned philanthropist is He Herzog. Those
in attendance included two school board members, a teacher from

(25:30):
the school, a barrister, and Herzog's daughter, who was a
forensic psychologist. After some discussion, it was decided that Malka
Leifa should be stood down as principal. The group called
missus Leifer at home and put her on loudspeaker. When
they brought up the allegations, Missus Leifer angrily refuted them, stating,

(25:55):
you have destroyed my reputation. I'm not going to stand
for this. I'm leaving. I resign. By the following morning,
she had disappeared. Case file will be back shortly. Thank

(26:18):
you for supporting us. By listening to this episode sponsors.

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A cast recommends Hello, this.

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Is blind By. Around every two years or so, I'm
contractually obligated to record an advertisement for my own podcast,
The blind By Podcast. I'm a writer and I like
to use the podcast space for writing. I write with
my mouth for you to read with your ears. I
write about curiosity, and I've delivered an episode every week

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for the past eight years. I love doing it. If
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our sponsors, you support case File to continue to deliver
quality content without any explanation. Malka Lfa vanished from the

(27:34):
school she led and the broader a Das community. She
left Elstonwick with four of her eight children. The others
and her husband would soon follow. On Friday March seven,
two days after the school board meeting, staff at A
Das Israel were told that Missus LFA had been stood

(27:55):
down and decided to return to Israel. The sudden absence
of such a prominent and revered leader sent shockwaves through
the community. People were devastated that an integral part of
their world was missing, and rampant speculation began to spread
as to who was responsible. Who were the girls who

(28:18):
had made allegations against missus Leifer. Nikole Meyer found herself
feeling totally alone. The abuse had ended with Missus Lifer's departure,
but she was still suffering the effects, and now the
entire community was speculating about it. Nichole felt she couldn't

(28:38):
tell her husband or any one else what had happened
to her. Her sister, Darcy was the one person who
might be able to relate, but she was living on
the other side of the world in Israel. Darcy was
struggling as well. Her symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder
continued and she began to self harm. In two thousand

(29:02):
and nine, she became pregnant with her first child, and
the following year she gave birth to a daughter. But
what should have been a happy time was also impacted
by Dussi's years of trauma. Breastfeeding her baby triggered traumatic
flashbacks of the abuse. Dussie began to battle suicidal thoughts

(29:24):
and was ultimately admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a time.
Another sibling of Dussie and Nicholes had also started reflecting
on her own traumas after Malca Lifer left to Melbourne.
Ellie Sappa was one year younger than Dussy. Like her

(29:44):
older sisters, she had attended THEA Dass Israel School, and
like her sisters, Ellie had yearned for love and attention
that she didn't receive at home. She saw the affectionate
way that missus Lifer treated her sisters and how she
nurtured and encouraged them. Ellie was in awe of her

(30:05):
Missus Lifer's caring nature seemed to prove that it was
possible to be loved. Nicole and Dussy cautioned Ellie to
stay away from Missus Leifer, though they didn't say why.
They didn't have the word to explain what the principle
did to them. By the end of two thousand and five,

(30:28):
Nicole was in her second year of teaching and Dussi
was about to graduate. Ellie was sixteen years old and
preparing to finish year eleven. This was when Missus Leifer
started paying attention to her. She began grooming Allie as
she'd done to Nicole and Dussy years earlier. She was

(30:51):
the first person to ever tell Allie that she loved her,
and then she progressed to sexually abusing her, explaining that
but this was how she expressed her love in total.
It continued for two years. After leaving school. At the
end of two thousand six, Ellie began slowly distancing herself

(31:14):
from the ADAS congregation. She made new friends from Melbourne's
wider Jewish community, who followed a more contemporary interpretation of
the religion. Ellie became particularly close to a young man
named David, a friendship which would have been forbidden in
the ultra orthodox circle Ellie was raised in. David was

(31:37):
struck by how sheltered Ellie was. There were so many
things about modern life that she had never been exposed
to before a little over a year after Ellie graduated,
Darcy's allegations against Malcha Leifa prompted Missus Leifer to leave Melbourne.
The fallout within the ADAS community led to Ellie questioning

