Sex And Abuse Of Power Scandal: Tropper Resigns From Yeshiva, Agrees To Move Out Of Monsey

In order to "forestall the consequences of severe Rabbinic censure" Rabbi Leib Trooper finally gives in.

The Five Towns Jewish Times reports:

…In order to forestall the consequences of severe Rabbinic censure [from the newly convened beit din], one of the Rabbis, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Schlesinger, associated with a good friend of Leib Tropper, prevailed upon Tropper to sign an agreement [Sunday evening] at the eleventh hour in  which he would both step down and agree to a number of the demands of the Rabbis.

The agreement that Tropper signed began, “In not fulfilling the requirement of Shulchan Aruch that a leader be “Pircho No’eh”, the undersigned is relinquishing his position..”  It further stated that he releases all rights and severs any connection he has to his former Yeshiva in Monsey and withdraws forthwith as a trustee of the organization.

Tropper also agreed to move out of Monsey within a few months.

The agreement further stipulated that he will contact all the Rabbonim who signed letters and affidavits on his behalf and ask that those letters be withdrawn.  He also promised never to use the copies of any such letters he may have obtained in that regard.

The Rabbonim and those involved in making sure that the process has kept on course, have, in the past few weeks, received numerous messages attempting to interfere with the proceedings from various individuals.  They remain undeterred both by the attempts at interference and numerous forms of harassment that include phone calls to their homes throughout the night, taxicabs falsely ordered to their homes, and threatening calls.  One individual even received a rifle scope sent to his home.  The latter incident is still being investigated.

Some askanim have expressed disappointment that the agreement did not deal specify specific future activities in which he would refrain from partaking.  However, it was pointed out to them that the Kol Koreh can still be signed in the future, if the situation will warrant it.…

There is no definitive word yet on whether Tropper also resigned from Horizons, the parent body of both Eternal Jewish Family and Kol Yaakov yeshiva. There is also no word yet on when, or even if, the complete agreement Tropper signed will be made public.

Here's a list of rabbis involved in the beit din:

Rabbi Dovid Ribiat; Rabbi Moshe Green, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva D’Monsey; Rabbi Shlomo Breslauer, rabbi of Beis Tefillah; Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Schlesinger, of K’hal Shaarei Tefillah; Rabbi Chaim Schabes the Morah D’Asra of Knesses Yisroel in New Hempstead; Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Kaufman, Dayan of the Beis Horaah Beis Din; and Rabbi Ben Tzion Kokis, rav of K’hal Zichron Mordechai in South Monsey.

Sunday night these rabbis and others were scheduled to sign a proclamation against Tropper, calling on him to resign from all his rabbinic posts and move out of town.

The agreement Tropper signed preempted the release of that proclamation.

Here is more from the 5TJT:

To the Rabbonim of Monsey, uberosham HaRav HaGaon R’ Moshe Green Shlita, and HaRav HaGaon R’ Shlomo Breslauer Shlita:

1. In not fulfilling the requirement of the Shulchan Aruch that a leader be pirko no’eh, I am permanently and irrevocably resigning from all positions, severing all connection and relinquishing all titles and decision-making authority with respect to Kol Yaakov Torah Center, Inc. a/k/a Yeshiva Kol Yaakov (“Kol Yaakov”), effective immediately, including without limitation the position of Rosh Yeshiva, maggid shiur, trustee, and all other positions in connection with the institution, administration, or students of Kol Yaakov.
2. This does not constitute a relinquishment of monetary rights, if any, that I might have al pi halacha in any financial assets of the yeshiva.
3. Subject to the approval of Rabbi Moshe Green, I request that Rabbi Aron Schechter, Rabbi Elya Ber Wachtfogel and Rabbi Dovid Wolpin, or substitutes each may designate for themselves, choose a new Rosh Yeshiva for Kol Yaakov.
4. I will move out of Monsey in the very near future, but no later than the summer of this year.
5. Compliance with the above should close the matter.  There should be no harassment, slander or other damage – physical, monetary or otherwise – to any of the rabbonim, askanim, witnesses, or others involved in this matter. 

The document was signed by Leib Tropper and notarized by Robert Simins.

UPDATE: Noon CST – The Documents.

Comments

[chatz]

Progress is good. This solution is bad (but better than nothing).

Forcing Tropper out of Monsey doesn't solve the problem, it only shifts the headache from the Monsey Rabbis to the Rabbis in the community where Tropper settles. This is pretty similar to the supposed Chabad practice of shifting shluchim from one community to another when sexual accusations begin to fly.

What is needed here is a clear statement from the Rabbis, censuring Tropper: specifying their conclusion that he is guilty of [insert specified averahs here], and a clear psak that he cannot be involved in any future position in Jewish education and/or outreach.

Tropper's outcome is much weaker than the psak against Mordecai Tendler, and I don't see why that should be the case. (As noted before, at least one of the Rabbis on the Tropper bais din is also a co-signer on the psak against Mordecai Tendler.)

[Monsey Askan]

I heard that this video at Troppergate.com was the nail in the coffin that finally got Tropper to step down at the 11th hour, notice the coincidence that the video was released at about 5PM the Sunday that the Rabbi's convened.

[zach]

I'm waiting to hear from all of the Tropper-apologists who claim he was framed! Squirm out of this one, why dontcha!

[Devorah]

Big deal-so he has to move out of Monsey. They should send him to Haiti and do community service to help the Haitians. Oh wait, he would start a prostitution ring like the Dominican Sephardic. Maybe they could partner up to further abuse women.

[It's not over yet . . .]

The work is not yet over. The next step is that EJF must be closed down.

Having now been shown that it was devised, designed and operated by a thoroughly corrupt individual, it reinforces the claim of Rabbonim and Morei Horah around the USA and Europe, that EJF's design, purpose and modus operandi were all a corrupt sham - undermining the age old ehrliche approach and process of the mesorah of Giyur K'Halacha for all generations!

It is time to remove the nonsensical fictitious notion of "universal" or centralized" geirus (accreditation?).

Since time immemorial all matters of kedusha (Gitten, Kiddushin, Geyrus) were in the hands of each city's Rabbonim and Dayanim - even when there was a great Beis Din in Yerushalayim.

Let us all individually and collectively strongly support the returning of Atarah L'Yoshna!

[p]

Tropper is looking for a house in North Miami Beach to work with Schmelczer.

Stay tuned!!!

[Andy]

I think he might be moving to Spring Valley or Airmont. If he needs broader opportunities maybe Postville Iowa would be a good place.... hundreds of hispanic workers who could qualify for a substantial pay raise if he converts them!

[Bilaams Ass]

Haa, you think you got the real problem?

Rav Tropper is a but a symptom NOT THE CAUSE - you shallow hypocrites moran hagoan's bs's...

[Bilaams Ass]

Devorah you racist piglet, the dominican is not sephardic - the sephardim never even heard of this guy, as a matter of fact he is one of you yes your wonderful white trash- he davened at Habad

[Ricahuk]

this is unacceptable sex scandal. what kind of crazy rabbis in America. we need non orthodox jewish power in America & UK. hofes.org.il