Three Sisters Expose the Darkest Secret | Forensic Files

[Music] Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at
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confidential support, and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this
episode on your app or on our website. [Music] In the spring of 2000, the Adas Israel
school in the Melbourne suburb of Stanwick 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 ultraorththodox Jewish community known
as the Adas Israel congregation that was based in 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 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 were primarily expected to become wives and mothers and much of their education 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 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
ultraorththodox communities over there. One school board member had heard about a particular teacher who sounded
promising, a charismatic 33-year-old with glowing references. Her name was Mala Lifer.
Within a matter of months, Mala Life relocated to Australia to be head of Jewish studies at Adas Israel and to
teach the senior school program. For the students, seeing a new face in their small, tight-knit community was a
big deal, and Mrs. Lifer was nothing like the teachers they were used to. Most other teachers at the school were
aloof and reserved. But Mrs. Lifer was warm, vivaceious, and charming with a good 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 Adas Israel school was that Mala was
a breath of fresh air. [Music] born in 1985, Nicole Sappa had attended Adas Israel 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, Nicole's mother was emotionally and physically abusive.
She played her children off against one another by favoring some and excluding others.
These dynamics shifted from week to week so that Nicole 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 included missing out on meals, being shut out of the house, or locked in a small, dark
cupboard under the stairs. Nicole's mother was also incredibly controlling. If the children were even 10 minutes
late home from school, she would fly into a rage. Sometimes she would pull Nicole out of
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 Sappa family did not have relatives who had been murdered in
or survived the Holocaust, nor were they from an Eastern European background. Instead, Nicole's parents had immigrated
to Australia from the Middle East. This different background led to Nicole's mother constantly telling her
children that all they had was their good name. If they wanted decent marriage prospects
and bright futures, 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 Nicole's one escape. She was an intelligent child who loved studying so much that she would complete her
homework quickly then ask for more. When Mala Lifer arrived to teach at the school in 2001, she began working
closely with the students who were in their final years. This meant Nicole, who was 16 years old and in year 10,
became acquainted with her quickly. Like other students, Nicole was struck by Mrs. life's warmth and outgoing
personality. The young teacher took a real interest in her students. It wasn't 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.
Mrs. Lifer's kind and friendly demeanor was unlike anything Nicole had experienced before.
She felt safe talking to her. Over time, Nicole began to open up to Mrs. 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 Nicole's relief, Mrs. Lifer provided a supportive and sympathetic ear.
During her first year at Adas Israel School, Mrs. Life's standing in the community grew.
As well as holding her own prestigious position at the congregation's all girls school, Mrs. Lifer's husband was a
rabbi. Wives of rabbis were given the title of rabbitson, which was an esteemed role to
hold within Orthodox Judaism. Other members of the congregation looked up to Mrs. Lifer 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
went out of their way to give her lifts. At the end of 2002, there was a restructure at Adas Israel school, and
Mrs. Lifer received a promotion. She was made principal, putting her in charge of both the primary and secondary
schools. By the beginning of 2003, Nicole Sappa was in year 12. Her sister Dussy was 2
years her junior and starting year 10. 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 by Mrs.
Lifer, who asked to speak with her. To Dusty's surprise, Mrs. Lifer explained that she knew all about what Dussy was
going through. She also offered to help her. Dussy knew that her elder sister Nicole
was close with Mrs. Lifer. The relationship appeared to be a positive one. Mrs. Lifer was supportive of Nicole and
would often favor her by taking her out of class for special projects or activities.
Now, Mrs. Lifer began showing the same care for Darcy. The two would meet one- on-one in Mrs.
Lifer's office where the teacher would express concern for Dary's home life. Mrs. Lifer also arranged for Dussy to
attend extra classes on Sundays. These lessons would focus on Jewish morals and values and take place both at
school and at Mrs. Lifeer's home. This special treatment from such a well- reggarded community leader was seen as
an enormous privilege. There was real status in being one of Mrs. Lifer's favorites. Even Dar's
mother was flattered that Mrs. Lifer would take such an interest in her daughter's education.
At home, Dussy felt unworthy. But when Mrs. Lifer showered her with attention. She felt cared for and special. It was
the first time she'd ever felt loved. Dussy began confiding in Mrs. Lifer just as Nicole had done and trusted her
completely. One day, she wrote in her diary, quote, "I love Mrs. Lifer. She is the only
person I feel has ever loved me. Mrs. Lifer had always been a touchy, feelly person. She would touch students
shoulders often as she guided them down corridors or sometimes give them a quick
pad 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 Mrs. Lifeer's actions.