(32:00):
why she'd endured. Slowly, she began confiding in David about
the abuse. David was horrified and encouraged Ellie to inform
the police. Ellie hadn't been aware that this was something
she could even do. After months of encouragement from David,

(32:21):
the two of them finally went to a police station
together one day in twenty ten. Ellie was nervous, but
finally ready to report the abuse. Ellie didn't tell her
sisters what she had done, but Dussy had since moved
back to Melbourne, and her own struggles gradually led her

(32:43):
to distance herself from the adask community as well. In
mid twenty eleven, she decided to make her own statement
to the police. A few months later, in October, Nicole
did the same. Armed with three kronerading reports accusing the
same woman of sexual abuse. The police took the case

(33:05):
seriously and began to investigate. There was evidence that the
three Sapper sisters were not Malchalalifa's only victims. In total,
she was suspected of abusing between eight and fourteen girls
at Adas Israel School. Victoria police ultimately rode up an

(33:26):
arrest warrant for seventy four counts of child sexual abuse,
with charges ranging from indecent assault to rape. The police
told the three sisters that because Malchal Lifa was now
living in Israel, they would have to obtain an extradition order,
as Australia had an extradition agreement with Israel. The sisters

(33:48):
were given the impression that having missus Lfa returned to
the country would be a fairly straightforward process. It involved
police in Melbourne sending papers requesting Malcolm life as extradition
to law enforcement in Australia's capital city of Canberra. After
approving the request, Canberra officials would then forward it to

(34:10):
Israeli authorities. In all, they could expect the extradition request
to be acted on within twelve to eighteen months, but
two years passed with no news. Then, in September twenty fourteen,

(34:30):
Malka Leifa was suddenly arrested by law enforcement officers in
Benet Brak, a city just east of Tel Aviv that
is a center of ultra orthodox Judaism. When Nicole Meyer
received a call back in Melbourne informing her of the news,
she almost dropped the phone in shock. The day that

(34:50):
she and her sisters had long awaited was finally here.
Malca Lifa spent two months in custody before her lawyer's
sex successfully argued that she be kept under house arrest
while the extradition hearings took place. However, once missus Lifer
was back living with her family, she complained that she

(35:11):
was suffering panic attacks and extreme anxiety in the lead
up to her extradition hearing. A delay was granted. Then
missus Lifer stopped showing up at court altogether. Her attorneys
explained that her mental health had deteriorated so much that
she was incapable of attending or even understanding what was

(35:33):
going on in the court room. Israeli law requires a
suspect or a defendant to be present for all hearings
pertaining to them. Each time missus Lifer failed to attend
a hearing, it was postponed to a later date, but
she never returned. Months passed and then years. In total,

(35:58):
missus Lifer was given in more than thirty five court dates,
most of which she failed to attend. Her lawyers explained
that her health had deteriorated so badly that she now
needed a career to look after her. She couldn't communicate
and was described as being like quote, a sack of
potatoes in terms of her mental capacity. At the beginning

(36:23):
of twenty sixteen, the psychiatrist for the court submitted a
report that stated, quote, the patient is totally non functional,
confined to her bad and is on the verge of
having a power of attorney appointed for her. By mid
twenty sixteen, the focus had turned from whether she was

(36:44):
well enough to attend the hearings to whether she was
even capable of standing trial at all. A loophole in
Israeli law meant that individuals who were mentally unwell cannot
face extradition hearings. In June twenty sixteen, a judge ruled
that the current situation could not continue. It was ordered

(37:08):
that the extradition hearing be suspended altogether. Instead, missus Lifer
would have to appear before a psychiatric panel once every
six months. This arrangement would be put in place for
ten years. Lifa would no longer be kept on house
arrest and was now free to go wherever she wanted. Nicole, Dussi,

(37:35):
and Delhi were devastated. It had been five years since
they reported the crimes to police, and now it felt
as though Missus Lifer would never be held accountable. Moreover,
they had all suffered immense personal losses due to reporting
their allegations. Although they hadn't gone public or been named

(37:56):
in the media, those within the adased congregation knew who
was behind the accusations. This led to many people shunning
and ostracizing the three sisters. Those who were supportive said nothing,
too scared to speak out. Then there were others who

