Leifer said rape would help student on her wedding night, court told

Prosecutor Julian Lewis has opened the case against former Adass Israel principal Malka Leifer.

Former ultra-Orthodox Jewish school principal Malka Leifer allegedly raped a former student and told her it would help her for her wedding night.

The 56-year-old mother of eight is standing trial accused of sexually abusing Melbourne sisters Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper when they were her students, or young teachers, at the Adass Israel School between 2003 and 2007.

Leifer, who was head of religious studies and later principal, has pleaded not guilty.

The women, now in their 30s, were raised in the ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community in which young girls were not taught about sex until engaged to be married, prosecutor Justin Lewis told Leifer's County Court trial on Wednesday.

They each completed year 12 at the Adass Israel School before returning the following year as teachers.

Mr Lewis said it would be alleged Leifer had a tendency to act in a certain way against certain people.

"It is said she has a tendency to have a sexual interest in girls when they were teenage students at the school and when those same girls were student teachers … to take advantage of their vulnerability, their ignorance in sexual matters and her position in the school," he said.

He detailed the particular allegations made by each of the women against Leifer and the charges she faces.