They were seen as further evidence of her warm nature. But when Dussy was 15 years old, the
attention from Mrs. Lifer took a turn. The teacher's touches began to escalate. During their meetings at school, Mrs.
Lifer would take Dussy into 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. Mrs. Lifer told Dussy 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 Dussy in her office, Mrs. lifer touched her during their
one-on-one classes at her home and during school camps. She began removing Dar's clothes and
focusing on the 15-year-old's stomach and breasts. Eventually, she started to digitally
rape Dussy and would take the teenager's hand and place it on her own body. Throughout this abuse, Mrs. Lifer
repeatedly told Dussy how much she loved her. Dussy felt frozen in place, unable to
move or speak. Dussiey's strict religious upbringing meant that she had no knowledge of sex
or sexual abuse. Children in the Adas community 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. No one ever saw her naked body, and she
never saw anyone else's either until Mrs. Lifer began abusing her. [Music] Darcy didn't have the language to
describe her body parts or an understanding that would allow her to articulate the abuse, but she was
intuitively aware that what Mrs. Lifer was doing was wrong. She was overwhelmed by feelings of
shame, embarrassment, and fear. She knew how powerful Mrs. Lifer was and was aware that Mrs. Lifer knew secrets
about Dussy's home life. If those secrets were exposed, the community's matchmakers who arranged
marriages wouldn't find Dari a husband. Although Mrs. 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 same to her
students. Mrs. 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 girls distressed and confused.
Everyone wanted to be liked by Mrs. Lifer. If a student suddenly found herself in Mrs. life as bad books. Her
friends would often avoid her, scared the principal would also turn against them by association.
Dussy felt powerless and had no idea how to stop what was happening. The abuse continued over months and then years.
In 2005, when Dussy was in her final year of school, she became engaged to a young man.
Mrs. Bifa began telling her the abuse was beneficial as it would teach her what to do when she was married.
On one occasion, she kissed 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 18. But Mrs.
Lifer was so ingrained in her life that the abuse didn't stop there. She continued to abuse Dari over the
summer months. At the start of the next school year, Dussy returned to Adas Israel in a
teaching role. Mrs. Lifer was now Dussy's boss. The abuse increased over the next 8
months until Dussy was married in September 2006 and moved with her new husband to Israel.
now named Dussy Erlick. This was a chance for her to start a new life almost 14,000 km away.
But Dussy continued to struggle. A few months after she arrived in Israel, the nightmares started.
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 Dar's mind. She grappled with anxiety and flashbacks
for months. Finally, Dussy decided to seek professional help. She was aware that a social worker she
knew from Melbourne was now living nearby. Hana Rabinowitz had been employed as a
consultant at a Das Israel school between 2001 and 2006 and had worked with students and families there.
About a year after Darcy arrived in Israel, she began having counseling sessions with Hana Rabinowitz.
Darcy didn't tell Hana the extent of what she had been suffering. Instead, she explained that she was
having difficulty adjusting to marriage and was feeling isolated in a new country so far away from home.
Hana Rabinowitz had the distinct impression that there was more going on than that. She felt as though Darcy
might be repressing something. The two continued their sessions together over the next few months.
During one appointment in February 2008, Hana realized that Darcy had clearly been abused by somebody in the past.
She asked Darcy directly, "Who hurt you?" Hunched over and obviously distraught,
Darcy whispered, "Mrs. Lifer." A few days later, Darcy's sister Nicole received a phone call back in Melbourne.
On the other end was social worker Hana Rabinowitz, who Nicole remembered from Hana's time in Melbourne.
Hana 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 were abused, too." By this time, Nicole was 22 years old
and working as a teacher at a Das Israel school. She had been teaching there for
several years following her graduation in 2003. Nicole had also married, changed her
name to Nicole Meyer, and given birth to her first child. Through all of these milestones, Mala
Life had been a constant presence in Nicole's life. Mrs. Lifer was still the principal of
the school, and Nicole worked with her everyday. Nicole had struggled to tell anyone
about the impact Mrs. Lifer had held over her for so long. But when she was confronted by Hana's direct question,
she answered automatically, "Yes, I was." The abuse Nicole had suffered at the hands of Mrs. Lifer followed a very
similar pattern to Darcy's. Not long after they met, Mrs. Lifer had started grooming Nicole and gaining her
trust. She singled her out for special treatment and gave her one-on-one Sunday classes.