(38:17):
actively tried to stop the sisters pursuit of justice. Nicole,
Darcy and Delhi had an elder sister named Dahlia who
lived in Manchester, England. She was residing in an ultra
Orthodox community there and worked as a principal at a
religious school. In August twenty fourteen, thirty nine year old

(38:39):
Dahlia was approached by two ultra Orthodox men with connections
to Malka Leifha. They had flown to Manchester from Israel
just to speak to her. The men told Dahlia that
she should tell her younger sisters to drop the charges
against Malca Leifa. They warned Dahlia that if Nicole, Ducie

(39:01):
and Elli continued with the case against Missus Leifa, then
their other family members, including Dahlia, would be impacted. Dahlia
would have her career destroyed and her children's marriage prospects
would be ruined. Dahlia was distressed. She went to a

(39:21):
rabbi in her community and asked for advice. He took
the men's side, encouraging Dahlia to do as they said,
and remained silent against missus Leifher. This advice had devastated
her even further. Dahlia called her sisters back in Melbourne
and told them what had happened. She reassured them that

(39:44):
she would enact on the threats, stating, I would rather
die than do anything like that. Within two weeks of
being approached by the men, Dahlia died from heart related issues. Nicole,
Duci and Delli were certain that the threats had taken

(40:07):
a fatal toll on Dahlia. They saw their sister as
another victim of Malka Leifha. Her sudden death had devastated them,
but they refused to drop their cases. Instead, they began
to fight harder. In two thousand fifteen, Dussi Ierlick filed

(40:28):
a civil suit against a Das Israel school. In March
two thousand seventeen, the year after Malchalifa was freed from
house arrest and appearing in court, Dussi made the decision
to go public, She began talking with the media about
her allegations and openly campaigning for other survivors of child

(40:50):
sexual abuse. She also started meeting with politicians and other
officials whom she hoped could help in the fight to
return Missus Leifer to Melbourne. Darcy dubbed her campaign Bring
Lifa Back.

Speaker 1 (41:06):
Then.

Speaker 3 (41:06):
Two months later, Nichole received a text message from a
former classmate. The classmate's sister had been attending a religious
festival in northern Israel when she noticed a familiar face
amongst the crowd. It was Malka Leifa. Despite life as
lawyers arguing she was housebound and needed a carer to

(41:29):
help her function, she looked strong and healthy. The classmate's
sister snapped a photo of Lifa, and the classmate forwarded
it to Nicole. Seeing Lifa casually standing out in public
with no sign that she was unwell was galling. It
seemed to completely refute the claims that Lifa was bedridden

(41:52):
and unable to attend court. Nichole sent the photo to Duarsi,
who posted it on Facebook. From there, it went viral
and a Darsy's campaign picked up speed. Within several months,
Nicole and Deli went public alongside Dusi. They gained the

(42:14):
support of Australia's Prime Minister and victorious Premier. The story
made major headlines all over the country and word spread internationally.
In November twenty seventeen, the three sisters traveled to Jerusalem
to campaign for life as extradition. The nine day visit

(42:35):
was packed with meetings with Israeli politicians, the Israeli Justice Minister,
and the country's top prosecutor. The sisters also met with
other survivors and victim's advocates. One individual who reached out
to them was Sharna Arenson, the Israeli director of Jewish
Community Watch, a global organization aimed at preventing child sexual

(42:59):
abuse use within Orthodox Judaism. Shanna was well aware of
how Israel could be used as a safe haven by
some sex offenders after six million Jews were murdered during
the Holocaust. The state of Israel was founded on the
basis of protecting Jewish people from persecution elsewhere. One of

(43:22):
the country's foundational laws was the Law of Return, which
gave all Jews the right to move there and become
Israeli citizens. According to Shanna, Arensen and others working in
child protection in Israel. This had led to a number
of incidents where individuals wanted for sex crimes in other
countries would hide out in Israel. At the time, there

(43:47):
were sixty four other suspected sexual offenders who were allegedly
seeking refuge there. Most of these people were either Orthodox
or ultra Orthodox. They would move into weisl and insular
communities within Israel, where it was harder for authorities to
access them. Sharna agreed with Nicole Darcy and Deli that

(44:10):
Malka Leifer was likely lying about her real health in
order to evade justice. It just seemed too coincidental that
a fifth and d able bodied woman who was also
a community leader would suddenly deteriorate right in the middle
of being taken to court. Shanna Arenson believed that if
they could show Lifa was lying, then Israeli authorities would

(44:34):
be forced to rearrest her, and she had a plan
as to how they could prove it. Case file will
be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening
to this episode's sponsors.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
A cast recommends.

