Brooklyn, NY – A Yeshiva was slapped with another lawsuit because it protected a rabbi suspected of abusing children.
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The suit, which seeks $10 million in damages, charges Rabbi Yehuda Kolko, 60, of Yeshiva-Mesivta Torah Temimah that he abused an unnamed boy of "early elementary school age" during the 2003 to 2004 school year, in its school on Ocean Parkway.
A similar suit against Kolko and the Yeshiva seeking $20 million in damages was filed in May by two former students who claim they were abused by the rabbi more than 25 years ago. Since New York's three-year statute of limitations has expired on the offenses, Kolko was immune from prosecution.
But law enforcement sources said the new allegations against him are under criminal investigation.
The latest suit accuses the Yeshiva of "failing to protect" the victim from assault despite knowing Kolko's "dangerous propensities."
U/D: 20:01
Rabbi Kolko was arrested and charged with abuse.
U/D: 12/09/06 18:02
Kolko walked out of criminal court yesterday after posting $10,000 bail.
steve said…
you are correct, i do assume that you have no first hand knowledge about this,
and you did not dispute that or present any knowledge prob because you HAVE NONE!
>>> So unless someone is willing to tell YOU all the gory details so you can go back to typing with one hand nothing happened???
what i was saying at the end was that there are halachic guidlines for everything, and that it was a bais din paskens.
>>> A bais din organized by the accused and his pimps is not worth of the title kangaroo court, let alone the title bais din, chas veshalom.
BUT just because somoene does or does not fit into a certain halachic catagory that doesn’t mean that he should be a rebbi and it doesn’t mean that he should be around children .
>>> Its OK with me if he is around yours. You might be worried it is a violation of your horaig va’al ya’avor chiyuv of don l’kaf z’chus to keep your kids away from the rubbeh rebbeh.
if you have any understanding of torah of halacha you should understand what i am saying, if not then i can further explain.
>>> Please do not try to use halachah to justify your need to encourage others to play see no evil, hear no evil, when a kid claims his rebbe has been trying to play hide the salami and to look the other way when many of the rabbonim who should have done something about it kept thier mouths shut about Kolko’s little problem.
>>> You establishment apologists would be better of hiding in the TT boiler room until this blows over. The more you open your mouths the further your eet end up down your throats.
You guys should learn from Nixon and Clinton. Nixon went down in flames because he didn’t come clean (maybe he didn’t have a private bathroom off the oval office) while Clinton could have gotten away with seducing mother terasa on network tv during midnight mass in the national cathedral because he knew how to look contrite.
December 13, 2006 2:14 PM
you are correct, i do assume that you have no first hand knowledge about this,
and you did not dispute that or present any knowledge prob because you HAVE NONE!
what i was saying at the end was that there are halachic guidlines for everything, and that it was a bais din paskens.
BUT just because somoene does or does not fit into a certain halachic catagory that doesn’t mean that he should be a rebbi and it doesn’t mean that he should be around children .
if you have any understanding of torah of halacha you should understand what i am saying, if not then i can further explain.
steve the defender of pedophiles said…
from anon: “only wish on your kids whatever Kolko did to his vicims. If you are right there is nothing to worry about. So you should not be upset that i wished the same for your kids. In fact, you who think he is such a wonderful rebbi should THANK me for wishing him on your kids.”
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i NEVER there was no guilt here.
i would not talk about something i have no RELIABLE FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT – and neither should you.
>>> Dope. You assume i do not have any first hand knowaldge.
i also NEVER said that i thought he was a wonderful rebbi, so once again you are spewing crap and saying things without any basis.
>>> The one spewing crap is you. You probably have a closet full of little skeletons yourself and are worried that if Kolko falls you are next.
as for the whole penetration thing
i think
>>> Don’t lie. You do not think.
people are taking a ‘psak halacha’ A)out of context
>>>> OK, put it into context for us. The context was a hired gun for Lipa and Kolko found a heter for failing to stop pedophilia in the classroom.
and b)trying to apply it as an approach on dealing with teachers, i.e. EVEN IF that was said , that doesn’t mean that one who does that is an ideeal teacher. it just ives halachic placement
>>> What the hell are trying to blabber about in your last lines??? To busy dreaming of Kolko’s victims’ and what you would have done if you had the chance to think and type a coherent sentence?? Or is what you wrote the best you can do while typing with one hand?