Mrs. 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, when Nicole was participating in the school's teacher
training program, the abuse intensified. This program involved working very closely with Mrs. Lifer in a more
isolated part of the school. It meant that Mrs. Lifer had a greater access to Nicole than she'd ever had
before, and the control she exerted over Nicole became increasingly extreme. She assaulted Nicole at the school and
at her home where she had Nicole over for weekly meals to mark the Jewish Sabbath.
School camps were another opportunity for Mrs. Lifer to commit abuse. Nicole first attended these as a
student, then later as a teacher. On one occasion, Mrs. Lifer insisted on sharing her bed.
Nicole covered herself up entirely, even wearing thick tights to sleep in, hoping
they would deter Mrs. Lifer. But they didn't. During one camp, while Nicole was teaching, but Darcy was still a student,
the two sisters shared a room with twin beds. Late at night, when Mrs. Lifer believed
Darcy was sleeping, she climbed into Nicole's bed and raped her. The next day, Dussy 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 began teaching at Adas Israel in 2004. That same year, she also became engaged
to a young man. He was the son of a woman whom Mrs. Lifer disliked and Mrs. Lifer made it
clear to Nicole how disappointed she was. After Mrs. Lifer continually demanded she break off the engagement, Nicole
finally gave in to the pressure just 5 weeks before the wedding. She called her fianceé and read from a
script Mrs. Lifer had provided, telling him they could not get married. Nicole subsequently became engaged to
another man. In the seven weeks leading up to her wedding, Mrs. Lifer repeatedly raped
her, telling Nicole she was preparing her for marriage. The abuse continued after Nicole was
married. A turning point came when she was 4 months pregnant with her first child.
During one assault, when Mrs. lifer was lying on top of her. Nicole became terrified that her baby might be crushed
by the much larger woman. As much as possible, she began avoiding situations where she was alone with Mrs.
Lifer and the abuse lessened. But it didn't stop. Time went on and Nicole Meer gave birth
to her first child. She also continued to teach at Adas Israel school. She didn't speak of the abuse to anyone
until she received the call from Hana Rabinowitz in late February 2008. A few days after the phone call, Nicole
was at work teaching when Mala Lifer suddenly entered her classroom. She looked scared.
It was the first time Nicole had ever seen Mrs. Lifer appear unsettled. She pulled Nicole out of the classroom
and began to ask her what she knew and what was going on. Nicole said she didn't know anything and
Mrs. Lifer left. Behind the scenes, word had started to spread about Darcy's allegations.
Darcy had told Hana Rabinowitz that one of her classmates was abused by Mrs. Lifer as well. The girl's mother was a
staff member at a Das Israel school. So Darcy told Hana to call her. Hana did so which prompted the staff
member to ask her daughter if she had been abused. The daughter said she was. 5 days later on Wednesday, March 5,
2008, an urgent meeting was convened at the home of prominent Adas Israel figure
and renowned philanthropist Izzy Herzog. Those in attendance included two school
board members, a teacher from the school, a barrista, and Herzog's daughter who was a forensic
psychologist. After some discussion, it was decided that Mala Lifer should be stood down as
principal. The group called Mrs. Lifer at home and put her on loudspeaker. When they brought up the allegations,
Mrs. Lifer angrily refuted them, stating, "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. Without any explanation, Malca vanished from the school she led and the broader
Adas community. She left Stenwick with four of her eight children. The others and her husband would soon
follow. On Friday, March 7, 2 days after the school board meeting, staff at Adas
Israel were told that Mrs. Lifer had been stood down and decided to return to Israel.
The sudden absence of such a prominent and revered leader sent shock waves 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 had made allegations against Mrs. Lifer?
Nicole Meer found herself feeling totally alone. The abuse had ended with Mrs. life's departure, but she was still
suffering the effects, and now the entire community was speculating about it. Nicole felt she couldn't tell her
husband or anyone 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 2009, 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 Dussy's years of trauma.