Speaker 2 (45:01):
Hello, this is blind. By around every two years or so,
I'm contractually obligated to record an advertisement for my own podcast,
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Thank you for listening to this episode's ad. By supporting
our sponsors, you support case File to continue to deliver
our quality content. Immanuel is a small, impoverished Israeli settlement

(46:07):
on the West Bank near Jerusalem. It is one of
eight ultra Orthodox settlements along the West Bank. In twenty sixteen,
after it was ruled that Malkalalifa would no longer have
to attend extradition hearings, she relocated to Emmanuel with her husband.
Lifa's husband, Rabbi Yakov Josaflifa, reportedly led the small community there.

(46:33):
They had closed ranks around his wife, believing she should
not have to face secular authorities in Australia for the
allegations against her. Shanna Arenson and the team at Jewish
Community Watch had decided that the best way to find
out if Malkalalifa was lying was to send private investigators

(46:54):
after her. The investigators would be tasked with looking into
life as day to day activities in the hopes of
disproving her claims of being incapacitated with mental illness. Because
Immanuel is highly insular, Jewish Community Watch knew that sending
in private investigators would be a slow and careful process.

(47:18):
The lead investigator, Safriir Sahi, decided his team would pose
as construction workers. This would be the easiest way to
slip into the community without attracting attention. The undercover agents
were armed with tiny cameras installed into what looked like
everyday items like sets of keys, water bottles, and bags.

(47:41):
While pretending to work on construction sites, shop at local stores,
and chart on the street, they would try to catch
Malka Laifa out and about. On the late morning of Wednesday,
December fourteen, cameras court Life are standing on a street
with one of her sons. She was chatting on the phone,

(48:02):
completely unaware that she was being filmed. Four days later,
Lifa was filmed as she shopped at a grocery store
and made inquiries with the shopkeeper. Private investigators captured Lifa smiling,
having all day long phone conversations, meeting with others for
social engagements, and carrying shopping home by herself. She caught

(48:26):
an hour long bus trip to Tel Aviv to visit
some of her children and grandchildren in the suburb where
they lived. On weekends, her children traveled to Emmanuel to
visit her. The reality of Lifa's situation was nothing like
the picture that had been painted by her lawyers. Private

(48:47):
investigators saw no sign of the carer she supposedly required. Instead,
they'd captured more than two hundred hours of footage that
showed Malka Lifa leading a normal life. This footage was
handed over to Israeli police, who commenced their own investigation
into the matter. In February twenty eighteen, after concluding that

(49:12):
the former school principal was feigning her illness, police re
arrested Malka Leifha, almost exactly a decade after Darsi Ierlik
first accused life of abusing her. The extradition hearings began again. Finally,

(49:33):
after a total of seventy four court dates and years
of delays, the Israeli court rejected Life's claim of mental
illness and ruled that she was fit to stand trial
in Australia in May twenty twenty. Seven months later, the
extradition order was signed and on Monday January twenty five,

(49:53):
twenty twenty one, Malka Leifa was flown back to Melbourne.
She would be held on remark until it was time
for her trial. Nicole Meyer, Darsieerlich, and Elie Sappa were
overjoyed that their abuser would finally have to face them
in court. They had always felt that in coming forward

(50:15):
they were speaking on behalf of survivors who felt unable
to and Malka Leifa had many other alleged victims. Before
Lifa moved to Melbourne in two thousand and one, she
had been a teacher at an ultra Orthodox girls school
in Bene Braq, Israel. At least one woman had reported

(50:37):
that Liifa had abused her when she was a student there.
Rumor had it that she wasn't the only one, and
the school's administration had known they had a problem when
it came to Lifa. It was said that was why
they'd provided glowing references when a Das Israel school looked
into hiring her, they were eager to get rid of

(50:59):
the problem. During her time at Adas Israel School, Lifa
had allegedly abused up to fifteen girls. Aside from Nicole,
Dussi and Deli. None had publicly come forward or filed
criminal reports, and after Lifa fled to Israel in two

