Exclusive: Family Of Original Founder Of Rabbi Leib Tropper's Yeshiva Tries To Wrest Control From Tropper And Trustees

The fight is on for ownership of Yeshivas Kol Yaakov.

Rabbi Leib Tropper's sex-capades and clergy abuse have reopened the long dormant fight for ownership of Kol Yaakov yeshiva, originally founded by the Tress family but taken by Rabbi Leib Tropper after the untimely death of Rabbi Tress.

Part of the summons says that there is an issue with regard to a judgement on the yeshiva, both in it's property and in the way that it's being run, and you shall not change the management, sell or change the building until the issue within the beis din is settled.

Here is the beit din summons:

 

 

As a PDF file:

Download Beit Din Summons Tress v Kol Yaakov Yeshiva 4-16-10

[Hat Tip: HaNavon.]

Comments

[Yisroel Pensack]

Here's my analysis re the yeshiva and HaRav HaGroan Rabbi Tropper:

HaKol Kol Yaakov, V'HaYadayim, Y'dey Eysav. (see Gen. 27:22 for translation)

[Bill]

Wow! That is $250 per hour per side, for a total of $500 per hour.

Assuming there is a 3-judge panal, it comes out to $167 per hour per judge.

Annualized, that's more than $300,000 per year, more than the vast majority of doctors, lawyers, and judges make.

... and these are only the "above-board" figures. Then there are the bribes, kickbacks, cash payments, sexual favors, etc.

With these kinds of numbers, there is no point to leave yeshiva to get an education and earn a lousy $200,000 as a doctor or lawyer.

[HaNavon]

and don't think that they aren't taking bribes. they absolutely do!

[Equality]

In the coming week I am going to be submitting an essay to this blog about how Orthodox Jews in America and elsewhere in the world are responsible for causing anti-semitism.

I can prove my point, but for now I urge all of the orthodox readers of this blog to look at and take to heart the statement below. The large majority of you have no understanding of equality and think you are better than others.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

[HaNavon]

equality, there's alot of info that I might be able to help you with, contact shmarya if you want to speak to me.

be sure to mention the numbers of orthodox jews in US prisons, I did some research, the info is available online, I believe its 3.5-4 times higher than non orthodox jews, when adjusted for population.

[ad]

its about time they take back the yeshiva it belongs to them

[Abracadabra]

Shmarya, I don't understand what is going on.

Is this a legally binding case or is this just in the beis din? Aren't there LEGAL fights about the yeshiva going on in the secular courts (which you reported here)? If so, how can this beis din overturn the decisions of the secular courts? The Beis Din has now way of enforcing any of it's decisions. So, what's the point?

And who owned the yeshiva? Mike Tress?

Didn't he die in the 1950's?

Please explain.

[Dovid Jacobs]

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[shlomo]

I guess this proves that the whole ralley against Tropper was one thing called MONEY so that boils it down to that
2) isnt it already enough loosing a grandchild after this thing began? i thought that people would learn from that that it is not worth to try burying others well well i hope people dont end up suffering more !

[art]

The legal matters with Tress were decided in Beis Din in Tropper's favor decades ago. Mrs. Tress and her allies -- many wealthy -- have been hounding Tropper since then. No news here.

["shlomo" seek help]

Posted by: shlomo | April 17, 2010 at 10:47 PM

you are a sick and disturbed individual. i dont think even tropper would stoop to your level of demented reasoning...

...unless of course you are tropper.

[amateur]

Everyone knows that it was a joint venture in the beginning with laibel tropper living in Monsey and handling most of the day to day running of the yeshiva. Rav Avrohom gershon Tress zatzal got sick shortly after and was already in and out of the hospital by the time he moved to be near the yeshiva. Another member of the family mixed in and tried to use the almanah's name to hijack the yeshiva,

[HaNavon]

Shlomo, and Amateur,

Who lost their grandchild? Even if it did happen to one of Troppers enemies, who's to say that it's not a coincidence? People die all the time, people lose grandchildren all the time, I don't see a correlation. It may well be that Tropper is behind it, that would not surprise me at all! He's a man that held down and raped a male student in the yeshiva, who is now married and cannot come forward.

Amateur,
You're not correct. This was called a joint venture afterwards by Tropper, but many people who were involved with the yeshiva claim that Tropper hijacked it right before Tress died and then claimed it as his saying that it was a joint venture when in reality it was the yeshiva of Avraham Gershom Tress and Leibeleh Tropper was a rebbe in the yeshiva. I highly doubt that Tress would have made tropper a partner in the yeshiva in the midst of the scandal in which he was embroiled at the time, which was his having left his wife and children for a model who he had met. According to many reports, his current wife was the non Jewish wife of a Jewish man who had come to Tropper to learn about Judaism, Tropper convinced her to leave her family, he left his family, she converted and he married her.
Most stories say that she was Jewish and single, he was teaching her, fell in lust with her and left his wife and kids for her, but whatever the true story is doesn't change the fact the Tress would not likely take Tropper as his partner while he was doing this and it was well known.

