Toms River, NJ – With other accusers stepping forward, a former yeshiva teacher changed pleas Monday in the middle of his trial, admitting he sexually abused a boy he met while working as a camp counselor.
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Rabbi Yoself Kolko, 36, shifted uncomfortably on the stand as he pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault, attempted aggravated sex assault, sexual assault and child endangerment. The abuse occurred from August 2008 to February 2009. It ranged from fondling to oral sex and stopped when the boy told his father, who confronted Kolko.
The change in plea came after the prosecutor’s office was contacted Friday by a representative for a woman who said she had been a victim of Kolko and a man who said he had a victim, Senior Assistant Prosecutor Laura Pierro said.
The case may be a watershed for the prosecutor’s office and the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood, which has in the past been reluctant to bring criminal matters to civil authorities, preferring instead to handle them through rabbinical courts and senior rabbis.
“I’m hoping that it’s going to open the doors” to others in the community cooperating with authorities, Pierro said in an interview after the plea. “We broke ground with this case.”
Prosecutors said they would not pursue the other two cases.
Kolko’s bail was revoked, and he was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation before sentencing.
His attorney, Michael Bachner, said Kolko was “extremely remorseful,” apologizes to the victim and hopes after treatment “to return to society as a benefit to it.”
The plea came after only three of the prosecution’s eight witnesses testified. The senior rabbi the father approached was due to testify, as were other members of the insular community who were expected to shed light on internal workings of Lakewood’s Orthodox population and how such allegations were handled inside it.
When Judge Francis R. Hodgson asked Kolko if he had received any promises or was threatened or coerced in exchange for his plea, Kolko answered softly that there were things that were “not part of the court system.”
Bachner would not comment on Kolko’s statement.
The victim’s father had initially wanted the case handled within Lakewood’s Orthodox community, asking a senior rabbi to help ensure that Kolko stay away from children and go to therapy. In mid-2009, the father decided to take the case to authorities.
The Associated Press generally does not identify accusers in sex-crime cases and is not naming the father to protect the son’s identity.
Testifying last week, the father said he went to prosecutors because he felt the case was not being handled appropriately. Kolko was still teaching and planning to work at the summer camp where he met the boy.
“I was more concerned that he was still at his jobs,” the father said Thursday. “And I felt that children are being endangered.”
The father acknowledged it is not common for members of the Orthodox community to take cases like this to law enforcement.
Prosecutors had said the boy’s family was ostracized by the community for pursuing the case in state court. The boy’s father, a prominent rabbi, lost his job and the family moved to Michigan.
“There certainly were members of the community who remain outspoken against what the father did on behalf of his son,” Pierro said. “I can tell you that there are many more whom are perhaps silently or not as openly are swelled with pride that he took this rather historic step.”
The boy, who was 11 and 12 when the abuse took place, testified last week, describing a series of encounters with the rabbi, including molestation and oral sex.
The boy, now 16, said he was uncomfortable but wanted to remain close to Kolko because they were friends and the boy had no other companions in school.
Pierro commended the boy’s and his father’s bravery.
Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato said that in “securing justice for the victim,” prosecutors “have proven our ability to successfully intercede on their community’s behalf, affording them the same protections under the law we so tirelessly apply to all Ocean County’s citizens.”
“We will make every effort to assure this is a major step toward a continuing relationship with Ocean County’s religious communities,” he said.
Kolko faced a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison and a $650,000 fine, but the judge said he will likely cap one count at 15 years and run sentences on any other counts concurrently.
The Yidden who CRUCIFIED the father of the victim, should hide their faces in SHAME!
Waiting till trial is probably going to add a lot of time behind bar’s…
What great news!
AHHH! so where are the Fathers bashers now. Now we won’t here one word of apology from all those who said it never happened. Typical
Wasn”t Rav Belsky one of the People who labled this Mesirah and blamed the victim for making a flase accusation?
Anytime someone is convicted of a crime, their Smicha must be removed.
Why isn’t this happening?
Smicha seems to be given to everybody these days and I think it’s a worthless piece of paper in more than 50% of the time.