Go slither back under your rock. Brooklyn already has enough slime in it to stretch from the Camp Agudah showers to the Torah Temima boiler room several times over.
Go join your buddies in Teheran. They also have an agenda to deny one massive crime in order to commit the same one they claim never happened.
December 12, 2006 12:20 PM
when is torah temima liquidating its assets?
from anon: “only wish on your kids whatever Kolko did to his vicims. If you are right there is nothing to worry about. So you should not be upset that i wished the same for your kids. In fact, you who think he is such a wonderful rebbi should THANK me for wishing him on your kids.”
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i NEVER there was no guilt here.
i would not talk about something i have no RELIABLE FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT – and neither should you.
i also NEVER said that i thought he was a wonderful rebbi, so once again you are spewing crap and saying things without any basis.
as for the whole penetration thing
i think people are taking a ‘psak halacha’ A)out of context
and b)trying to apply it as an approach on dealing with teachers, i.e. EVEN IF that was said , that doesn’t mean that one who does that is an ideeal teacher. it just ives halachic placement
Just take this to the arkoas. Let them decide it once and for all.
Satmaryichus said…
steve,
I do not believe you can come up with rabbis willing to take on this scummy case. Not true.
It is a lot more complicated than what you think. A lot of tangled relationships and networks at play.
Yoou see, the so-called litvaks or yeshivishe are no different than chasssidim. They also marry each others cousins and brothers and sisters,etc. etc. Each of the characters are related to all the other litivish rabbonim.
December 12, 2006 10:05 AM
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And too many of the ones that are not machatonim find other ways to do nothing.
Remember the ‘psak’ of the ‘bais din’ last time someone got a few rabbonim to take thier blinders off – No penetration, no issur.
steve said…
Dear anonymous fool:
when i said they were looking for blood i meant they wanted to find guilt, whether or not there was any.
>>”as they should be”
that’s exactly the problem they wanted there to be abuse so they can jump on it.
they don’t really care about justice or safety of children, like i said -THEY JUST WANT BLOOD.
as for your kind words that my kid be next, i would wish the same on you and your fellow rabble rouser accusers, but i’m afraid that you along with your ANONYMOUS accusing buddies, have nothing there to be touched,and just like to hide behind the internet where g-d can’t see you and spew crap.
your truly ,
steve
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I thought you just had your head in the sand. i see now that you have it stuck pretty far up somewhere else.
I only wish on your kids whatever Kolko did to his vicims. If you are right there is nothing to worry about. So you should not be upset that i wished the same for your kids. In fact, you who think he is such a wonderful rebbi should THANK me for wishing him on your kids.
The main reason some certain people want to see Kolko’s victims defeated is to discourage thier own victims from coming forward.
steve,
I do not believe you can come up with rabbis willing to take on this scummy case. Not true.
It is a lot more complicated than what you think. A lot of tangled relationships and networks at play.
Yoou see, the so-called litvaks or yeshivishe are no different than chasssidim. They also marry each others cousins and brothers and sisters,etc. etc. Each of the characters are related to all the other litivish rabbonim.
Dear anonymous fool:
when i said they were looking for blood i meant they wanted to find guilt, whether or not there was any.
>>”as they should be”
that’s exactly the problem they wanted there to be abuse so they can jump on it.
they don’t really care about justice or safety of children, like i said -THEY JUST WANT BLOOD.
as for your kind words that my kid be next, i would wish the same on you and your fellow rabble rouser accusers, but i’m afraid that you along with your ANONYMOUS accusing buddies, have nothing there to be touched,and just like to hide behind the internet where g-d can’t see you and spew crap.
your truly ,
steve
“SHORTYONI” Firstly the distinction must be made between victims and accusers.
most of the noise,cruelty,lashon hara, vulgarity has come from accusers that don’t even claim to be victims and i just say that if they were lshaim shamayim their tune would be alot diff.
the “victims” for the most part have been rather calm.
i know more than 3 rabbis that would take up a sincere case if necessary – i know 10.
i will name none . A)i don’t feel the internet is the forum to toss around rabbi’s names B)i have not heard one rabbi’s name from an ACCUSER that was sincerely approached with relevant FIRST HAND knowledge.
