Brooklyn, NY – Rabbi Yehudah Kolko Arrested

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    FILE - Rabbi Yehuda Kolko on his way to jail after his arrest for child abuse and endangerment in 2006Brooklyn, NY – VIN News has learned that Rabbi Yehudah Kolko was arrested tonight at his home in Brooklyn, NY, in connection with a criminal complaint alleging that he violated an order of protection.

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    The Jewish Week reported last week that The father of a 12-year-old boy who alleges that he was sexually molested by Rabbi Kolko filed a criminal complaint against Kolko for violating a protection order signed after the rabbi plead guilty in 2008 to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

    Rabbi Kolko is a former rabbi at Yeshiva Torah Temimah, and has been accused for molesting some of his students.


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    71 Comments
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    Lesrocks
    Lesrocks
    13 years ago

    This is pure lashon hora

    BenGrey
    BenGrey
    13 years ago

    In the early 1970’s. I was a student at Mirrer Yeshiiva high school and ‘Rabbi” Kolko locked the door of what was then the library, and committed an act that was indecent and criminal. I am amazed that he still walked the streets as a free man till the other day. Why are we afraid to deal with such people and treat them like the criminals they are?

    13 years ago

    No, its not Loshon Hara. 1. Loshon Hara doesn’t apply to regular people who reject the Torah, how much more so to a person who desecrates the Torah at its core and shows no remorse or shame.

    2. People need this info in order to protect their families.

    3. The info is needed to expose these problems and show people how to deal with them and deter this behavior.

    13 years ago

    burech hashem,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,we will prevail

    13 years ago

    No, its not Loshon Hara. 1. Loshon Hara doesn’t apply to regular people who reject the Torah, how much more so to a person who desecrates the Torah at its core and shows no remorse or shame.

    2. People need this info in order to protect their families.

    3. The info is needed to expose these problems and show people how to deal with them and deter this behavior.

    oy_vey
    oy_vey
    13 years ago

    This is pure lashon tov.

    JICKY
    JICKY
    13 years ago

    Maybe its a lie ? Can u prove its true ?

    itsmeagain
    itsmeagain
    13 years ago

    it’s pure mesura, no matter what youll say, this case would have to go to din torah & not to court

    G-Bro
    G-Bro
    13 years ago

    I am not a posek so I can’t 100% say that it isn’t lashon harah, but I would like to point out the immense value in publicizing this (again, only if halachically acceptable) as too often predators have been protected and hidden while committing such heinous crimes. If only you knew the damage this causes in children and the trauma that lingers for years-hurting marriages and relationships with others as the children grow up. We need to accept the reality that there is abuse in our community-sexual, physical, and psychological-We are not immune, and our leaders need to stand up against this and never protect a predator. VIN-keep posting this kind of information (if allowed)-maybe the predators will realize their actions will be publicized with no one to protect them.

    Avrumele
    Avrumele
    13 years ago

    Mazel Tov on posting the name of this perpertrator
    B”H this creep is finally arrested. I just hope that this time around Mr. Hynes will not let himself being pressured by Margolis and other so called Rabbonim and Gedolim.
    Charlie GO FOR IT ALL THE WAY!

    13 years ago

    #9 – Sorry ur totally wrong! Unfortunately Beis Din won’t help the situation – they wouldn’t take him off the street! He deserves the boosha for be arrested!! Let everyone see that they will not do such things with our yiddisha children!! I’m sure if ur child would be molestered by this man u would also go to court and wanna see him in jail!!

    13 years ago

    Meisirah? Your worried about mesirah but not about the kids that he molested. Sickening.

    How do you know its true. 1. He admitted it. 2. Not just one child has come forward it is many. 3.

    Loshon hara? Absolutely not.

    Beis din? A Beis Din has zero authority to handle criminal matters.