Change the system.
All the Rabbonim and others who defended Kolko have egg on their faces. What everyone put the families through is criminal. They need to BEG for mechila. It would also help if they learn something from this (though I doubt it).
The recent Williamsburg case and too many others, comes to mind too. The dumbest thing I read in defending these evil monsters is, “he can’t be guilty, he didn’t do it to my kid.”
The dirty little secret in our communities is, many (not all) of the Off the derech kids, who everyone loves to denegrade, are victims of molestations. Will our communities ever stop buring their heads in the sand?
Not sure if the plea was in response to the overwhelming evidence now in court, i.e. the additional victims. Curious though, why they did not come forward earlier.
Pleading guilty means nothing!!! It means that he realized that today’s society can deem u a molester guilty or innocent and you don’t have a chance of winning!!! The only person that should hide their face in shame is the sick father who screwed up his son and is putting a man in jail to excuse his own lack of parenting
“I can’t wait for the many comments alleging he is really “innocent”, but he pled guilty because the antisemetic “judge,jury, prosecutor” (take your pick) would have convicted him anyway.
A reminder.
In these cases, like it or not, there is always a presumption of guilt until proven otherwise.
There is now an ongoing appeal on behalf of a priest who has been sitting in prison for a number of years. Found guilty based on the testimony of a number of accusers, it seems that the motivation of the accusations was big money from civil lawsuits.
If this trial is followed by a lawsuit asking for money, then you can’t believe anything.
If this criminal trial is followed by a lawsuit for monetary compensation, then my judgement remains wide open. If not, then I’ll have to accept the plea on its face.
From Rabbi Belsky’s letter:
“After conducting a thorough investigation I am absolutely certain that R’ Y.K.[Yosef Kolko],may his light shine, is perfectly innocent of any wrongdoing of any nature whatsoever. And not only is he innocent but it is also as cleartone that all these allegations are fabrications made by….”
No need to say anything else.
Shame on all of you who have your heads in the sand, wake up & smell the coffee… This Kolko dude is a disgusting pig who needs to be put away to stop from harming other kids.. Hes a danger
Want to see the rabbonim and the leaders now come out and apologize. as they originally said it didnt happen.
If what i read is true “the father said he went to prosecutors because he was unhappy with how the case was being handled and that Kolko was not following his recommendations and was still teaching” perhaps we should blame the rabbonim who didn’t handle it correctly therefore the father claims he had no choice but to go to the authorities and becuase of lack of leadership the rabbomin are oiver on “lifnei iver lo titen michshol”,Not that it gives a right to do Mesira.
Its mamesh a shanda whats going on these days.
At one time if someone fondled a child if caught he was given a good beating.Now,not only is he damaging a child he is also making a chilul hashem because the parents are pressured by those so called activists to do Mesira.
What a chiddush…the accusations were true.
All those, Rabbis included, who jumped on the horror wagon, excoriating and victimizing the victims need to do a great deal of soul searching…and admit that law enforcement has a vital and central role to play in sexual abuse cases….all the more so becaiuse the community has proven…proven…itself either unable or unwilling to step up to the plate.
Wait!!! For all those accusing the father of being a moser, you can all equally hate Kolko for being a moser on himself- Since the only thing inbreds think is punishable is being a moser, now Kolko can be punished!
Great news before Shevous, this will be a limid Zechis for Yiden that we make sure that the molesters are being put behind bars.
No one hates molesters more than The Ribono Shel Olem, and he is smiling that his chosen people are doing the right thing and putting these animals behind bars.
The victims family should be compensated and get a settlement for a large sum of money from all the rabbunim that embarrassed them
He plead guilty. Done. He will not have an easy time in prison. Child molesters are considered the lowest forms of beings in the criminal system. Yet, for some reason in the “Frum” community, they are revered, and protected even while pleading “guilty”. His remorse is for getting caught, not the act.
But yet our “Gedolim” continue to blame all our problems on the internet.
Not to get off topic. But has anyone noticed this news is headlined in all of NJ newspapers?