(51:19):
thousand and eight, the abuses continued. In twenty eighteen, the
Sydney Morning Herald published an article that looked into the
Emmanuel settlement where Lifa was living. One resident, who went
by the name Daniel, told the Sydney Morning Herald that
shortly after arriving in Emmanuel, Lifa offered to privately tutor

(51:40):
his daughter religious studies. Unaware of her history or the
accusations against her, Daniel agreed. When his daughter reported that
Lifa had abused her during their lessons, Daniel was furious.
He hired a private investigator to follow Lifa and began
observing her himself. According to Daniel, Lifa would lure disadvantaged

(52:07):
children into her home by offering them free food and lessons.
On one occasion, he witnessed a life of grab a
blondead girl than grope her chest and butticks. Daniel decided
to confront life as husband about what she had done
to his daughter. Her husband replied, quote, she likes to touch,

(52:29):
but that's all she does because she's a loving person.
But we did try not to leave her alone with kids.
The trial of Malka Leifa, who was now fifty six
years old, began in Melbourne in February twenty twenty three.
Most of the original seventy four charges were dropped, leaving

(52:53):
Lifa to face twenty seven counts of rape and indecent assault.
The trial last that six weeks and it took the
jury almost two weeks to deliberate. On Monday, April three,
they were ready to deliver their verdict. Because there were
so many charges, the verdict for each had to be

(53:16):
announced individually. Nicole, Ducy and Delly were in the courtroom
holding each other's hands. The first five charges related to
the abuse of nikol Meyer. Each count was read aloud
and then the verdict followed. All five were found not guilty.

(53:40):
Nichole's heart dropped. She felt like falling to the ground,
but she managed to stay upright, squeezing her sister's hands
even harder. As the jury moved on to the charges
relating to Duci, the verdict of not guilty was repeated
four more times, but then as they continued with the

(54:02):
remaining charges, the answer changed guilty, guilty, guilty. Malcha Leifa
was found to guilty on eighteen counts of rape in
decent assault and sexual penetration of a child aged sixteen
or seventeen. All of these charges related to crimes against

(54:26):
the Dusierlich and Elisappa between two thousand three and two
thousand seven. The three sisters felt a rush of relief,
which for Nichole was tinged with pain. She turned around
to stare at Malchalifa, who was seated alone in the
back of the court room. As Nicholl glared at Leifa,

(54:48):
she tried to communicate a silent message that she didn't
care what the jury had decided. She knew what Liifa
had done and wanted to show her that she wasn't broken.
Lifa refused to meet Nichole's eyes. Nicole knew this mant
her message had been received Dussie, Irlick and Deli Sappa

(55:16):
read from victim impact statements during Malka Lifa's sentencing hearing.
Dussie described how Lifa had whispered, I love you like
a mother as she reached under Dussy's clothes for the
very first time. Dussie said that this betrayal from the
first person to ever show her a maternal kind of

(55:37):
love had damaged her ability to trust forever. Life's abuse
had caused Dussi to suffer migraines, chronic illness, and struggles
with her mental health that often left her feeling suicidal. Quote,
her abuse still lives within my body. In some ways,

(55:57):
her trauma will always live within my body. The abuse
has forced me numerous times to choose between life and death.
Ellie Sappa described the flashbacks, nightmares, and panic attacks she
still experienced on a daily basis. She also revealed that

(56:18):
up until recently, she had been pregnant. Throughout the trial,
Ellie's unborn daughter had been a light that gave her courage,
but six days before Life's verdict was delivered, her baby's
heart stopped beating. Ellie told the court, quote, I will

(56:39):
never know if the stress, the worry, the anxiety, or
the years of trauma played any part in the loss
of my little girl. Both Ellie and Darcy said that
despite the damage Lifa had done, she hadn't managed to
destroy them. Addressing Lifa directly, Darsi stated, Malka Liifha, you

(57:03):
shattered my trust and stole my body and altered my
life's course, but you could not break my spirit. Today
I stand as a survivor. Your darkness does not define me. Instead,
I choose to focus on the light within myself, the
love that surrounds me, and the power of my own voice.