WHATS THE LATEST ON KOLKO. WAS HE IN SHUL SHAABOS
If someone would have caught a Torah Temimah rebbe using the Boro Park eruv, he would have been fired in a heartbeat! If someone had caught him reading the Jewish Press, even if someone caught him reading a treifene blog (if that is imaginable)…. any of the juicy aveiros they wouldn’t have waited for back up evidence. But because it was only child molesting ( a De’Orayso which also harms the child and is clsoe to shefichas domim if the kid doesn’t get the right kind of help to recover)he was tolerated. It isn’t such a fashionable aveiroh… now imagine he had been seen eating a Haagen dasz ice ceram cone…. he would have been history
steve said…
I AGREE! i personally know MANY
>>> NAME THREE.
accusers CLAIM that they have tried everything, yet have no hard facts to prove that they indeed have
>>> Right. Going to the “there was no penetration so there was no issur” bais din did not constitute trying.
they were looking for blood from beggining to end.
>>> As they should be, you dope. This guy was playing with thier kids private parts! Should they have been out for an apology???!!!
Hope your kid is next.
December 11, 2006 12:19 PM
119 post,
well then who is supporsed to touch this hot potato.
Why of course, the Arkaos, the goyishe beis din. And then these rabbis will get up and scream how frum jews should not go to arkoas shel botei dinim. SO what is one to do.
I will tell you.
The rabbis should stop phoneying around and get down to business. Adjudicate this case and let the chips fall where they may.
They should ignore the pressures of the you know who and get down to the business at hand. This is a great case where emunas chachomim can be restored. After all, The AGOOOOODAH convention did not accomplish it!
109 post,
well said. Go stragiht for the juguular or in this case, the tail.
I cannot believe that someone would make up such a wild story. If I told people that a shvartze meolested a boy, then everybody would believe that. Well, let me call your attention to the following posuk,
Ki Adom ain tzadik b’aretz asher yaasesh toiv v’lo yechto.
I am not saying he did it, but don’t assume he is innocent becasue he is a frum guy. If all frum guys were innocent, why do frum people fight like freaking dogs in the botei dinim. Get real, you phonies.
The day I see the botei dinim close down due to lack of business, that will be the day I believe these rabbis are innocent.
no rav in his right mind will touch this hot potato.
i think the victims are acting too civil, if someone would touch my kid, I would go straight to his problem. just remove his tail, and case closed.
DID U NOTICE HOW THEY “BIDAVKA” HAD TWO FEMALE OFFICERS HOLDING ON TO HIM AS THEY WERE LEADING HIM TO TH CAR. THIS WAS NO ACCIDENT.
he is a great tzadik, he doesnt look at women, only on boys.
I AGREE! i personally know MANY rabbonim that if i aproached and said that i know for a FACT that there are bad things going on , they would NOT sit idly by.
and i know many parents whom if i told that i KNEW that a rebbe in their kids’ yeshiva was doing stuff, they wouldnt just say “ok i’ll take my chances with my own kids”
accusers CLAIM that they have tried everything, yet have no hard facts to prove that they indeed have
they were looking for blood from beggining to end.
there are obviously many angry people who just use these cases as a way to assert their own control , and vent their own rage .far from being ‘lishaim shamayim’.
i dont believe that if respectable people would have respectfully made noise about any incident – that it would have been ignored. there is no mitzva/heter to lynch someone even IF he is guilty
grand rebbe of america,
your yiddeish is a molestation of those having to read it.
anon 1007,
The mishnah in Kiddushin states.
“Beheimo Gaso niknis B’mesirah”
If you are a beheimo, a big beheimo, then they can get a hold of you only thru mesirah.
If someone molests, iz er a grubbe beheimoh, and a few other choice words!
When talking about safety of children, don’t come over with that frum shtik.