    13 years ago

    I ti sarugable that publishing Yudi K’s name is Lashon Ha’Rah . However by naming names will shame institutions in to a zero tolerance for sheltering molesters within institutions. People like Kolko should never be tolerated within the Torah community
    The fact that Kolko’s colleauges and the Parents of Torah Temimah allowed kolko to teach there for so long reflects poorly on them .
    Simply put unless one is accussed falsely such people cannot be allowed to roam the Earth let alone the streets.

    HaNavon
    HaNavon
    13 years ago

    Psak din, halacha l’maaseh:

    Not only is it NOT an issur of lashon hara to speak about him and his kind, it’s a mitzvah to be m’farseim their actions in cases where there is no doubt that the person is a serial molester, that is, that several people have come out against one particular person with detailed reports.

    There is also NO DIN MESIRAH on them. We are OBLIGATED to turn in any reported sexual molester in our midst, and also the rabbis that try to hide the misdeeds of those molesters. Any Beis Din that tries to deal with this in a manner that is insulated from the government MUST BE REPORTED.

    Furthermore, if the justice system could not attain enough information to lock the monster away because of the lack of forthcoming testimony from people who have been intimidated within our community, we may go to ANY LENGTH NECESSARY to remove the evil from our community!

    Rabosei. This is not a joke. These people do not stop and there are numerous members of our community who have an interest in protecting them. If we do not excise this wicked group from our midst, we will be judged with them.

    Joe-Shmoe
    Joe-Shmoe
    13 years ago

    #1 . I don’t condone any acts that this man is accused of.

    #2 please everybody, before claiming these outrageous opinions as halacha, please ask your dayan if you’re right or look it up yourself.

    halacha as my dayan claims, there is mesira even on this. torah is the ruling factor if this constitutes mesira, not our biased mindsets. no authority to jail etc. does not nullify any part of our torah hence its first grade mesira. going to court needs heter bes din like it or not. interesting enough I didn’t find any dayan permits mesira in this saga. (yeah that’s cause they’re all corrupt! , my business brain is much smarter than all these close minded dayanim even in halacha!, they are in on the protecting!, they are corrupt!) fact: dayanim (most if not almost all) have never watched dirty scene moves as opposed to us, dayanim know halacha based on torah and halacha, we know halacha based on bias, based on naturally smarter brains than dayanims.

    Yerachmiel
    Yerachmiel
    13 years ago

    This is not lashon horah. Kolko himself already pleaded guilty to molesting. Now he is trying to fight a lawsuit about his disgusting behavior with two boys. He was ordered by the court to stay away from them and he violated the order. He was trying to intimidate them into not testifying. The lawsuit will expose a great deal more about Kolko and how Lipa Margulies covered up for Kolko. The Chofetz Chaim is clear that when there is a toeles, an essential purpose, it can be a mitzvah to expose a dangerous person. Kolko and Torah Temimah must be exposed to protect other children.

    lbpss
    lbpss
    13 years ago

    This person’s name should be publicized as should all others plus the yeshivas who harbor these criminals. I have the right to know if a molester works in my son’s yeshiva I don’t think I would leave him there and if yes I would definitely warn him of this person. Such people have to be registered with the police and everyone has a right to know if they live in their area.

    Nussi
    Nussi
    13 years ago

    You r right if he did that to my child or grandchild I wouldn’t take him to court but I also wouldn’t take him to din Torah I would be mekiym idorasta hativ vhna nocoun hdovr and then I would castrate him and let the Jewish world take me to dinTorah enough of hiding these it’s time ton protect r children

    woodmerejoe
    woodmerejoe
    13 years ago

    If I lost money in a Ponzi scheme or i was cheated by fellow yid, don’t I have an obligation to warn people so that the too will not fall prey to the crook. This is much worse than just stealing money. Let us not get fooled by beard and black hat.
    A crook is a crook and a pervert is a pervert no matter what costume they are wearing.