Breastfeeding her baby triggered traumatic flashbacks of the abuse. Dussy began to battle suicidal thoughts
and was ultimately admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a time. Another sibling of Darcy and Nicole's
had also started reflecting on her own traumas after Malifa left to Melbourne. Ellie Sappa was one year younger than
Darcy. Like her older sisters, she had attended the Adas 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
Mrs. Lifer treated her sisters and how she nurtured and encouraged them. Ellie was in awe of her. Mrs. Lifeer's
caring nature seemed to prove that it was possible to be loved. Nicole and Darcy cautioned Ellie to stay
away from Mrs. Lifer, though they didn't say why. They didn't have the word to explain
what the principal did to them. By the end of 2005, Nicole was in her second year of teaching and Dari was
about to graduate. Ellie was 16 years old and preparing to finish year 11. This was when Mrs. Lifaer started paying
attention to her. She began grooming Ellie as she'd done to Nicole and Darcy years earlier.
She was the first person to ever tell Ellie that she loved her. And then she progressed to sexually abusing her,
explaining that this was how she expressed her love. In total, it continued for 2 years.
After leaving school at the end of 2006, Ellie began slowly distancing herself from the Adash 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 ultraorththodox circle Ellie was raised in.
David was struck by how sheltered Ellie was. There were so many things about modern life that she'd never been
exposed to before. A little over a year after Ellie graduated, Darcy's allegations against
Mala Lifer prompted Mrs. Lifer to leave Melbourne. The fallout within the Adas community
led to Ellie questioning what 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, the two of them finally went to a
police station together one day in 2010. Ellie was nervous, but finally ready to
report the abuse. Ellie didn't tell her sisters what she had done, but Dari had since moved back
to Melbourne, and her own struggles gradually led her to distance herself from the Adash community as well. In mid
2011, she decided to make her own statement to the police. A few months later, in October, Nicole
did the same. Armed with three corroborating reports accusing the same woman of sexual abuse,
the police took the case seriously and began to investigate. There was evidence that the three Sappa
sisters were not Malifer's only victims. In total, she was suspected of abusing between 8 and 14 girls at a Das Israel
school. Victoria police ultimately wrote up an arrest warrant for 74 counts of child
sexual abuse with charges ranging from indecent assault to rape. The police told the three sisters that
because Malifa was now living in Israel, they would have to obtain an extradition
order. As Australia had an extradition agreement with Israel, the sisters were given the impression that having Mrs.
lifeer returned to the country would be a fairly straightforward process. It involved police in Melbourne sending
papers requesting Malifa's extradition to law enforcement in Australia's capital city of Canberra.
After approving the request, CRA officials would then forward it to Israeli authorities.
In all, they could expect the extradition request to be acted on within 12 to 18 months.
But 2 years passed with no news. Then in September 2014, Malaifa was suddenly arrested by law enforcement
officers in Benet Brock, a city just east of Tel Aviv, that is a center of ultraorththodox Judaism.
When Nicole Meer received a call back in Melbourne informing her of the news, she
almost dropped the phone in shock. The day that she and her sisters had long awaited was finally here.
Mala Lifeer spent two months in custody before her lawyers successfully argued that she be kept under house arrest
while the extradition hearings took place. However, once Mrs. Lifer was back living
with her family, she complained that she was suffering panic attacks and extreme
anxiety in the leadup to her extradition hearing. A delay was granted. Then Mrs. 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 going on in the courtroom.
Israeli law requires a suspect or a defendant to be present for all hearings pertaining to them.
Each time Mrs. Lifer failed to attend a hearing. It was postponed to a later date,
but she never returned. Months passed and then years. In total, Mrs. Lifer was given more than
35 court dates, most of which she failed to attend. Her lawyers explained that her health
had deteriorated so badly that she now needed a carer 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 of 2016, the psychiatrist for the court submitted a report that stated, quote, "The patient
is totally non-functional, confined to her bed, and is on the verge of having a power of attorney appointed for her."
By mid 2016, the focus had turned from whether she was 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 are mentally unwell
cannot face extradition hearings. In June 2016, a judge ruled that the current situation could not continue.
It was ordered that the extradition hearing be suspended altogether. Instead, Mrs. Lifer would have to appear
before a psychiatric panel once every 6 months. This arrangement would be put in
place for 10 years. Lifer would no longer be kept on house arrest and was now free to go wherever
she wanted. Nicole, Darcy, and Deli were devastated. It had been 5 years since they reported
the crimes to police, and now it felt as though Mrs. 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 in the media, those within the Adash 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 actively
tried to stop the sister's pursuit of justice. Nicole, Darcy, and Deli had an older
sister named Dalia who lived in Manchester, England. She was residing in an ultraorththodox community there and
worked as a principal at a religious school. In August 2014, 39-year-old Dalia was
approached by two ultraorththodox men with connections to Mala Life. They had flown to Manchester from Israel
just to speak to her. The men told Dalia that she should tell her younger sisters to drop the charges
against Mala Lifa. They warned Dalia that if Nicole, Darcy, and Ellie, continued with the case
against Mrs. Lifer, then their other family members, including Dalia, would be impacted.
