Brooklyn, NY – Eight minutes!
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That’s all the time a Brooklyn jury needed to acquit a notorious ultra-Orthodox rabbi today of charges that he leered at a boy who years earlier had accused him of being a pervert.
Joel Kolko was looking at two years behind bars if convicted of violating an order of protection by eyeballing the boy and his dad twice as they walked past his Flatbush home in 2010.
“We believe justice was served,” said Jeffrey Schwartz, a defense lawyer for Kolko. “Really, there was no evidence to support anything.”
I was very surprised to hear this verdict, but this is the best justice system currently out there and even though I don’t think he’s innocent, the fact is he won. But he should be extra careful about his future behavior b/c he’s not exactly off the hook.
You would think the law would be clear in cases like this. If not illegal then nothing to talk about.
Never the less he is still a convicted Molester and the Jury didn’t feel that steering down a child is a form of violating his probation.
Don’t let this fool you on what kind of “Menuval” this man is
Although I am no fan of Kolko and believe he should live out his life in jail, if this family has an order of protection against him, they really should not be walking up or down his block.
Had kolko gone to jail like he should have in the first place for the molestation he would not have had the audacity to leer at this boy. The fact that it does demonstrates that he has no remorse for what he did. It may also demonstrate that child molestors are beyond rehabliliation. People may question the latter assertion but it makes sense because molesting an innocent, defenseless child is about as low as one can go. In order to come back up there needs to be a little leeway between you and the basement.
How can it be a crime to look at someone who is walking past your house? i dont get it..
Prosecuting for leering? What’s next? The man may have issues, but al tadin es chavercha…
Baruch Hashem!!!!!!!
It grieves me that someone, somewhere in the New York area, is jumping up and down and shouting “דידן נצח” at the top of his voice after hearing this appalling verdict.
How anyone could allow Kolko to live in their neighborhood is just disturbing. He should be working the overnight shift at a small slaughterhouse in the rural America somewhere. He should be somewhere he would sleep all day (when kids are normally away from home) and work at night when children are safely in their beds. He should not be walking the streets of the very neighborhood where he hunted his prey. For those whom he raped, the mere sight of him is psychological torture as they know full-well he may still be hunting.
While I can only hope that somehow, someday, Kolko will really pay for the neshamos he destroyed, the innocence he stole, and the lifetime of psychological torture he inflicted by spending his life in prison, he should not be in a position to continue his victimization nor should be living in a place where there are children on his block. It is like putting a domesticated wolf in the same pen as the henhouse. The wolf may seem nice and friendly today, but one day he will be hungry.
To the young man and his family who courageously stood up for “tzedek,” and who came face to face with evil: As a teacher who, regrettably, once worked at Torah Temimah with this molester, I apologize to you. On behalf of all the justice-seekers and G-d fearing people who are watching from the sidelines, I apologize. On behalf of all the caring, concerned rebbies and teachers whose hearts scream in pain for not knowing and for not protecting you, I apologize. Some of us watch in silence, some are not so silent, but we are all so very, very sorry for your pain, and so utterly horrified by the terrible injustice perpetrated by the molester, by his enablers, and by the so-called “justice system.” Despite the ridiculous verdict and despite the distorted conclusions reached by people in positions of power, please know that those of us who understand the reality of what happened to you will continue to support you and fight for all children who have been victimized. You have bravely led the way in refusing to be intimidated, and for that we admire your resolve and are most grateful. All of us have learned a lot from you, so please don’t look at this latest setback as a loss, but rather as just one part of a very difficult and challenging obstacle course. It is a road of rough hurdles that will ultimately serve to illuminate the corruption and hypocrisy within the broken yeshiva system and willfully ignorant communities. It will highlight what must be done to prevent what happened to you from happening to other innocent children. We are all learning, thanks to your courage and refusal to back down, to protect our families against abuse. Yesterday, despite the years of shameful cover-up and lack of transparency, you proved that you have what it takes to confront evil. May we all learn from you! You are a remarkable young man! Indeed, you are my new hero, and you are a hero to many who are cheering you from the sidelines. Your parents, surely, are to be admired and commended, too! Congratulations for doing the right thing. Let us all continue to fight the fight……
I would not want to walk on the same street as “Rabbi” Kolko!! How can they allow him near children?? Chas v’shalom!!
As a mother of two kids I would really like to know where kolko lives now?!?