Yeshiva Torah Temimah
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Yeshiva Torah Temimah is a Haredi yeshiva with branches in Brooklyn, New York and Lakewood, New Jersey that was founded by Rabbi Lipa Margulies.
A May 2006 article in New York magazine, which called Yeshiva Torah Temimah the Harvard of the Jewish world, claimed that Rabbi Yehuda Kolko, a teacher at the school for 30 years, had been a pedophile and molested boys in the school with the knowledge of Rabbi Lipa Margulies who engaged in an alleged decades long cover-up.[1] A $20 million civil case was filed against the yeshiva and Rabbi Kolko, alleging that the yeshiva had concealed the rabbi's actions and had intimidated victims into not reporting the incidents.[2]
On December 7, 2006, and again on September 12, 2007, Rabbi Yehuda Kolko was arrested and charged with several counts of sexual abuse in the first and second degree and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child in three separate episodes.[3][4]
On April 1, 2008, a sixth former student of Yeshiva Torah Temimah, identified as John Doe No. 6, who was enrolled at Torah Temimah between the ages of 11 and 13, filed a lawsuit against the yeshiva and Rabbi Lipa Margulies individually, alleging he was sexually abused by Kolko on a number of occasions at several locations, including in his office at the yeshiva and in the basement of the yeshiva with the knowledge of Rabbi Lipa Margulies.[5]
On April 14, 2008, Rabbi Yehuda Kolko pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child in exchange for a sentence of probation and counseling.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Kolker, Robert. "On the Rabbi's Knee: Do the Orthodox Jews have a Catholic-priest problem?", New York (magazine), May 15, 2006. Accessed March 8, 2008.
- ^ "Report: Yeshiva Covered Up Abuse", The Forward, May 19, 2006. Accessed March 8, 2008.
- ^ Khan, Daryl. "Brooklyn Rabbi Is Arraigned on Charges of Sexual Abuse", The New York Times, December 9, 2006. Accessed May 12, 2008.
- ^ Shifrel, Scott. "Rabbi Yehuda Kolko accused of molesting boy", New York Daily News, September 13, 2007. Accessed May 12, 2008.
- ^ [Lando, Michal. "NY yeshiva sued over 'sexual abuse'", The Jerusalem Post, April 2, 2008. Accessed May 12, 2008.
- ^ Ginsber, Alex. 'Perv' Rabbi Cops Plea, New York Post, April 15, 2008. Accessed May 12, 2008.