[pupett]

Tress is also a bum they may have been right with tropper but screwed up in there live they lie cheat and steal al of them Shmuel B Mendal and Zvi

[The Truth]

The Tress Family is known for their chesed and Torah. I know all of the family and have nothing but the utmost respect for them. They deserve only the best in this case and in every other. The Tress brothers have supported their sister in law as has the rest of the extended family. Please DO NOT libel these people. Your facts are incorrect!!!!!
Stand with them as they stand for what is correct as they always have.

[pupett]

Don't even ask were the money for tje almunah went Shmuel tress??? Harlem NY here we come. theyt hang her out to dry and people who are involved know...her husband and mike were great people but the brother will sell them self for a buck.They6 have no tgiven her a dime now they feel they can cash in.....here they are........

[Never Forget]

Rav Avrohom Gershon Tress was a TZADDIK. PERIOD.
He helped me and hundreds of others. His children deserve to carry on his great work.
The point here is not to besmirch anyone, but to remember R' AG the way he was and would have been. He did G-ds work! Let that continue through his son.
May his memory be blessed forever.
We will always miss you, R' AG. Your smile, your warmth, and your sincerity.
You made us proud to be Jews.

[tvi t]

They have already been paid off by Tropper they got money thats what they wanted..rochel tress does not want this.....but the brothers do???!!!

[cash on the hill]

Tropper is a bum
R AG Tress was a Tzaddik and children are great people as well.....

other tress brothers??????ask around...= tropper

[Jon]

HaNavon has an outstanding record of his rumors being verified, I'm going with him on this one.

[Never Forget]

To Puppet:
This is not a personal note to you, but more to let everyone know that the Tress family at large has NOTHING to do with this. R' AG's son in involved as are his own siblings. THATS IT.
R' AG's brothers have been supportive of Mrs. AG Tress all the years, never took a dime from her, and never ever took a penny for themselves for anything.
GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!!!!!!!!
G-d Forbid, anything happens to me.....this is the family I would want to help me and my family!

[cash on the hill]

To never forget

why do you sound mad??? evrybody knows this ?????

[hollywoood nj]

eli weinstien ups.......moshe tress.....lien tropper..........

[EMES]

TO Hanavon and this blog,
You are blatantly stating falsehoods regarding Mrs. Tropper and Leib Tropper. Her mother,sister, and father are all JEWISH! I know them since way back, and she did not even know R. Tropper when he was still with his first wife. In fact, his first wife requested the get from HIM not the other way around...stop spewing lies, larceny and the likes of which you do not know anything about. He knew of her from lectures he was giving in NYC, when he was already divorced! I am an eyewitness. Go learn the HILCHUS of Motzi Shem RAh . In addition Rabbi Tress Tzl loved Rabbi Tropper and held him in high respect before his Petirah. He was honored at many of the KY dinners.

[Elyon man]

EMES,

You're a liar. His first wife rejected him because of his behavior, true. But he would not give her a get and she would therefore not give him a secular divorce. They were still married long after he moved in with "Leba" the Slimfast model.

Later he claimed to have a heter ma'oh rabbonim to allow him to have two wives without having to give Leah money as stated in their kesubah. Tropper is a forger, and many people in Monsey do not believe that all the signatures were real. In any event, it wasn't until Leah gave him a divorce so that she could receive a get and remarry that he started thinking of marrying Leba so that he could inherit her family's wealth. Whether they are now married halachically or secularly is anyone's guess.

Both wives were beautiful at the time. The first had brains and morals, so she couldn't put up with his shenanigans. The second was a groupie.

[drek kramer]

Thats true he never helped her anything I used to give ger money to live while they her was fighting with her

[Just Asking]

Elyon Man:

How do you know that this heter me'ah Rabbonim story id true?

Is it common knowledge amongst Rabbonim in Monsey?

Were R' Elya Ber and R' Aharon Shechter amongst the signatories?