(57:28):
I will continue to heal, and grow and thrive Malcha life.
As barrister argued that his client should receive a credit
for being found not guilty of abusing Nikole Meyer, he
also said that her period of home detention years earlier
in Israel should count towards a reduced sentence, but the

(57:52):
prosecution reminded the court that Israeli authorities found Lifa had
feigned mental illness for four years to avoid justice that
only came to an end after private investigators proved she
was lying, not because Malkal Leifa had suddenly demonstrated remorse. Therefore,
the home detention in Israel should not factor into her

(58:16):
sentence at all. In August to twenty twenty three, the
judge sentenced malkal Leifer to fifteen years in custody with
a non parole period of eleven years and six months.
In the two years since her incarceration, there have already
been multiple reports of Lifa committing further offenses against other inmates.

(58:40):
In April twenty twenty five, news broke that malkal Leifer
had formed a relationship with Samantha as a Party, a
con artist whose case was covered in episode three two
three of Case File. There were reports that fifty eight
year old Lifer were seen exchanging notes with thirty six
year old Samantha, and that Lifa had once kissed Samantha

(59:02):
on the lips. Nicole Meyer, Dussi Eerlich, and Ellie Sapper
told news dot com dot Au that this development was
extremely disturbing given Samantha as a Party's history of dressing
up as a schoolgirl and her mental health issues relating
to sexual abuse. Several months later, in July twenty twenty five,

(59:25):
Lifa was accused of sexually assaulting an aboriginal inmate aged
in her twenties. A source told news outlets that the
assault was captured on CCTV and took place in the
Murray Unit, a section of the prison where inmates are
segregated for their own protection. Following this incident, Lifa was

(59:46):
moved to solitary confinement. She cannot mix with other inmates
and is confined to her soul for at least twenty
three hours a day. Her only daily break is to
be permitted a twenty minute visit to an airing yard
or to a lounge room with a broken television. In

(01:00:06):
the wake of these incidents, Nicolemeyer told news dot com
dot a U, I just hope the community or members
of her family have a deep heart think about reading
these stories and maybe just maybe start to believe that
Malka Leifa did actually abuse us. In addition to wanting

(01:00:31):
Malka Leifa held accountable, Nicole Meyer, Dussi Earlik and Eli
Sappa had wanted their former school to answer for its
lack of duty of care. Nicole and Eli reached out
of court settlements with the Das Israel School, but when
negotiations failed with the Dussi, she sued them for negligence

(01:00:51):
in twenty fifteen. This civil suit led to a disturbing revelation.
On Wednesday, March five, two thousand eight, a group of
individuals associated with the Adas Israel School, including two board members,
had attended an urgent meeting to discuss the emerging allegations

(01:01:12):
against Malka Leifa. The attendees called Leifa at her home
to address the abuse claims, which she denied. The story
the school had always told was that Leifa was subsequently
stood down. In reality, they told her to leave the country.

(01:01:35):
Between nine and ten o'clock that night, the wife of
one of the school board members called a local travel agent.
She said someone needed to travel to Israel urgently and
to requested the next possible flight. Using school funds, she
paid for Malka Leifa and four of her children to

(01:01:55):
fly out of Melbourne at one twenty a m. No
one from the school who knew about the allegations notified
the police. More than eight years later, Malka Laifa was
living in the Israeli settlement of Immanuel and was still
abusing girls. Daniel, the father of one of these girls,

(01:02:18):
began secretly recording Lifa and her husband after she kept
harassing his daughter. He also looked into life as past
and discovered she was on the run from sexual abuse
allegations in Australia. During a conversation with Lifa's husband, Rabbi
Yakov Josef Laifa, the rabbi admitted that they and their

(01:02:41):
children were paid to leave Australia just hours after Lifa
was confronted about the allegations. Liifa hadn't made her own
decision to flee Australia. Instead, the school that employed her
had decided to help her escape rather than refer her
to law enforcement for her crimes against children. Moreover, the

(01:03:05):
suit also found that a teacher at the school had
been told about Lifer quote crossing boundaries with girls at
least six months before Darcy raised the alarm. The judge,
who was presiding over the civil suit, lashed out at
the school board for these actions, stating the conduct amounts