Dalia would have her career destroyed and her children's marriage prospects would be ruined.
Dalia was distressed. She went to a rabbi in her community and asked for advice.
He took the men's side, encouraging Dalia to do as they said and remain silent against Mrs. Lifer.
This advice devastated her even further. Dalia called her sisters back in Melbourne and told them what had
happened. She reassured them that she wouldn't act on the threats, stating, "I would rather die than do anything like
that." Within 2 weeks of being approached by the men, Daria died from heart related
issues. Nicole, Darcy, and Ellie were certain that the threats had taken a fatal toll
on Dalia. They saw their sister as another victim of Malaifa. Her sudden death had devastated them,
but they refused to drop their cases. Instead, they began to fight harder. In 2015, Dussy Erlick filed a civil suit
against Adas Israel school. In March 2017, the year after Malifa was freed from house arrest and appearing in
court, Dussy made the decision to go public. She began talking with the media about
her allegations and openly campaigning for other survivors of child sexual abuse.
She also started meeting with politicians and other officials whom she hoped could help in the fight to return
Mrs. Lifer to Melbourne. Darcy dubbed her campaign Bring Lifeer Back. Then two months later, Nicole 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 Mala Lifer.
Despite life's lawyers arguing she was housebound and needed a carer to help her function, she looked strong and
healthy. The classmate's sister snapped a photo of Lifer and the classmate forwarded it
to Nicole. Seeing Lifer casually standing out in public with no sign that she was unwell
was glawing. It seemed to completely refute the claims that Lifer was bedridden and
unable to attend court. Nicole sent the photo to Darcy who posted it on Facebook.
From there, it went viral and Darcy's campaign picked up speed. [Music] Within several months, Nicole and Ellie
went public alongside Darcy. They gained the support of Australia's prime minister and Victoria's premier.
The story made major headlines all over the country and word spread internationally.
In November 2017, the three sisters traveled to Jerusalem to campaign for life's extradition.
The 9-day visit 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 victims advocates. One individual who reached out to them
was Sha Aronson, the Israeli director of Jewish Community Watch, a global organization aimed at preventing child
sexual abuse within Orthodox Judaism. Shaana was well aware of how Israel could be used as a safe haven by some
sex offenders. After 6 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 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 Shauna Aronson 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 were 64 other suspected sexual offenders who were allegedly seeking refuge there.
Most of these people were either Orthodox or ultraorthodox. They would move into isolated and
insular communities within Israel where it was harder for authorities to access them.
Sha agreed with Nicole, Darcy, and Ellie that Malifa was likely lying about her ill health in order to evade justice.
It just seemed too coincidental that a fit and able-bodied woman who was also a community leader would suddenly
deteriorate right in the middle of being taken to court. Shauna Arnonson believed that if they
could show Lifer was lying, then Israeli authorities would be forced to rearrest
her. And she had a plan as to how they could prove it. Emmanuel is a small impoverished Israeli
settlement on the West Bank near Jerusalem. It is one of eight ultraorththodox settlements along the West Bank.
In 2016, after it was ruled that Malca would no longer have to attend extradition hearings, she relocated to
Emanuel with her husband. Lifer's husband, Rabbi Yakov Ysef Lifer, reportedly led the small community
there. They had closed ranks around his wife, believing she should not have to face
secular authorities in Australia for the allegations against her. Shauna Aronson and the team at Jewish
Community Watch had decided that the best way to find out if Malifa was lying was to send private investigators after
her. The investigators would be tasked with looking into Lifera's day-to-day activities in the hopes of disproving
her claims of being incapacitated with mental illness. Because Emmanuel is highly insular,
Jewish Community Watch knew that sending in private investigators would be a slow
and careful process. The lead investigator, Safria 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. While pretending to work on construction
sites, shop at local stores, and chat on the street, they would try to catch Malifa out and about.
On the late morning of Wednesday, December 14, cameras caught Lifer standing on a street with one of her
sons. She was chatting on the phone, completely unaware that she was being filmed.
