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The Lakewood Times

Child Abuse Trial To Begin This Week - APP Reports

5/4/2013

10 Comments

 
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Lakewood boy, family skirted religious protocols APP
Written by Kathleen Hopkins 

In a tight-knit community of people accustomed to handling problems among themselves, one young boy bucked the trend.

He accused a Yeshiva teacher and camp counselor of molesting him, and when a religious council of Orthodox Jews failed to take action against the man, the boy and his family went to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for help.

Because they skirted religious protocols, the boy and his family were ostracized by their community. Some in the community even embarked on a campaign to get the boy and his father to drop the criminal charges.

And, a flier was circulated in Lakewood saying the boy’s father made a “mockery” of the Torah and committed a “terrible deed” by going to the secular authorities.

But the family stood its ground. Now, six years after the alleged abuse occurred, the man accused of molesting the boy is set to go on trial in a case that likely is to be closely watched by Lakewood’s Orthodox Jewish community.

Jury selection began Wednesday for the trial of Yosef Kolko. He  is charged with aggravated sexual assault, attempted aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and child endangerment.Jury selection was expected to last several days. 

The trial will be before state Superior Court Judge Francis R. Hodgson.Prior court hearings have provided a glimpse of what is to come at trial.At a pretrial hearing in 2011, it was revealed that Kolko opened up to a social worker about the sexual abuse allegations.

The social worker, Gavriel Fagin of Brooklyn, had been hired by the Beis Din, a rabbinical council to which the boy and his father initially brought the molestation allegations. Fagin was responsible for interviewing Kolko to determine the legitimacy of the allegations.

He testified in the pretrial hearing that he had administered a number of tests to Kolko during a series of office visits in March 2009. At an office visit in April 2009, Fagin was discussing the results of the tests with Kolko when “he began to open up about the allegations,” Fagin said. “There were a lot of specifics.

”Kolko’s attorney, Michael Wilbert, tried to get Kolko’s discussions with Fagin excluded from the coming trial, saying that what Kolko said to Fagin should be privileged because of the social worker-client relationship. But Hodgson ruled that Kolko waived any privilege by signing a form allowing information from his sessions with Fagin to be disclosed to the Beis Din. Hodgson said the Beis Din could be considered a parallel justice system within a closed community, and therefore, Kolko’s discussions with Fagin can be presented at the upcoming trial.

After his sessions with Fagin, Kolko entered counseling but discontinued treatment shortly afterward, according to papers filed in the case filed by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Laura Pierro, who will be trying the case.

The discontinuation of treatment is what promoted the victim’s father, in July 2009, to go to the Prosecutor’s Office with the allegations — a bold move in a community that has long been resistant to secular involvement.

Kolko has been free on $125,000 bail. If he is convicted, he could face up to 60 years in prison.
10 Comments
incredible
5/5/2013 02:43:00 am

where is ceo in all of this?

Reply
Double standard
5/5/2013 06:39:22 am

It is Not True, it Depends who the Family is Kolko Victims Family was Not an established Lakewood Family So they Ran him out of Lakewood. a Few Years ago There was a Family on Park ave Who Had a Bochur who rented a room in their Home arrested Because they alleged he owed them a few Dollars Rent and he insulted them. Every one knew this family had serious Phycological Problems with The Husband Being on Pills and Hospitolized a few times for his severe Mental Problems and they were just using this Bochur as a Scapegoat However they were able to do what they did because they are one of the old Lakewood Established Families and Their Uncle Heads a Bais Din here in Lakewood

Reply
what's not true?
5/5/2013 12:18:26 pm

sorry. kolko's victim was a very established Lakewood family. The father even worked for BMG giving entrance exams.

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Double Standard
5/6/2013 10:51:51 am

Kolkos Victims Family May Have Been a Choshever Person and He May Have Had a Flimsy Shteller in BMG (Giving Bechinos). That Does Not Put him an "Established Family Club" here in Lakewood. He was Not Born Here, His parents do not live here,To the best of My Knowledge he has no siblings or other immediate family members living here in Lakewood. His Chashivus and Small Potatoes Job in BMG can only get him so far, after that he is just another regular Yankel or Chaim Like everyone else in Lakewood.Established Families Here in Lakewood Go Back 3 Generations going back to the 1950's 60's and 70's with Dozens of Clan Members or even Hundreds With members in all sorts of Positions of Power in Lakewood and strong Connections to those in power going back decades when they were next door neighbors and Babysit for each other and Bring in Cholov Yisroel Milk From Brooklyn. As an Aside i should point out that BMG and Staff initially stuck up for Kolkos Victims Father and stood up to alot of Pressure To Have Him Fired It was only when the Pressure got to much with Big Rabbonim from Brooklyn and here in Lakewood pushing for his ouster That BMG eventually reluctantly Caved in considering he was not a BMG family member and the above

Reply
d
5/7/2013 01:03:05 am

wow. knw ur facts. he does have immediate family here. he was on of the most respected rabanim in town with a very very popular shul. He was the #1 most respected posek on the bais horah. in bmg he was not just a flimsy shteller guy , like these young guys walking around with ties arranging chaburahs. The town and bmg accepted him as one of the biggest rabanim here.

Reply
very very popular shul
5/7/2013 09:25:12 am

We will gladly trade some of the popularity for some more parking and another kugel warmer.

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Double Standard to Cooment "d"
5/7/2013 09:36:16 am

Your Missing the Point, Chashivus, Shtellers Etc. only get you so far in Lakewood, Once the Heat gets Turned on High, and it starts Interfering with BMG's General Personal Intrests, Eventually BMG and CO. will come to the Conclusion That You are not worth the Heat and They will Throw You Under The Bus. Not So with the Long Time Lakewood Established Families Like The "K" Family or The "B" Family or The "F" Family Etc. The BMG And Establishment INC. will Simply Bunker Down Behind Their Brick walls and Ignore all Facts. They will Than Use Their In House "Dayanim" Poskim" "Askanim" and Political Connections To Turn The Facts Around Fabricate New Lies and stories, Label the Other Party a "Meshugana"and "Trouble Maker" and use all Types of Threats Necessery To Stop The Other Party and Than Go On The Offensive and Destroy That Individual or Family

Reply
the "b" family ?
5/8/2013 10:10:23 am

you obviously are too young to remember the capitol hotel fiasco

Reply
Yerachmiel Lopin
5/7/2013 11:56:35 am

http://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/why-the-lakewood-establishment-is-scared-of-the-kolko-trial/

Reply
Yerachmiel Lopin
5/7/2013 11:57:13 am

http://haemtza.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-moral-authority-of-lakewood.html

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