    YehudaZ
    YehudaZ
    13 years ago

    It’s beyond me why some people feel we should cover up for pedophiles. Imagine if you lived on the same street as a pedophile, would you feel comfortable letting your kids play outside? I hope as parents you will realize safety is more important. We need to stop the stupidity of covering up for these molesters in our community and start protecting ourselves by going to the proper authorities.

    YISHIKAINEE
    YISHIKAINEE
    13 years ago

    GET YOURSELVES A LIFE. These creeps come out of the wood work from time to time and try to make things hot again. What idiots and creeps

    skazm
    skazm
    13 years ago

    why is he being called “Rabbi” – this I don’t get.

    Professor
    Professor
    13 years ago

    I’m not defending this case for I know very little about it. I want to point out two thing.
    1. last week Thursday I heard Dr. Pelcowitz and David Mandel (on the Nachum segal show) say that these perpertrators are not necessarily repeat offenders. (it was rather interesting to hear that).
    2. What does it mean, in this case, “violating an order of protection”? It doesn’t say in this article that he recently molested anybody. All it states is that he “violated an order of protection’

    OyGevald
    OyGevald
    13 years ago

    Perfect timing! Agudas Yisroel Convention this week advertising “our children”. Maybe they can be forthcoming in why the deafening silence?

    Professor
    Professor
    13 years ago

    I’m not defending this case for I know very little about it. I want to point out two thing.
    1. last week Thursday I heard Dr. Pelcowitz and David Mandel (on the Nachum segal show) say that these perpertrators are not necessarily repeat offenders. (it was rather interesting to hear that).
    2. What does it mean, in this case, “violating an order of protection”? It doesn’t say in this article that he recently molested anybody. All it states is that he “violated an order of protection” and according to the JP “he stared at the child”

    itsmeagain
    itsmeagain
    13 years ago

    i think #9 is right: 2 wrong dont make the father right to go to the police, I hope he asked a shala from a ruv b4 he went to masur to the police. I dont know what anybody is going to respond to this but just think a little, he’s right to get the guy off the stret but the question is how and the answer is not thru mesura, it will b better if u just throw paskevillin on him & those kind of stuff! hes a jew just like u

    Yonason_Herschlag
    Yonason_Herschlag
    13 years ago

    I once asked a sheila to Rav Zalman Nechemia Goldberg concerning the din of a moser. His tshuva (which I have in writting) can be summorized as this:

    The prohibition of mesira is concerning making a monetary claim against another Jew. In contrast, if the objective is not to get money, but rather to stop a criminal from continuing to harm other Jews, it is a mitzvoh to report him to the police. It used to be that the bes din had the authority to punish criminals with beatings. Today there is no government that gives the bes din such authority. Therefore there is no choice other than to report the person to the police. However, in certain cases in which the person could be stopped with a warning, then one must first issue the warning before reporting him.

    Concerning shmiras haloshon, unless we may be directly affected by the accused person, we have no justification for believing the claims to be definitely true, even if we heard it first hand from witnesses. All the more so if our only source is the “news media”.

    bubii
    bubii
    13 years ago

    the whole concept of always bringing up the torah here is ludicrous we live in a land where there are laws and the bet din always brushes molestations under ther rug, they are unnequiped to deal with such matters and even if they were they cannot inforce or punish the perpetrator end of story

    right-of-center
    right-of-center
    13 years ago

    #22 joe-shmoe: If this is Daas Torah and those who disagree are Daas Baalei-Batim as you deride, maybe you can post the name of your dayan.

    What are you ashamed or afraid of???

    13 years ago

    The question I have now, is in what way did he violate the order of protection? Did he come close or in contact with that child, or did he come 200 or 300 feet close to that child? I’ve heard of a case of someone was arrested when he came home after was released from prison because the person to be protected lived in the sownstairs apartment. That person still nebach is in jail.

