KOLKO & MARGULIES

One of the two best posts on the Kolko / Margulies issue that I've seen (the other being today's post by Jameel at the Muqata: http://muqata.blogspot.com/) is RenReb's angry rant (here: http://renegaderebbetzin.blogspot.com/2006/05/flames-pain-and-fury-read-at-your-own.html).


Renreb argues that reports of multiple occurrences over a great length of time do almost certainly mean that Yehuda Kolko is guilty. Indeed, a pattern so clear establishes that this is not mere lashon hara, but that something evil was going on, for a very long time.

By the same token, his boss Lipa Margulies is an enabler and an accessory.


But we cannot state that they are guilty until they have been tried - as Dayan Roy Bean would say, 'give 'em a fair trial and hang 'em'.


Perhaps a mere pro forma detail, but nevertheless a legal necessity.

Until then, Kolko and Margulies are legally innocent.

And frontier justice, for whatever reason, does not reflect well on the society which permits it.
[No matter how satisfying splintering two baseball bats over two heads might be. I could also suggest something with a broken broomstick, but I'm controlling myself, and keeping this blog clean.]


The other aspect is that a beis din which did not bring this to the attention of the authorities bears legal responsibility - whoever was part of that panel can and will be seen as aiding and abetting the rape of minors that happened since they were first made aware of the matter.


This will have an impact on them, this will have an even worse impact on the entire bassei din concept in America - it casts doubt on the permissibility of intra-mural dispute resolution in matters where crimes may have been committed. It demonstrates that bassei din may need civil regulation.

This is not an issue of a chillul Hashem - it is an issue of chillul Hashem squared.

There are just too many different horrors all on one page.

How could any of the people involved in not bringing this to the attention of authorities possibly consider themselves good Jews?

If there was any chance that this was going on (and as it turns out there was abundant chance for this to go on), how could they not see that doing nothing to stop it would reflect badly on them, their value system, their institutions, their community, their own legal standing, and their faith?

How could they not consider the immense damage to the boys entrusted to Kolko and Margulies? How could they disregard their own responsibility to their community, to the parents of these students, and to the boys themselves? Why would they even take the chance that their inaction would cause further suffering?

What the she'ol were they thinking?!?!

And these were not ignorant halfwits. There is no excuse.