4 days later, Lifeer 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 an hour-ong 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 Emanuel to visit her. The reality of Lifeer's situation was
nothing like the picture that had been painted by her lawyers. Private investigators saw no sign of the
carer she supposedly required. Instead, they'd captured more than 200 hours of footage that showed Malifa
leading a normal life. This footage was handed over to Israeli police who commenced their own
investigation into the matter. In February 2018, after concluding that the former school principal was feigning
her illness, police rearrested Malca Lifer. Almost exactly a decade after Darcy Erlic first accused Lifer of abusing
her, the extradition hearings began again. Finally, after a total of 74 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 2020. 7 months later, the extradition order was signed and on Monday, January 25,
2021, Mala Lifer was flown back to Melbourne. She would be held on remand until it was
time for her trial. Nicole Mayer, Darcy, and Ellie Sappa were overjoyed that their abuser would
finally have to face them in court. They had always felt that in coming forward,
they were speaking on behalf of survivors who felt unable to. And Malifa had many other alleged victims.
Before Lifer moved to Melbourne in 2001, she had been a teacher at an ultraorthodox girl school in Benet
Brock, Israel, at least one woman had reported that Lifer 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 Lifer. It was said that was why they'd provided
glowing references when Adas Israel school looked into hiring her. They were eager to get rid of the problem.
During her time at Adas Israel school, Lifer had allegedly abused up to 15 girls.
Aside from Nicole, Dariandelli, none had publicly come forward or filed criminal
reports. And after Lifer fled to Israel in 2008, the abuses continued. In 2018, the Sydney Morning Herald
published an article that looked into the Emanuel settlement where Lifer was living.
One resident who went by the name Daniel told the Sydney Morning Herald that shortly after arriving in Emanuel, Lifer
offered to privately tutor his daughter religious studies. Unaware of her history or the
accusations against her, Daniel agreed. When his daughter reported that Lifer had abused her during their lessons,
Daniel was furious. He hired a private investigator to follow Lifer and began observing her
himself. According to Daniel, Lifer would lure disadvantaged children into her home by
offering them free food and lessons. On one occasion, he witnessed Lifera grab a blond-haired girl, then grope her
chest and buttocks. Daniel decided to confront Life's husband about what she had done to his
daughter. Her husband replied, quote, "She likes to touch, 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 Mala Lifer, who was now 56
years old, began in Melbourne in February 2023. Most of the original 74 charges were
dropped, leaving Lifer to face 27 counts of rape and indecent assault. The trial lasted 6 weeks, and it took
the jury almost 2 weeks to deliberate. On Monday, April 3, they were ready to deliver their verdict.
Because there were so many charges, the verdict for each had to be announced individually.
Nicole, Darcy, and Ellie were in the courtroom holding each other's hands. The first five charges related to the
abuse of Nicole Meyer. Each count was read aloud and then the verdict followed. All five were found not guilty.
Nicole'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 Darcy, the verdict of not
guilty was repeated four more times. But then, as they continued with the remaining charges, the answer changed.
Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Mala Lifer was found to guilty on 18 counts of rape, indecent assault, and
sexual penetration of a child aged 16 or 17. All of these charges related to crimes
against Dussy and Ellie Sappa between 2003 and 2007. The three sisters felt a rush of relief,
which for Nicole was tinged with pain. She turned around to stare at Malifa, who was seated alone in the back of the
courtroom. As Nicole glared at Lifer, she tried to communicate a silent message that she
didn't care what the jury had decided. She knew what Lifer had done and wanted to show her that she wasn't broken.
Lifer refused to meet Nicole's eyes. Nicole knew this meant her message had been received.
[Music] Dussy Erlic and Ellie Sappa read from victim impact statements during Mala
Lifeer's sentencing hearing. Dussy described how Lifeer had whispered, "I love you like a mother."
as she reached under Dar's clothes for the very first time. Darcy said that this betrayal from the
first person to ever show her a maternal kind of love had damaged her ability to
trust forever. Life is abuse had caused Dussy 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, her trauma will always live within my body. The abuse has forced me numerous times to choose
between life and death. Ellie Sapper described the flashbacks, nightmares, and panic attacks she still
experienced on a daily basis. She also revealed that up until recently, she had been pregnant.
Throughout the trial, Ellie's unborn daughter had been a light that gave her courage.
But 6 days before Life's verdict was delivered, her baby's heart stopped beating.