    Yitzchok848
    Yitzchok848
    13 years ago

    BS”D

    For those who are leary of Bes Din – Twenty years ago my son was molested by one of these animals and a Bes Din of RaV Dovid Cohen, Rav Yisroel Belsky and the Bostoner Rebbe of Flatbush had us go to the 66th Precint and have the perp arrested and jailed.

    13 years ago

    I am someone that is vehemently anti-molesters, I wish them the worst, and included in my tefillos are that these people be apprehended and rendered unable to repeat their crime (I don’t care a bit how). Having spoken to many rabbonim, dayanim, and gedolim on the subject, I will note that nearly every one of them feels similar to me, and that they would “throw the first stone” if given the chance. They hesitate to echo the psak from Rav Elyashiv and Rav Sternbuch about reporting. They cite one of their colleagues, a recognized posek, who feels strongly that this remains mesira, and that reporting is never permitted. It is a daas yochid, as far as I can tell, but this seems to be the holdout on public statements from poskim and batei din. Privately, the prevailing instruction from most dayanim is, “Report, but don’t use my name as the heter.”

    The problem won’t go away, but the leadership of the Torah world is coming around to undderstand the situation better and take a stronger stand. The upcoming Agudah Convention should be interesting.

    missyid
    missyid
    13 years ago

    april 14 2008 Rabbi Yehuda Kolko pleaded guilty to two counts of…

    …endangering the welfare of a child, according to a source familiar with the case.

    Kolko received 3 years probation and mandatory counseling.

    He will not serve any jail time and will not be listed on sex offender registries.

    He only received this because of a plea deal – there is a docket number and this becomes public to anyone who wants to access the details.

    I dont understand the back and forth on this website over articles when people dont bother to check facts or have an understanding of details or any compassion for victims for that matter.

    13 years ago

    BD should take off his “rabbi title”,
    for sure in the court they were at least 2 shomrei Shabbos who can testify his admission
    this act admited by the “rabbi” is a hillul Hashem
    it is a disgrace to cover up a guy like this. It is known that many of the lifes of these kids that the ex rabbi abused, are destroyed
    please, do not say “mesira” or LH” unless you or one of your kids werw victims

    HaNavon
    HaNavon
    13 years ago

    #34 ,

    The fact that you would ask “which beis din” I represent is indicative of a major problem not only that you have, but also that many people in our community have, which is that you question the source. We should never examine the source, but rather we should examine what was said. How many times have you heard something intelligent come out of the mouth of a fool? How many times have you heard foolish things come out of the mouth of the wise? We don’t accept foolery because it was said by a great Rebbe, and we accept truth, no matter who is speaking those words.

    Lesrocks
    Lesrocks
    13 years ago

    O understand that way he did was wrong but now that he is locked up wat is the difference tp us je can’t molest anyone anymore just leave as is

    THE-TORAH-SAYS
    THE-TORAH-SAYS
    13 years ago

    We all should feel bad for such a person whether it’s true or not. If its true then now that he’s arrested we should all stop talking about it, because he cant do any harm to anyone anymore. And if it’s not true then it would be Motzie Shaim Ra and Loshon Horah to continue speaking about such a person.

    mr613
    mr613
    13 years ago

    I got a special baseball bat with this Perv’s name on it.

    sechelhayoshor
    sechelhayoshor
    13 years ago

    I think that it is time just to let this man go. Though he has made people suffer, it is time to move on. Let him live the rest of his life with the guilt etc.

    OyGevald
    OyGevald
    13 years ago

    Perfect timing! Agudas Yisroel Convention this week advertising “our children”. Maybe they can be forthcoming in why the deafening silence?

    YISHIKAINEE
    YISHIKAINEE
    13 years ago

    Why are you Sickos harassing an innocent man. Get on with your lives. Rabbi K suffered enough at the hands of you Sickos. Let the man live the rest of his live in peace . Nobody has the right to be Hashems Police man even though you all think you are. look in the mirror first. You might not like what you see.