(01:03:27):
to disgraceful behavior, demonstrating a complete disregard for life as victims.
It demonstrates a disdain for due process of criminal investigation
in this state. The judge found that at the time
of Darcy's abuse, the school had no processes or procedures
in place to handle potential sexual misconduct by a staff

(01:03:50):
member against students at least two teachers had noticed or
been told about Life As inappropriate behavior with students, but
they had no one they could report it to because
quote missus Lifer was the principal. The judge awarded Dussie
more than one point one million Australian dollars in damages

(01:04:13):
to be paid by the school. Lifa herself was ordered
to pay Duhsi an additional one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
The revelation that the school board had facilitated and arranged
Life As escape upset and angered life as victims and

(01:04:33):
the broader community. Some members of the public demanded that
those responsible face criminal charges for their actions. Victoria Police
looked into the matter, but closed their investigation in twenty eighteen,
explaining there was quote insufficient evidence to proceed with any

(01:04:53):
charges at this time. Advocates for sexual abuse survivors openly
voiced their disappointment in this decision. In June twenty twenty three,
the police announced that they would reopen the probe now
that the more pressing criminal trial against Malcalalifa was complete.

(01:05:14):
Dusierlich told the Age newspaper that she welcomed the decision,
stating the actions of the board in facilitating Malcalifa's escape
not only betrayed the pursuit of justice and caused significant delays,
it also perpetuated the anguish we were forced to endure
and hindered our path to healing. As of the release

(01:05:38):
of this episode of case File, that investigation is ongoing.
The actions of the school board have been compared to
the way the Catholic Church has been found to transfer
pedophile priests to new parishes when allegations were made against them.
Experts have said that the insular nature of some religion

(01:06:00):
institutions has led them to prioritize their own reputations over
reporting crimes to law enforcement. In the case of Malkalalipha,
some people have pointed to a Jewish dictate known as Massira.
This is a law against informing on a fellow Jew
to secular authorities. It was most likely initiated when Jews

(01:06:23):
were living under Roman or Persian law. As the Jewish
people continued to be persecuted by other groups through the centuries,
Massira remained significant. Massira has been cited in other cases
of child sexual abuse within Orthodox and ultra Orthodox institutions
in Australia. Massira likely also played a role in how

(01:06:51):
Malkalalifa's case was handled by some officials in Israel. After
Lifa was rearrested in twenty eighteen, im, an ultra orthodox rabbi,
burst into the courtroom during one of her hearings. He
demanded Lifa be released into his care for home detention,
arguing that it was a humiliation for her to be

(01:07:13):
kept in custody. The judge agreed, until an enormous public
backlash led to the rabbi withdrawing his support. In February
twenty nineteen, it was revealed that Israel's then deputy Health Minister,
Yakov Litzmann, was suspected of having worked to protect Lifar.

(01:07:35):
Like Lifa, Litzmann follows an ultra orthodox form of Judaism.
Police were investigating him on suspicion of witness tampering in
the case. In April twenty fifteen, the court psychiatrist tasked
with examining Lifa found no signs of mental illness and

(01:07:55):
said she was fit to stand trial. By the start
of twenty sixteen, he went back on this, writing in
a new report, the patient is totally non functional, confined
to her bed, and is on the verge of having
a power of attorney appointed for her. He hadn't seen

(01:08:15):
this for himself, but it was what Lifa's sister in
law had told him, and it was this report that
led to Life's extradition hearings ceasing altogether. When Malka Leifa
was later found to have feigned her mental illness, the
psychiatrist approved a report saying she was fit for trial.

(01:08:39):
He later renigged on this yet again when Life's defense
attorneys questioned him on the stand while appealing her extradition.
According to Israeli police, this was due to Deputy Health
Minister Litzmann placing pressure on him. It was reported that
police had phone messages and recordings of Litzmann requesting that

(01:09:02):
officials in Israel's health ministry act to ensure Lifer wasn't
extradited to Australia. Ltzman allegedly threatened to fire people if
Lifer didn't receive the desired psychiatric reports. The police recommended
Litzman be prosecuted for his actions. In January twenty twenty two,

(01:09:24):
he signed a plea deal acknowledging that he had criminally
assisted Malkalifa in evading extradition to Australia. As part of
the deal, he had to pay a fine and retire.
Many in Melbourne's a Das community remained silent regarding malkalife