Ellie told the court, quote, "I will 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 Lifer had done, she hadn't
managed to destroy them. Addressing Life directly, Darcy stated, "Mala Lifer, you 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. I will continue to heal and grow and thrive. Mala Life's barrista argued that his
client should receive a credit for being found not guilty of abusing Nicole Meyer. He also said that her period of
home detention years earlier in Israel should count towards a reduced sentence. But the prosecution reminded the court
that Israeli authorities found Lifer had feigned mental illness for 4 years to avoid a justice. That only came to an
end after private investigators proved she was lying, not because Malifa had suddenly demonstrated remorse.
Therefore, the home detention in Israel should not factor into her sentence at all.
In August 2023, the judge sentenced Malaifa to 15 years in custody with a non-parole period of 11 years and 6
months. In the 2 years since her incarceration, there have already been multiple reports
of Lifer committing further offenses against other inmates. In April 2025, news broke that Mala
Lifer had formed a relationship with Samantha as a party, a con artist whose case was covered in episode 323 of Case
File. There were reports that 58-year-old Lifer was seen exchanging notes with 36-year-old Samantha and that Lifer had
once kissed Samantha on the lips. [Music] Nicole Meyer, Dariolic, and Ellie Sappa
told news.com.au that this development was extremely disturbing given Samantha Azapati's
history of dressing up as a school girl and her mental health issues relating to
sexual abuse. Several months later, in July 2025, Lifer was accused of sexually assaulting
an Aboriginal inmate aged in her 20s. 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, Lifer was moved to solitary confinement. She cannot mix with other inmates and is
confined to herself for at least 23 hours a day. Her only daily break is to be permitted a 20-minute visit to an
airing yard or to a lounge room with a broken television. In the wake of these incidents, Nicole
Meer told news.com.au, Are you 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 Mala Lifaer did actually abuse us.
In addition to wanting Malcolife held accountable, Nicole Mer, Dussy Olri, and Ellie Sappa had wanted their former
school to answer for its lack of duty of care. Nicole and Ellie reached out of court
settlements with the Das Israel school, but when negotiations failed with Dussy,
she sued them for negligence in 2015. This civil suit led to a disturbing revelation.
On Wednesday, March 5, 2008, a group of individuals associated with the Adas Israel School, including two board
members, had attended an urgent meeting to discuss the emerging allegations against Malca Lifer.
The attendees called Lifer at her home to address the abuse claims, which she denied.
The story the school had always told was that Lifaer was subsequently stood down.
In reality, they told her to leave the country. Between 9 and 10:00 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 requested the next possible flight. Using school funds, she paid for Malifa
and four of her children to fly out of Melbourne at 1:20 a.m. No one from the school who knew about
the allegations notified the police. More than 8 years later, Malifa was living in the Israeli settlement of
Emmanuel and was still abusing girls. Daniel, the father of one of these girls, began secretly recording Lifer
and her husband after she kept harassing his daughter. He also looked into Lifer's past and
discovered she was on the run from sexual abuse allegations in Australia. During a conversation with Lifer's
husband, Rabbi Yakov Ysef Lifer, the rabbi admitted that they and their children were paid to leave Australia
just hours after Lifer was confronted about the allegations. Lifer 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 suit also found that a
teacher at the school had been told about Lifer quote crossing boundaries with girls at least 6 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 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 member against students. At least two teachers had noticed or
been told about Lifer's inappropriate behavior with students, but said they had no one they could report it to
because quote, "Mrs. Lifer was the principal." The judge awarded Darcy more than $1.1
million Australian dollars in damages to be paid by the school. Lifer herself was ordered to pay Darcy
an additional $150,000. The revelation that the school board had facilitated and arranged Life's escape
upset and angered Life's victims and 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 2018, explaining there was quote insufficient evidence to proceed with any charges at
this time. Advocates for sexual abuse survivors openly voiced their disappointment in
this decision. In June 2023, the police announced that they would reopen the probe now that the
more pressing criminal trial against Malifa was complete. Dussy told the age newspaper that she
welcomed the decision, stating, "The actions of the board in facilitating Malifa'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 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 religious institutions has led them to prioritize their own
reputations over reporting crimes to law enforcement. In the case of Mala, some people have
pointed to a Jewish dictate known as Msira. This is a law against informing on a
fellow Jew to secular authorities. It was most likely initiated when Jews were living under Roman nor Persian law.
As the Jewish people continued to be persecuted by other groups through the centuries, Msera remained significant.