Google this news item and you will find that almost all of them are titled “former NJ yeshiva teacher”.The news is that a TEACHER abused a child.Better,a YESHIVA TEACHER abused a minor. The title is NOT “Orthodox man abused a minor” becuase its not about ORTHODOX .
Verses the gossip monger NY Post will not fail to mention in headline when a Jewish person is caught with a crime ORTHODOX man.
Antisemitism have switched from calling out a Jew caught with a crime to Orthodox.
Its much easier to get away with by labeling that person hasdidic,orthodox then to label the term “jew”
The NY media with the NY Post in the lead are a bunch of cowards.
I wonder how long before chamorim like joek212 realize that this is not mesira. We have heard many times that a molestor is a rodeph, and therefore its not mesira. Seriously Joe, how many more kids should you and your “rabbi” and “gedolim” friends destroy? Any rav, I dont care how high up, needs to apologize to the parents and the children. This blood is on their hands.
This is why I have zero respect for Haredi “gedolim”. None whatsoever. They don’t deserve it. None of them. They stand for their own honor only, and seek only to increase their share in olam hazeh. They are remnants of the exile and must be ignored.
From the Asbury Park Press, August 25, 2010:
“However, a relative, Brooklyn Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, supported the position stated in the letter, saying ‘such behavior (as that of the victim’s father) wouldn’t be tolerated’ elsewhere. ‘When your child tells you something, you don’t go straight to a prosecutor, you go to a Bais Din and let them examine the (evidence).”
“Belsky, a rabbi at Yeshiva Torah Vodaas in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and a member of the Orthodox Union, a national Jewish lobby, said he has not seen the flier but claims ‘there’s no evidence at all’ against Kolko.’ “
“Not all rabbinic leaders agree. Rabbi Dovid Cohen, an authority on Jewish law in Brooklyn, said he received a call not long ago. It was from a representative of the Orthodox community who asked if the Kolko allegation should be taken to prosecutors.”
” ‘Not only do I permit it, it is an obligation,’ he said he replied.”
Today is a win for Rav Dovid Cohen; a loss for Rav Yisroel Belsky.
Anybody who says the father is a moser, or defends the abuser, is obviously a pedophile. It is clearly the only reason someone would feel this way.
Unless they are just evil and heartless. Which is also an option.
After Shavuos, Elul is right around the corner. Instead of having another asifa about the internet, I vote that Bais Medrash Govoha should have a giant asifa where all those who protected Kolko will sit on the dais. They will publicly ask mechila from the father of the boy, whose crime was that his son was molested by Kolko. They will ask mechila for mounting a campaign against him, spreading lashon hara about him, threatening him, publicly shaming him, writing lies about him, throwing him out of his job, and forcing him to flee to Michigan, and raising money to pay for the molestor’s lawyer, and calling the molestor a holy shining neshama. They will ask mechila as many times as necessary until the father grants mechila for all the abuse he underwent. Then they will be ready for Elul.
The amazing thing is that this heilege family ( the victim’s) isn’t vindictive and doesn’t want to make their fellow yidden feel bad for making their lives miserable. They just wanted Justice and to make sure this KooKoo Kolco doesn’t get near any child for the rest of his natural life. I know this family and they are very special – besides being a family of Talmiday Chachamim. I’m very happy they could find some degree of comfort and that they got the Justice they so deserved.
Does anyone know the lakewood rabbanim who were against the father? i think they deserve alittle shame for their actions only name them if you know for sure they are guilty
#74 monsey girl has it right. the horrible fact is our leadership is enabling these perps to continue their devastation. They prey on innocent children, cripple them and a destroy their families. And by extension a little piece of ourselves.
This sickness should have been stopped years ago.
To the rabbis of all stripes. Those involved in this incident and those involved in too many other cases of abuse and molestation……First you have to rectify. only then can u ask for mechila. its getting late no?
i asked in an earlier post (no post …no reply) is this kolko related to another kolko? Also an abuser. about 10 to 15 years ago. maybe more.
