Australian Story: Apr 30

Part 2 of an Australian Story special continues to look at a campaign to have a former Victorian principal address abuse allegations.

In our concluding episode, Dassi Erlich, and her sisters Nicole and Elly, champion an audacious undercover operation designed to show their former headmistress and alleged abuser Malka Leifer is capable of facing court. Australian Story goes behind the scenes with the lead private investigator.

“I had the idea, what if we could prove that she (Malka Leifer) was in fact lying?” Shana Aaronson, Jewish Community Watch

“We heard that Shana had hired investigators to follow Leifer and to show the world what she was actually doing and the life that she was living.” Elly Sapper

In 2008, when former headmistress Malka Leifer fled to Israel with the assistance of her school, Dassi Erlich and her sisters tried to put the past behind them.

But memories of the abuse they say they suffered at the hands of Malka Leifer began to resurface and the sisters felt compelled to act. They went to police with their story and in 2012, police lodged a request for Malka Leifer’s extradition on 74 counts of child sexual abuse.

However, the path to justice has been painstakingly slow. The court effectively put a halt to extradition proceedings when Malka Leifer successfully argued that she was unable to attend court due to incapacitating mental illness.

But last year, having seen a photo of Malka Leifer leading an apparently normal life, Dassi Erlich and her two sisters began a concerted campaign to bring her back to Australia.

A sophisticated undercover operation followed and surveillance footage, showing a seemingly well-adjusted woman in a fit state to front the court, gave them the ammunition they had been looking for.

“We understood that we have something big. We have something in our hand that can change the picture.” Lead private investigator Tsafrir Tsahi

Last month the former headmistress was arrested on charges of feigning illness and obstructing justice and placed in custody. As they await Malka Leifer’s appearance before an Israeli court next week, Dassi, Nicole and Elly have newfound hope that she will one day face justice.

8pm Monday on ABC.