Exclusive: Letter From Haredi 'Gadol' Rabbi Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg Says Notorious Pedophile Innocent

For the first time, here is the 2006 letter written by haredi ‘gadol’ Rabbi Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg affirming that he ruled in 1985 that Rabbi Yehudah Kolko was innocent of all allegations of pedophilia and should not be fired from his teaching job.

For the first time, here is the 2006 letter written by haredi ‘gadol’ Rabbi Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg affirming that he ruled in 1985 that Rabbi Yehudah Kolko was innocent of all allegations of pedophilia and should not be fired from his teaching job.

Kolko, a notorious pedophile, pleaded guilty more than 20 years later to endangering the welfare of two children who were not yet born when Scheinberg ruled.* Other victims out of the statute of limitations also have come forward including David Framowitz, who says Kolko molested him 42 years ago.

Note that despite all the additional evidence against Kolko amassed over the 21 years between the beit din and this letter, Scheinberg does not change his ruling.

Also note that the letter does not give the halakhic basis or reason(s) for finding Kolko innocent. It just states that he is innocent and that Kolko's employer, Yeshiva Torah Temimah in Brooklyn, acted properly. The letter does not contain any of the embarrassing details of that 1985 ruling – a ruling Scheinberg made himself and coerced Rabbi Brown (see below) to reluctantly go along with. Rabbi Friedman (see below) refused to give in to Scheinberg's demand and did not agree with the ruling.

Scheinberg also allegedly intimidated and threatened witnesses before the beit din officially convened. (Yeshiva University's Rabbi Modechai Willig would take a page out of Scheinberg's book and do the same thing when his beit din found notorious serial child sex abuser, physical abuser and emotional abuser Rabbi Baruch Lanner innocent more than a decade later. Willig was almost fired when his role in protecting Lanner became public.)

Rabbi Scheinberg died yesterday in Jerusalem and was buried today. He was 101-years-old.

People who heard Scheinberg explain the beit din ruling in 1985 say Scheinberg claimed that because Kolko did not penetrate his victims, there was no actual abuse according to halakha. They also say that Scheinberg forbade them from reporting Kolko to police or giving any information related to the case to the media. Scheinberg told them it would violate the Jewish laws against mesirah, informing, and lashon hara, talebearing and spreading gossip.

The 2006 letter is dated 9 days after New York Magazine's exposé on Kolko was published. Scheinberg did not respond to New York Magazine's request for an interview. Neither did Torah Temimah's rosh yeshiva, Lipa Margulies.

Here is a translation of Scheinberg's 2006 letter:

Rabbi Chaim P. Scheinberg
Rosh Hayeshiva “Torah Ore”
And Morah Hora’ah of Kiryat Mattersdorf

With the help of God:

25th Day of Iyar 5766 [May 23, 2006]

Honorable Teachers and Rabbis:

This is with regard to the allegations against the teacher, Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi Kolko, may God watch over him and save him, in Yeshiva Torah Temimah in the year 5745 [1985]. Now there have surfaced again people to rouse these allegations against him once again, and further accused the leadership of the yeshiva [Yeshiva Torah Temimah] of culpability in that they turned a deaf ear to the allegations [against Kolko].

Let it be known that, in the year 5745 [1985] when the three [judges or the beit din, religious court] sat as one, I sat together as one with the sage Rabbi S. Z. Friedman, the head of the Tenka Beth Din; and the sage Rabbi S. Z. Brown, the author of The Gates of Excellence in Halacha, to adjudicate this matter.

After a thorough delving into the minute details of the matter, we concluded in accordance with the wisdom of our holy Torah to reaffirm his [Kolko’s] standing of innocence and determined that he shall retain his job as a teacher.

And on this I came to sign:

Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg


I was present at the time that my teacher and master the head of the yeshiva, may he live long and good days; wrote the above confirmation and he signed it with full faculties without any undue influence.

Yisroel Yechezkiel Plutchock

* The D.A.'s office apparently told police involved in the case that the families had, on thier own, decided not to allow their sons to testify in court, and that was the basis for offering Kolko a plea bargain to lesser charges. That guilty plea was entered after the families of the two victims were, by their own accounts, lied to by the D.A. and tricked into agreeing to the plea bargain only to find out aterward that the D.A. had lied to them. Both families told The Jewish Week they wanted to go to trial and that they were angered that the D.A. had lied to them and manipulated them.

