How Dassi, Elly and Nicole survived Malka Leifer

So much has been written about the Malka Leifer case.

The Adass community’s obstruction of justice and Kafkaesque campaign to extradite Leifer became an international scandal. Blanket media coverage left no aspect of her heinous behaviour unexamined. Shortly after the trial, Dassi Erlich released her memoir, revealing new layers of harrowing detail about her family background and the lingering impact of Leifer’s crimes.

So when I sat down to watch Adam Kamien’s upcoming documentary, Surviving Malka Leifer, I wondered what more could be said to add to our understanding of the sexual abuse the Adass school principal perpetrated against Erlich and her sisters Elly Sapper and Nicole Meyer.

One and a half hours later, my concerns had dissipated, swept aside by a piece of forensic storytelling and great emotional power. Kamien’s doco has three great strengths. First, it tells the whole story, from start to finish, in one tight narrative. Second, it contains a series of revelations that were not previously in the public domain, or had not received much prominence.

Third and most importantly, it presents the Leifer saga through the eyes and voices of all three sisters, equally. This is a singular achievement. Because Dassi Erlich was the first to speak out about Leifer’s abuse, hers was the central face and voice of the campaign, even after her sisters decided to speak out and join forces with her.

Kamien deserves credit for reflecting their individual and shared experiences. He has captured the nuances of their relationships (one sister observes that for all their closeness, they don’t hug each other), the differences in their personalities and the ways they have each been affected.