Rabbi Kotler was right – We have lost respect for Rabbonim.
And i add ” that we have lost our way “
every one is a posek here – every one feels that you can masser for this – well tommorow someone is going to feel he has the right to masser for something else
There is a “shulchan urech”
Even those who listen to rabbi shacter – dont have a clear heter
he says ” if the guy is going to suffer in prison – there is a shailoh ” ” unless we know he is going in to a prison where there is a daf yomi shiur and all ammenties” there is a shailoh
i must say that this is the longets shiur that i heard that said nothing ( you can but you cant – but maybe you can – maybe not ) i dont know
the term “rabbi” today is nearly meaningless. Does not demonstrate exceptional knowledge of any body of halacha. Take a few tests and boom, you get the title.
Does an individual have to be erlich to get the title Rabbi? No
Does a person have to come to shul on time, ON Time,I repeat, to get the title of Rabbi? NO
Does a person have to be honest in business to get the title Rabbi?NO
The Grand Rabbi of America said…
Go ahead call me names. Sling mud, alte chulent, whatever.
Ehrliche yidden, shomrei Torah vihaluchoh vaysen gantz git, we must follow the haluchoh pinktlich. If not, then wer’e not different than the Reform or Conservative who claim to be jews but follow only the rules that are convenient for them.
Rabbosay, I may not be taking the popular mehalech, uber min darf allemuhl zayn ehrlich, even if you can’t understand why. Perhaps you didn’t have a good chinich, so you don’t know the Alef-Bays of Torah vihaluchoh.
Firt zich nisht of vie a shygitz. Red durch ayer kashas mit a Ruv. Uhn a Ruv blabt min an Am Hueretz.
Zolt mir moichel zahn far reden shtrenger verter du, uber dos iz die emes.
December 10, 2006 7:21 PM
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Forrest Gump was right. Stupid is as stupid does.
When it is your kid getting shtupped in the mikvah I hope you will remember how important it is to deal with the problem by turning to the mo’etzes and letting them discuss the problem privately until it dissappears.
Get your head out of the sand (or wherever you have it stuck).
With a name like Chasid-Stud, you bet I think you’re Yeshiva has a problem.
I don’t beleive ALL yeshivos have this problem. Problems, maybe, but differnet issues.
Go ahead call me names. Sling mud, alte chulent, whatever.
Ehrliche yidden, shomrei Torah vihaluchoh vaysen gantz git, we must follow the haluchoh pinktlich. If not, then wer’e not different than the Reform or Conservative who claim to be jews but follow only the rules that are convenient for them.
Rabbosay, I may not be taking the popular mehalech, uber min darf allemuhl zayn ehrlich, even if you can’t understand why. Perhaps you didn’t have a good chinich, so you don’t know the Alef-Bays of Torah vihaluchoh.
Firt zich nisht of vie a shygitz. Red durch ayer kashas mit a Ruv. Uhn a Ruv blabt min an Am Hueretz.
Zolt mir moichel zahn far reden shtrenger verter du, uber dos iz die emes.
What to be Dan Lkaf Zechus????
We all know what is going on in the Yeshivas, may it be Yeshivish, Litvish or Chasidish, there are child and boy molesters in almost every Yeshiva and unfortunatly, most Yeshivas cover up for these molesters, It is about time that this has to stop.We have to protect the boys in Yeshiva from these Sick Beasts, and no, the media did not blow up this story, this story is ongoing for a long time, and if Kolko would have been stopped years ago when the Yeshiva found out about it, hundreds of boys could have been saved..
R’NACHMAN M’BRESLOV ONCE SAID: WHEN A PARENT SMACKS A CHILD YOU THEN FEEL BAD AND GIVE THEM A CANDY ETC. HOW ABOUT YOU DONT SMACK THEM AND DONT GIVE THEM ANYTHING: THINK THE CHILD WILL LEARN
חילול השם
Regarding title of “Rabbi”.