Not long after, the D.A. launched Kol Tzedek, a program to allow haredi sex offenders to be reported directly to a Jewish liasioin at the D.A.'s office and not to police or child protection services.

The D.A. has used Kol Tzedek to hide the names of almost 90 haredi men reported to it since 2009 and to hide the resolution of their cases. When pressured by activists and journalists, the D.A. claimed the information of the pedophiles could not be released because it would identify the victims – a position legal scholars and activists reject out of hand, noting among other things that the law provides for withholding victims' names, not pedophiles' names, and that who point out that non-haredi sex offenders name's are released by the D.A. all the time.

Tzvi Gluck, a well regarded haredi community activist who deals frequently with police and the D.A., said publicly on a Jewish community radio show that he knew what had been done with these cases of haredi pedophilia. The rabbis and the D.A. had fixed the cases, allowing many pedophiles to walk free while pleading others out to misdomeanor charges (like Kolko) to keep them off the sex offender registry.

Gluck also spoke about a haredi rabbi who told a victim's family that, becuase their son had not been penetrated by the haredi pedophile, there was no sex abuse according to the Torah.

Comments

[corn popper]

WOW!!!!!

[moshe]

you could have waited until after shloshim

[Baruch Pelta]

"To allow significant political figures to be heralded with purely one-sided requiems — enforced by misguided (even if well-intentioned) notions of private etiquette that bar discussions of their bad acts — is not a matter of politeness; it’s deceitful and propagandistic. To exploit the sentiments of sympathy produced by death to enshrine a political figure as Great and Noble is to sanction, or at best minimize, their sins. Misapplying private death etiquette to public figures creates false history and glorifies the ignoble."
--Glenn Greenwald

[In the name of all Kolko victims]

Earlier this morning Hagaon Pinchas Scheiberg was seen standing in front of Hakodosh Baruch Huh, being asked several questions - "Harav Scheinberg - What did you do to protect little children from pain and suffering?" and his answer "I always followed Daas Hatoirah", and then is asked "Rav Scheinberg - And what did you to stop little boys who were learning Toirah in Yeshivas and in frum summer camps from getting hurt?" and he answers "I told them the importance of learing the holy Toirah and doing Mitzvos", and he then is asked "Scheinberg - And what did you do to investigate claims of abuse of young innocent children learning Toirah and doing Mitzvos?" and he answers "I flew all the way to Galus (America) in order to verify these horrific allegations, with all my expenses being paid by the Great Gadol Harav Lipa Margolis, and after speaking with several of these so called young victims I concluded that they did not understand Holocho" and then Hashem asks "And what Halacha would that be?" and Sheinberg responds "The very choshuvo one -that in cases where there is so called molestation of young children by a heiliche rebbi, and there is no actual sexual penetration - just touching and fondling, and fishing and groping, then according to Holocho and of course Daas Toirah nothing bad occurred, it was only this rebbi's way of showing his love and affection to all of the hundreds and thousands of his grateful talmidim!".
At that point the holy and great Hakodosh Baruch Huh looked directly at Scheinberg and said to him: You fool, whilst you might have thought yourself and fooled others to think that you were a Gadol and Tolmid Chochom, in my eyes and all of the others here today, you are a petty little man who, as a direct result of your actions, has caused the pain and suffering of hundreds and thousands of young, innocent holy Jewish boys, many of who are no longer frum or keeping my Torah and Mitzvos, many who turned to drugs and alchohol, or even committed suicide, and all because of you. Whist you did try to do good by founding a Yeshiva and teaching so many, but your crimes against those young victims far outweighs any good that you ever did in your life, including your strange habit of putting on and wearing so many pairs of Tzitzis. I therefore rule that you are not going to go to Gan Eden but will enter Gihennom where you must pay for all of the victims of Kolko - 1 year for every student that Kolko ever taught or possibly molested in Yeshivas Torah Vodaas, in Torah Temimah or in Karlin-Stolin, 5 years for every student that he actually molested, and 10 years for every victim that you specifically told that according to Toirah and Holocho were not molested." After all of these thousands of years that you will suffer in Gihennom, feeling the pain and suffering of Kolko's victims, then I will then once again look at your case, and after dealing with your other co-conspirators in covering up the Kolko affair, will decide at that point what to do with your neshama!"

