A Time for Joy: Rape-Enabling Rosh Yeshiva Lipa Margulies Finally Dies
From Wikipedia:
The yeshiva made headlines when one of its teachers and assistant principal, Joel (Yehuda) Kolko, was charged in 2006 with… Six former students also filed suit against the yeshiva, alleging the school administrators knew about Kolko’s molestation of students for decades, but sought to cover it up and intimidate students who spoke out. Kolko later pleaded guilty to two lesser counts of child endangerment and was sentenced to three years’ probation, later left the school, and died in November 2020. The suit also alleged that school principal Lipa Margulies waged “a campaign of intimidation, concealment and misrepresentations designed to prevent victims from filing lawsuits.” Four of the lawsuits were dismissed for being filed beyond the then five year statute of limitations. In October, 2016 it was reported that the school had reached a $2.1 million settlement on the two remaining cases.
Thanks to Yerachmiel Lopin for bringing this to my attention!
Needless to add, the Rasha was eulogized in Yeshiva World News, Matzav, Hamodia, Bechadrei, JDN, and perhaps more to come. (Not to mention being warmly greeted in The Purgatory Post.)
Rabbi Yair Hoffman over at VIN News tries a hilarious whitewash:
There were those, even among Rav Margulies’s many admirers, who felt that he was too overzealous in his vision to ensure the reputation and continuity of the remarkable Torah institutions he had built, and to disbelieve accounts of grave dangers in his institutions. And, sometimes, other Gedolim perceive the true depth of such dangers – whereas others do not. Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l had argued with Rabbi Margulis on such a matter. Boruch Hashem, however, there were wise Baal HaBatim involved in his Yeshiva who took the necessary steps to ensure that Rav Margulies’s vision continue, while still ensuring that, to some extent, those who were harmed or had tried sounding an alarm were vindicated.
The efforts of these dedicated Baal Habatim and family members made sure that Rav Margulies work and lifetime of dedication to Torah and its continuity, not only remain alive but thrive and prosper.
Independent Yerachmiel Lopin puts it slightly differently:
Rabbonim going back to Rav Avigdor Miller begged Lipa to fire Kolko. Some askanim were even willing to buy out Kolko and set him up to make money in some way that did not involve children. But Lipa refused. Over and over, he fought back using all sorts of dirty tricks. He kept Kolko employed until the Brooklyn DA finally charged Kolko with abuse. Lipa is guilty of the retzichah of neshomos for thirty years.
For more, see this.