[drek kramer]

Tropper Paid off Tress already I know first hand Mrs R Tress also has a shtar that says she has Baylis in the the building if Tropper leaves or sell the yeshiva...NOT SURE WHAT SHE THINKS SHE IS GETTING THE BUILDING IS WORTHLESS AND THE YESHIVA YOU CAN OPEN WERE EVER YOU WANT NO NEED TO BE IN A SMELLY PLACE UP ON HILL IN MONSEY....as to tress family i dont hold in high asteem.......R avrhom g tress was a real man so is his wife rochel

my words always remain with
"WITH TROPPER YOU WILL NEVER END"

[Elyon man]

Just asking:

It was common knowledge amongst rabbonim in Monsey at the time because of all the fighting about a get.

As for the signatories, the real question is whether he ever showed anybody a copy of the signatures. AFAIK, he just told people that he had it because nobody had a claim to sue to see it anyway.

[Just Asking]

So, you're saying that Tropper and Leeba were shacking up in Monsey, with full knowledge of the Monsey Rabbonim, who truested him on the heter me'ah?

[Elyon man]

Just Asking:

Absolutely.

What I freely admit I don't know is what he had to show to the mesader kedushin at his second chasunah. I know nothing of that chasunah.

Did anyone on this blog attend that chasunah?

[Zalman Alpert]

The Jewish Star in Long Island reported last week that Tropper wrote a check for a half million dollars and gave it to friends for deposit. Thereby cleaning out the yeshiva's account.

[EMES]

Yes, I attended the chasunah with many rabbonim who were there.. R.L did NOT live or shack up with her prior to that chasuna, I know this because I was rooming with him at the time. I was close by when they got engaged.
To: Elyon man, he was seperated/divorced for a few years prior to meeting his second wife. His children came to visit him regularly at a seperate home than his first wife. I dont understand how you can all make such FALSE accusations when I personally know the EMES!

[Elyon man]

To EMES,

There is a big difference between being separated and being divorced. His first wife did not live with him, but they did not have a get or a secular divorce. They were still married both halachically and secularly. A little digging in marriage records and a copy of Leah's get would put this all to rest.

The fact that a lot of rabbonim were there says nothing about the kashrus of the wedding. It all falls on the mesader kedushin, and some of us know what a trickster tropper can be with individuals.

You may know the emes. But if you do, you are hiding it.

Here was a man whose wife threw him out for his behavior, was still married, wrote a sefer on yichud, and was giving classes to women in NYC who knew nothing about halachah out of the eye of the community. Your friend, eh?

It never stops with tropper. People posted that the tapes were forgeries. When they are proven real people say it was a setup. Then that the video was a fake. Then that it was real but not him. Then that bais din proved it wrong. Then OK he did it but he did t'shuvah. And every time these "people"/trolls are proven wrong.

Your buddy is a lowlife who should be investigated in all aspects of his life to date.

[Never Forget]

Tropper never paid the Tress family one red cent. Not one. Ever.

Noone is going after his money.
R' AG's son deserves what's rightfully his.

Noone is interested in Tropper. Let him pack his bags and go.

Rebbetzin R. Tress, daughter of R' Mottel Katz zt"l is a great person, doing only what she belives is correct at this time.

Again, noone in the Tress family ever received one PRUTAH from Tropper.

[HaNavon]

rabosei,

It is very important to know to whom "shlomo" was referring when he said "isn't it enough loosing a grandchild after this thing began?". Several of Tropper's enemies have received death threats and several more have had strange tragedies, e.g. Guma Aguiar mysteriously suffering from a mental breakdown so severe that he needed to be institutionalized, Rabbi Breslauer suffering a stroke several hours after he forced Tropper to resign, Rabbi Tress dying of an abnormally fast growing cancer, leaving Tropper in complete control of the yeshiva...etc.
It may seem irrational to believe that Tropper is somehow behind the death of his enemy's grandchild, but a Rasha is as a Rasha does! If Tropper can send death threats to people who are his enemies, he can surely engineer the death of the grandchild of an enemy.
Anyone who has any information on this, please tell me!
It turns out this may be much more serious than any of us ever thought....

[Bill]

HaNavon,

Please...

[Elyon man]

HaNavon,

If indeed tropper is guilty of rape as you said, then that is enough to send him away for a long time.

The grandchild's death was a horrible thing that took place during a snowstorm in the Catskills. It was an accident that had nothing to do with tropper.

There are people who believe that tropper may have sent one of his talmidim with drug experience to slip Guma bad LSD. Such an action would have helped tropper at the time. Hurting the grandchild wouldn't have.

Have your friend who was raped come forward.

[Eli]

EMES is Roni from the daat torah blog (and was exposed as Tropper himself with Dovid Jacobs). Every world he says is a lie.

It was not mentioned that Tropper used to beat up his first wife Leah Margolin into pulps. It is common knowledge in Monsey.

She is an ashis Chail, his current wife (the swinger) is as someone else said a groupie.