Msera has been cited in other cases of child sexual abuse within orthodox and ultraorththodox institutions in
Australia. Msira likely also played a role in how Malca's case was handled by some
officials in Israel. After Lifer was rearrested in 2018, a prominent ultraorththodox rabbi burst
into the courtroom during one of her hearings. He demanded Lifer be released into his
care for home detention, arguing that it was a humiliation for her to be kept in
custody. The judge agreed until an enormous public backlash led to the rabbi withdrawing his support.
In February 2019, it was revealed that Israel's then deputy health minister, Yakov Litzman, was suspected of having
worked to protect Lifer. Like Lifer, Litzman follows an ultraorththodox form of Judaism.
Police were investigating him on suspicion of witness tampering in the case. In April 2015, the court psychiatrist
tasked with examining Lifer found no signs of mental illness and said she was fit to stand trial.
By the start of 2016, 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 this for himself, but it was what Life's sister-in-law had told
him, and it was this report that led to Life's extradition hearing ceasing altogether.
When Mala Lifaer was later found to have figned her mental illness, the psychiatrist approved a report saying
she was fit for trial. He later reiged 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 Litzman placing pressure on him. It was reported that police had phone
messages and recordings of Litzman requesting that officials in Israel's health ministry act to ensure Lifer
wasn't extradited to Australia. Litzman 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 2022, he signed a plea deal acknowledging that he had criminally assisted Malifa in evading extradition
to Australia. As part of the deal, he had to pay a fine and retire. Many in Melbourne's Adashas community
remained silent regarding Malifa's crimes. DSolik and Ellie Sappa have both left
the congregation, but Nicole Meer 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 on life for abusing Nicole, but she begged Nicole 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. Nicole doesn't know why Lifer was
acquitted of her charges, but suspects it was due to the limited information presented to the jury. Evidence could
only be given about two specific time periods that Lifer 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
victim impact statement, but because Lifer 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 Nicole's well-being.
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 Lifaer left Australia, Nicole was harmed by another authority figure 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. Mrs. Lifer took away the part of me that would have known how to trust my own
instinct and feel I don't 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 ultraorththodox. While all three women have become
advocates for child sexual abuse survivors, Nicole particularly wanted to be an example for survivors in the
ultraorththodox community. She hoped to demonstrate it was possible to remain in the faith while also
seeking justice. The not-uilty verdict has made her feel as though other ultraorththodox victims
might remain reluctant to come forward. But it's clear that some have found strength in the sisters fight. In May
2023, another victim of Malifers from Adas Israel school reached an outofc court settlement with the school and
survivors from all over the world have reached out to Nicole Dari and Ellie via social media.
In January 2024, Dussy Erlic published a memoir titled In Bad Faith. Dusty's book tells her story in her own
words and received widespread acclaim upon its publication. Nicole Meer began studying law 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. Nicole is affiliated with National
Survivors 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 Cameian and Ivan Omani. Over the course of 5 years, the
filmmakers interviewed the trio and followed their case in real time as they fought for Lifer's return to Australia.
Their documentary titled Revealed: Surviving Mala Lifera premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in
August 2025. At the time of this episode's release, Australian listeners can watch the
documentary on the streaming platform Stan. In November 2017, when the three sisters
made their journey to Israel to campaign for life's extradition, they stopped at
a restaurant in Jerusalem. While they were sitting at their table, they were approached by an
ultraorththodox teenage girl. She had seen the sisters on the news and heard about their campaign.
In an interview with the age, Darcy 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 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. [Music]

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.

CREDITS Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production & music – Mike Migas Audio editing – Anthony Telfer

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RESOURCES

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Brief Summary

Mala Lifer abused students at Adas Israel school, leading to a trial and ongoing advocacy by survivors.

Key points

Mala Lifer's Arrival. Mala Lifer becomes a teacher at Adas Israel, bringing warmth and charm to the students.
Dussy's Confession. Dussy opens up to Mrs. Lifer about her abusive home life, feeling safe for the first time.
Allegations Surface. Darcy's allegations lead to an urgent meeting about Mrs. Lifer's conduct.
The Sudden Disappearance. Malca Lifer vanishes from her community, leaving behind a trail of speculation.
The Arrest of Malca Lifer. After years of waiting, Malca Lifer is arrested in Israel, bringing hope to her victims.
The Trial Begins. Mala Lifer's trial commences in Melbourne, with 27 counts of rape and indecent assault.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I love Mrs. Lifer. She is the only person I feel has ever loved me.

Dussy's diary entry about her feelings for Mrs. Lifer.

10:32WatchOct 18, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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