[jewishwhistleblower]

It appears that a number of those who posted comments on this blog attacking Shmarya now have a clear obligation to publicly ask of him Mechilah. But of course they won't. They don't really believe in the principles of Judaism that they claim as their own, such as Emes.

[Good Riddance]

Rabbi Pinchus Scheinberg was a vile man. His silly tzitzis affectation served to disguise his cynical opportunism.

Lipa Margulies knew what he was doing when he hired the likes of Scheinberg in 2005 to clear Rabbi Yehuda Kolko. Scheinberg bullied witnesses, victims and even one of his fellow dayonim to do Margulies' bidding.

Every victim of Kolko after 1995 owes their suffering to Scheinberg and Margulies.

Every victim of Kolko since 1968 has a right to spit on the grave of this vile man.

Achrei mos kedoshim? Not Rabbi Pinchus Scheinberg. He wasn't a silly sweet man with a tzitzis fetish, he was evil.

We can't allow this vile man to get away with his terrible deeds. He needs to be remembered for the man he truly was, not the man his followers would like us to believe he was.

Thank you Shmarya for placing yourself in the line of fire and telling it like it was.

[SkepticalYid]

Posted by: jewishwhistleblower | March 21, 2012 at 09:13 AM

If you note the first comment on this thread, you'll see they'll always find a way to attack him for telling the truth.

[ym]

jewishwhistleblower-
no, they asked for proof that he made the ruling because of the lack of penetration. This letter, as noted, does not state he ruled as he did.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

על הצדיקים ועל החסידים
yiikes
but that's very simple.
the deceased, must have been already fully demented by 2006
or maybe yet, the letter was never generated from him.

[DBSesq]

Yesterday I asked Shmarya to identify the person who was in the room when R. Scheinberg made the p'sak in question. Today he's given more than that. I don't see, at this point, how anyone can question what R. Schienber'g view on this case was as of 2006. And unless there is evidence that he changed his mind, this is his final word. He didn't believe Kolko did anything wrong. Since victims themselves have stated that they told R. Scheinberg what was done to them in explicit detail, I don't understand how such a p'sak was made.

On a different note, Shamraya has been held to a high standard of proof and has met that burden To the extent I may have appeared to be impugning his credibility in this regard, I apologize. I wasn't trying to. I only wanted more information. And now I have it.

[jewishwhistleblower]

But of course those attacking Shmarya and shouting lashon hara do not understand the law:

http://jsafe.org/pdfs/Lashon%20Hara%20and%20Abuse.pdf
(Excerpt)

"However, despite this enactment, there are times when one is permitted to speak ill of the dead. It is important to note that this prohibition is not derived from the Torah verse banning lashon hara; it stems from a rabbinic decree and is, thus, no more stringent than the laws of lashon hara themselves. Since lashon hara which is otherwise biblically prohibited is allowed if there is a to’elet [beneficial purpose], so too lashon hara about the deceased is permitted if there is a to’elet."

[Shmarya]

Posted by: DBSesq | March 21, 2012 at 09:48 AM

Thank you.

[jewishwhistleblower]

I will give DBS credit. His apology is the appropriate course of action here. It unfortunate others have not acted in the same manner.

[Good Riddance]

Yosef ben Matitya,

The deceased, (Scheinberg) was fully corrupt and mercenary way before 2006.

And, Yisroel Yechezkiel Plutchock of Yeshiva Derech Chaim, 1573-39th Street (16th Ave corner 39th Street)in Brooklyn New York was kind enough to attest to the veracity of Scheinberg's psak. In writing. On the psak itself.

Call him and ask whether his rebbe wrote and signed the psak.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>the deceased, must have been already
>fully demented by 2006 or maybe yet,
>the letter was never generated from
>him.

That appears to be completely contradicted by Rabbi Yisroel Plutchock, Rosh Yeshiva of Derech Chaim.

[MARK MEYER A]

A SAD DAY FOR ALL THE SURVIVORS OF KOLKO AND A SAD DAY FOR KLAL YISROEAL

[Good Riddance]

Mark Meyer A,

Why is this a sad day for Klal Yisroeal?

[Hal]

How does Shmarya come up with these things? Do you have a team of investigative reports? Amazing.

[Mike]

People are always going to find reasons to say no. People are so stuck to their belief that rabbis are infallible that when a rabbi is accused of something terrible, they go right to his defense.