Maybe he beat up Ms. Margoloin because she did want to play with other girls….. Leba (Laurel) did not mind, and according to the tapes she does mind shelo kedarcha...

Do parents who practice swinging make their children safek mazerim ?

[the truth]

I am a close freind of Reb. Tress the wife of the Rosh Hayeshivah Harav A. G. Tress ZT"L.
I can tell you firsthand that neither her or any of her brothers in laws ever got one penny from Tropper.
Furthemore her brothers in Laws were always there for her and her family.
This din torah has nothing to do with her brothers in law, this is strictly for her children, claiming what they feelis rightfullytheirs. No. not lookming for money, but to continue the avodas hakodesh that their father ZT"L started.
So please get your facts straight.

[red sox]

zvi tress ,david schick?????????what are those 2 devils up to today?

[[REDACTED BY SITEOWNER]]

The truth and never forget

You may have been to small at the time( Tress children)........... but Eli fishman zt"l(he was a great man) gave money to Tropper to pass on to Tress to end the fight......this is First hand........I may even have copies of the check. Dont say Tress wasnt paid off....I'm not sticking up for lieb tropper one drop but this is to clear the record.
Tress child sit down one day I will tell you what good our comunity did for you.

[NOTE FROM SITEOWNER:

This is one of a series of sockpuppet comments left by hollywood, nj; cash on the hill; tvi t; pupett and, in this case, Moshe Tress.

In other words, the same person left all these comments but used different names in order to skew the debate in his favor.

This is unethical and is not allowed, and this commenter is now officially banned.]

[EMES]

Eli,
I am not Roni, I do know that you,Elyon and Hanavon are making up such lies that I fear for you from Shamayim. I am not saying Tropper is a saint, but to make up such lies from his past that I know is not EMES is just as bad if not worse than what he is alleged to have done.

[HaNavon]

Elyon man,

He's married with several children and lives in the monsey community. he's not going to come forward with this, although I've heard that he gave his testimony in the beis din, but they didn't release it. I know the guy, he's really slow and tropper clearly just took advantage of him.

[Elyon man]

HaNavon,

That is a tragedy on many levels. First for the victim, and then for the repercussions that may follow.

Word is that tropper bought a house in South Fallsburgh. If he is brought up on any sex charges there in the future, the bais din could be held responsible for not reporting a suspected rapist. The dayanim could be held personally responsible, and the status of bais din in the US would probably be forever changed.

With all the money he has, he may be purchasing homes in other communities as well. He should be registered as a sex offender.

[jay]

it would be hard to prove absolutely that it was not consensual.

in any case there should be a separate registry for the likes of tropper titled "scum".

[Elyon man]

Jay,

Yes, such charges are always hard to prove when the victim had reached the age of consent.

However, all such incidents should be reported and investigated, if only to encourage others to come forward. Even if the absence of consensuality remains to be proven, a large number of people (male and female) coming forward with similar charges makes a guilty verdict possible.

It also alerts the community at large to be vigilant when it comes to this individual.

Furthermore, we should keep in mind that tropper's Achilles Heel is is haughtiness. History shows that he enjoys testing how much he can get away with through intimidation. There may be an underage victim in the mix. If so, a guilty verdict is likely under any circumstances.

If indeed this bais din threw tropper out of town because of the rape, then I don't know how they'll live with themselves when he relocates to another community.

[orly]

Tropper was "separated" from his first wife at time he met second wife leba. She walked into his Netzach Yisrael shiur in Manhattan, wearing "hot-pants," and in an emotional slump b/c she had just been dumped and humiliated by another guy during her trip to India when she was dumped for a brazilian chick.

Before she knows it, Tropper is shipping Laurel off to Israel for full immersion in orthodox Judaism and doesn't talk much about the previous wife or kids... but somehow eventually convinces her to give him 20,000 bucks to give his first wife a GET.

Leba speaks openly about her past... she was living the typical secular life... she was a tinok shenishbar. But out of the frying pan into the fire... she married a controlling, sick, manipulative guy masquerading as a rosh yeshiva, who had her shivering in her shoes lest he lash out at her -- for whatever reason, maybe she didn't make the supper fast enough. It was not an easy life with this man -- but there were kids...

What I don't understand is after all of this-- it's all out in the open now-- where is Leba's mega-millionaire sister Susan Blond or her Upper East Side classy mother who has been bankrolling the Troppers in all these years? How could they allow their sister/daughter to stay with this mentally disturbed lowlife? is this normal behavior to them? Just a religious clown version of Andy Warhol?

It speaks volumes about them that they do nothing, and when you know where Leba is coming from, you can understand how she got messed up with this character to begin with.