There are several uses of the title “rabbi”. One is for those who are ordained with Semicha from a rabbi who has that authority to hand down Semicha. Another is for a person who has a Congregation. he is the Rabbi. Another one is used by those who teach rabbinic studies. There will always be disagreements as to what constitutes proper Semicha (ordaining) as somebody out there is “ordaining” Rabbis in the Reform and Conservative movement which we know have absolutely NO real rabbinic authority, since they violate & contradict the very religious principles they claim to “lead”. If they’re not following the written Torah and Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) which has always been the basis for guiding the Jewish people, then they cannot represent themselves as Jewish Leaders. In the secular world they refer to it better as “clergy”. Clergy does not mean you are any particular type of religion, nor what level you are. Preacher, Bishop, Cardinal all are Clergymen. If you are a person in the occupation of religion, you are Clergy.
About 20 years ago, there was a famous NY case where an orthodox jew in NY who had a medical practice was sued by a patient and the news blasted it all over the media as Rabbi goes to jail in sexual malpractice lawsuit. At that time, Agudath Israel had serious considerations to propose to the orthodox jewish “professionals” to remove the title “Rabbi” from their professional degrees and titles. It continues to plague us today. Here however, it is a different situation. Where somebody is doing his job as Rabbi and gets into trouble, whether using lights & sirens to go to work in Manhattan, or while in the care of students, that title “Rabbi” will correctly be attached to the person, however unfortunate it is for us, unless that “Rabbi” is stripped of his title. As was mentioned in another comment here, why was this individual not assigned to “desk duty” or some other administrative duty if the Yeshiva could not rid themselves of this person due to halachic rendering of insufficient evidence (IF that was in fact so).
There is a deeper question here coming to the surface. As parents, we want to know and be assured that the school is looking out for the student, not for the staff.
Something has to give here.
grand rabbi of AMerica,
as grand rabbi you should fier tish, shabbos tish, that is, an entire week. THis way we would not have to read your shtusin. YOu’re a hemorrhoid.
Interesting, If I were to say that an Arab or a schvartze injured, maimed or murederd a jew, all you guys would jump on the arab, schvartze, etc. right away. However, a jew committing a disgusitng crime. No Way, you say.
You are full of crap. Unfortunately, we have the same nisyonos as do the goyim and we commit the same chatoim as do the goyim.
Grand Rebbi from Drek, Go back to your ancestral village,
The paper reported that the criminal charges were brought based on 2 complaints. The 9 year old kid is one. And the other is the 31 year old man. The 9 year old boy was allegedly abused 3 years ago. The 31 year old man was allegedly abused last year.
Any loshon hora on this topic is clearly l’toeles. I wouldn’t let my kids go swimming with these men any more than I would let them be tutored by these men.
DID U NOTICE HOW THEY “BIDAVKA” HAD TWO FEMALE OFFICERS HOLDING ON TO HIM AS THEY WERE LEADING HIM TO TH CAR. THIS WAS NO ACCIDENT.
Rabbi Yossi said…
What ever happened to “innocent until proven guilty?”
When it comes to molestation, everyone is so quick to tar-and-feather, no one cares about silly things like “evidence” and “due process.”
What have we sunk to, the level of the lynch mobs of the 1700s?
December 10, 2006 1:32 PM
Anonymous said…
a 6 year old has no “neemonis” lehalacha, if an allegation is brought forward by a “koton”, you have to be careful, “kabdeihu vechashdaihu” (& of coarse for the yeshiva to do their homework), there is no way a right to believe or masser when a small boy claims something.
as of now, there is no right to anyone of us to accept this dirty loshon hora!
December 10, 2006 2:09 PM
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Go crawl back under the rocks from which you slithered.
You probably want him to go free to discourage YOUR victims from reporting YOU!
RABBI….
interesting, when a jew is caught or suspected on anything improper, the media reserves him the title Rabbi.
since when is a first graxe teacher a rabbi?
but in order to make us look & paint us dirty & ugly they honor a rabbi’s title to his name…
a 6 year old has no “neemonis” lehalacha, if an allegation is brought forward by a “koton”, you have to be careful, “kabdeihu vechashdaihu” (& of coarse for the yeshiva to do their homework), there is no way a right to believe or masser when a small boy claims something.
as of now, there is no right to anyone of us to accept this dirty loshon hora!