(01:09:46):
A's crimes. Dusierlich and Eli Sappa have both left the congregation,
but niicol Meyer remains on its fringes. She finds this
silence one of the hardest things to grapple with. Only
recently she spoke with a woman who said she had
known about the abuse. She had actually once walked in

(01:10:08):
on life for abusing Nicole, but she begged Nichole not
to tell anyone what she'd said. Hearing things like this
has been particularly difficult when Nicole is the only one
of the three sisters that Lifa wasn't convicted of abusing.
Niicole doesn't know why Lifa was acquitted of her charges,

(01:10:31):
but suspects it was due to the limited information presented
to the jury. Evidence could only be given about two
specific time periods that Lifa was charged for. They weren't
told about the broader context, including the earlier years of
grooming and abuse. Like her sisters, Nicole wrote a lengthy

(01:10:52):
victim impact statement, but because Lifa was acquitted of her charges.
She couldn't read it in court. Instead, she shared it
with the media outside the courthouse. She described the scars
she was left with, both visible and invisible, and how
the abuse has had ongoing ramifications for Nichole's well being.

(01:11:15):
It has impacted her relationships with other people, including those
closest to her. To this day, Nicole suffers from sleep
disorders and finds particular places triggering. In the years after
Lifa left Australia, Nicole was harmed by another authority figure

(01:11:36):
she placed trust in. She blames the abuse she suffered
as a teenager for making her vulnerable to another predator. Quote,
my radar was so compromised that I did not see
the red flags until I was harmed again. Missus Lifer
took away the part of me that would have known
how to trust my own instinct and feel I don't

(01:11:59):
deserve to get hurt or know that care from some
people is a very dangerous thing. Not only was life
as Verdict personally devastating for Nicole, but it hurt as
the only one of the three sisters who is still
ultra orthodox. While all three women have become advocates for

(01:12:22):
child sexual abuse survivors, Nicole particularly wanted to be an
example for survivors in the ultra Orthodox community. She hoped
to demonstrate it was possible to remain in the faith
while also seeking justice. The not guilty verdict has made
her feel as though other ultra Orthodox victims might remain

(01:12:43):
reluctant to come forward, but it's clear that some have
found strength in the Sisters fight. In May twenty twenty three,
another victim of Malkalifa's from Adas Israel School reached an
out of court settlement with the school, and survivors from
all over the world have reached out to Nicole, Dussy

(01:13:05):
and Elli via social media. In January twenty twenty four,
Dussi Earlik published a memoir titled In Bad Faith. Dussy's
book tells her story in her own words and received
widespread acclaim upon its publication. Nicole Meyer began studying law

(01:13:26):
as a way to help more victim survivors in a
system that still has much room for improvement. She also
performs advocacy work both online and in person, with a
special focus on assisting survivors who have been harmed within
a religious community. This work has seen her support survivors
from various religious faiths and from countries all over the world.

(01:13:51):
Nicole is affiliated with National Survivor's Day, an annual day
of recognition for survivors of sexual abuse and their supporters,
and the National Survivors Foundation. In an effort to speak
out further for other survivors, the sisters agreed to share
their journey for justice with filmmakers Adam Kamien and Ivan Omanny.

(01:14:14):
Over the course of five years, the filmmakers interviewed the
trio and followed their case in real time as they
fought for life's return to Australia. Their documentary, titled Revealed
Surviving Malkalifer, premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in
August twenty twenty five. At the time of this episode's release,

(01:14:36):
Australian listeners can watch the documentary on the streaming platform Stand.
In November twenty seventeen, when the three sisters made their
journey to Israel to campaign for Lifa's extradition, they stopped
at a restaurant in Jerusalem. While they were sitting at
their table, they were approached by an ultra Orthodox teenage girl.

(01:15:01):
She had seen the sisters on the news and heard
about their campaign In an interview with the Age, Duscy
explained why the girl had approached them. Quote she shared
a similar story to ours, an insular school, vulnerable students,
a female principal abusing her power. As soon as she

(01:15:24):
said it, you could see the fear. She wouldn't tell
us her name or what school she went to, but
seeing us, our story and the campaign on TV had
given her the courage and understanding to stop what was
happening to her.