Just askin …….because the experts tell us ” an abuser was likely abused ” .
mesira is garmi which we are daan because its shchiach ,mesira used to be and can still be in some cases a rodef if in result he might get killed
frum yidden, realize that rabbis are great for halacha and advise but when there is a crime, such as this, go straight to the police!!
So he ADMITS and PLEADS GUILTY and there are still some am haaratzim who defend him? There is NO MESIRAH when a person is guilty of a heinous crime like this. He gets his day in court. And if he is moideh al ha-emess – which in this case is a heinous emess – he belongs in prison. SICK.
And those who are claiming that the family are guilty of mesirah – you belong in the same prison with this guilty criminal. Where are your priorities?
I don’t mean to bash Mr. Yisroel Belsky zol ehr zein gezunt but I wouldn’t bring him last month’s check cloth after he supported the persecution of the victim and his father. Seriously, you have to be an idiot of elephantine proportion to back a Kolko nowadays, the name is synonymous with child molester. Just like make a xerox means make a copy, and google it means search it on the web, Kolko in noun or verb means molester or molested. What IDIOT supports a Kolko in an accusation of molestation?
and all the other sites can do is laud the Flatbush internet Asifa. I for one applaud all of you using the internet to promote awareness and express yourselves through which victims can be unafraid to speak and perpetrators can finally get what they deserve. What a Bracha!!
Rav Belsky knows Kolko as he was a one time English teacher at YTV and an employee of Camp Agudah.
The said family was basically run out of Lakewood and had to resettle in Detroit.
All those yelling “mesirah” should open a Shulchan Aruch:
כל המיצר הצבור ומצערן מותר למסרו ביד עכו”ם להכותו ולאסרו ולקנסו, “Whoever harasses the community and causes them anguish may be reported to the non-Jewish authorities, to be beaten, imprisoned, or fined” (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 388:12 [על פי ש”ך שם]).
The Remo (Choshen Mishpot 388:7) brings an opinion that extends this to one who physically harms an individual:
י”א דאדם המוכה מחבירו יכול לילך לקבול לפני עכו”ם אע”פ דגורם למזיק היזק גדול, “Some say that one who is physically attacked by another may go to complain to the non-Jewish authorities even if that will cause the attacker great harm.”
Commenting on the Rema, Shach (45) says that if this reporting is needed to prevent future attacks, it is a mitzvah.
Let’s repeat the last point with emphasis: If mesirah is needed to prevent future attacks, it is a MITZVAH.
I would sum it up like this: if the intention of the father was to prevent this from happening again it is an act of tzidkus. If OTOH his emotion was revenge, it’s rishus and possibly mesirah. My point is that he should be judged by the true yodaiya machshavos, not by some hotheads. With that I sign off, gut yomtov to all.
On internet pages like this one, and in conversations all around the torah world, people talk past each other about whether this father’s actions were appropriate. (for the record, my own opinion is that he acted perfectly appropriately, and if anything submitted to a beis din process for longer than he should have). All of us seem to fault some person or institution for having the wrong process in place, but our world does not have the central authority that both sides of this issue imagine it does.
This has brought me to the I realize that I have no idea of the policy at the school my kids attend would be if they were presented with allegations of this nature. I gave my preference above, but I am going to start acting with my feet and not send my kids to schools or summer camps that believe that reporting allegations of child abuse to the authorities is Mesirah. (wherever possible, it may not be)
I suggest that those who take the opposite view do the same.
I wouldn’t move to Lakewood or Borough Park if you PAID me to live there!
The article states: When Judge Francis R. Hodgson asked Kolko if he had received any promises or was threatened or coerced in exchange for his plea, Kolko answered softly that there were things that were “NOT PART OF THE COURT SYSTEM.”
This means, in plain Enlgish, that the big machers in Lakewood ordered Kolko to plead guilty as soon as possible so that their involvement in the coverup should not be publicized.
I vote that the Lakewood establishment paste pashvilim all over Lakewood asking this family for mechila, and pay a hefty sum for all the tremendous tzaar they suffered and psychological bills for their abused son and moving bills to run away to Michigan.