What ever happened to “innocent until proven guilty?”
When it comes to molestation, everyone is so quick to tar-and-feather, no one cares about silly things like “evidence” and “due process.”
What have we sunk to, the level of the lynch mobs of the 1700s?
Vart a minute, Rabosai.
Don’t misread what I said.
Ich zug es iz du a Shilcin Urech. Red durch mit ayir Ruv far ir dertzalt narishkaytin du,
Chas v’Shulem to think that a real child molester should be allowed in our circles. We know that in the business world, when someone is accused of something, that individual is assigned to other tasks (think NYPD desk duty) so as to be kept out of a sensitive situation.
The shilchin arech zugt, “innocent until proven guilty”. Fartig.
Min zul nisht gepreevt veren!!!!
Parents of the yeshiva should demand a full, complete and independent investigation. Where there is smoke, there is fire.
Now, try finding 3 rabbis not affiliated or connected directly/indirectly to the YTT of Ocean Parkway!
Tip of iceberg feared in rabbi child sex rap
BY NANCIE L. KATZ and BRENDAN BROSHDAILY NEWS WRITERS
Prosecutors warned yesterday that a Brooklyn rabbi accused of abusing two victims – including a young boy – may face more charges.
Joel Yehuda Kolko, 60, a former teacher and assistant principal at Yeshiva-Mesivta Torah Temimah on Ocean Parkway in Midwood, was released on $10,000 bail after he was arraigned yesterday on four counts of sexual abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
He was required to surrender his passport before he was allowed to return to his Midwood home in time for Sabbath observations.
The charges against him involve the alleged molestation of a 6-year-old boy and a 31-year-old man.
“There may be other charges with other complainants, and there is an ongoing investigation regarding Kolko,” Assistant Brooklyn District Attorney Marc Fliedner said in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
A $10-million suit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Wednesday accuses the yeshiva of harboring Kolko despite accusations that he abused children in his care there for years.
In May, three men filed suits seeking $30 million for alleged abuse the rabbi committed against them when they attended the yeshiva as children.
One of the three men was contacted by a Daily News reporter following yesterday’s court action.
“I think it’s 25 years later than it should have happened,” the 39-year-old man said. “I know the wheels of justice are slow. I hope they crunch this guy.”
The man said he personally knows of another 15 victims, and that he believes more than 100 other boys were molested by the rabbi.
Some of Kolko’s former students were flabbergasted at the charges yesterday.
“I think a bunch of people are out to get him,” said Aaron Tarnes, 30, a student at the yeshiva for 15 years. “I’m disturbed to hear such things against such a wonderful man.”
Kolko arrived at his home on E. 22nd St. shortly after 4:15 p.m. in a silver Buick driven by his son, Avi. Kolko dashed inside without a word to waiting reporters.
For your information, that is standard operating procedures in the Internet world.
Every major website has misspellings redirected to competition.
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yes but there may be issur hasagas gvul, geneivas daas and other issurim involved.
That quote was only half-correct. The video is up on the internet, you can see it for yourself. He said that this proves that you can’t really know somebody and he always thought kolko was a straighshooter.
Actually, the papers reported that bail was set at 10k bond OR 5k cash.
“As a person, he doesn’t fit the criteria,” ############## said. “I have known him for 10 years. My brother was his student, and he never had that view of him.”
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IF, IF, IF this quote is correct, it is Exhibit “A” in the case against operating ones mouth before engaging the brain.
What does this guy know about the “criteria” of being a serial child molester????
The only ways I can think of to be ‘dun l’kaf z’chus’ about this guy is he was misquoted or he graduated TT and doesn’t know the meaning of the word criteria.
Hey know it all, why in the world should he bother making kiddush or any other mitzvah performed on Shabbos? He performed the most heinous aveirah against children!
Whoever reported it at $5,000 got it wrong. Bail was set at $10,000.
is 5,000 bail normal for such a case? does anyone know if he is considered a flight risk?
anon 350,
why do you care if he was in jail for shabbos, dummy?
Would you have brought him meals for shabbos? Wine for kiddush? challahs for seudah shlishis?
I don’t want to stoop down to your level.