Now that I have this information, I have a physical reminder of how these rabbis stigmatize the victims every day.

It is a bombshell. Rabbi Scheinberg was one of the biggest names as far as Haredi rabbis go. But this is bona fide evidence that the entire premise of Haredi society is based on giving power to people who do not deserve it. Thank you, Shmarya.

[moshe]

Can we see where the other 2 Rabbi's were coerced and didnt agree?

[Shmarya]

Can we see where the other 2 Rabbi's were coerced and didnt agree?

Posted by: moshe | March 21, 2012 at 10:26 AM

Are you really this foolish?

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

You could have waited until after shloshim

Why? I'm sure it's a zechus for his neshama to review some of the rabbi's Torah. This letter reveals the rabbi's special cognitive abilities. Quite extraordinary.

[Good Riddance]

Moshe,

What is the impact either way? If the other rabbis were merely coerced they're complicit. If they agreed with Scheinberg they're collaborators.

They are to be condemned either way.

They had an obligation to protect children from Kolko, Margulies and Yeshiva Torah Temimah. They did not do so.

Lives were ruined.

[moshe]

the article says (see below. I dont see anything below about that. maybe I am that foolish, I'm just interested in seeing that.

[SkepticalYid]

Sorry, I meant to say the 2nd post. Not the first.

[ultra haredi lite]

So utterly sad that a man who devoted his entire life to helping others, hurt so many...
very tough to comprehend

[Shmarya]

he article says (see below. I dont see anything below about that. maybe I am that foolish, I'm just interested in seeing that.

Posted by: moshe | March 21, 2012 at 10:35 AM

Oh. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I wrote "(see below)" because I had not mentioned those rabbis yet or explained who they are.

It was just meant to tell you that I'd explain that below.

[jewishwhistleblower]

This may help:
http://rabbimatisyahusalomon.blogspot.com/
...
· 1985 – Upon the dissolution of the above bais din..

[moshe]

Good Riddance,
The difference is:
A. While you are correct that they should have done something either way, It still sheds light on the personality of the other 2.
B. If Rabbi Scheinberg ruled this way even with 2 others arguing with him.......
C. This might be unpopular but, ultimately the world has come a far away in terms of its understanding of sexual abuse a lot of things happened in many different religous and cultural arenas in the 80's and 90's that today would be not tolerated due to the exposure of the issue. If Rabbonim were coerced to follow it proves that the cover up was much more a cover up then a sign of the times. For example imagine if Joe paterno had stopped people from going to the police instead of just not doing that much, people would be less sympethetic to him.

[moshe]

Shmarya,
So how do you know they disagreed and were coerced? have they written that anywhere?

[jewishwhistleblower]

...
1985 – Upon the dissolution of the above bais din, Rabbi Lipa Margulies retains Rabbi Pinchus Scheinberg to convene a second bais din for the purpose of clearing Rabbi Yehuda Kolko’s name. Rabbi Lipa Margulies then drafts Rabbi Friedman (the Tenka Rav) and Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Brown to serve on Rabbi Scheinberg’s bais din. Prior to convening the bais din, Rabbi Pinchus Scheinberg speaks with several of Kolko’s victims and asks them to describe what Kolko has done to them. Upon hearing the allegations Rabbi Scheinberg informs the boys that in the eyes of halacha they had not been molested. Rabbi Scheinberg also calls the askanim and tells them to cease and desist in their attempts to remove Kolko from chinuch. Rabbi Avigdor Miller disagrees and instructs the askanim in no uncertain terms to do whatever must be done to protect children from Kolko. Rabbi Pinchus Scheinberg convenes the bais din and takes the position that Rabbi Kolko has a chezkas kashrus absent any testimony by two adult witnesses to any single event. Rabbi Friedman takes the position that in light of the persistent rumors Rabbi Kolko must be kept away from children. Rabbi Brown ultimately concedes that there is no halachic evidence against Kolko and the din torah is concluded. Rabbi Lipa Margulies insists that he has a psak from this bais din but to this day has refused to produce it. Regardless, it is of note that no victims testified before this bais din.
...

[moshe]

Meaning,
Your article seems to put more blame on RPS then the other 2. Why?? the letter is merely an affirmation that the beth din found kolko innocent. How do we know that that was actually RPS decision and not all 3?

[Good Riddance]

Moshe,

Scheinberg was hired by Margulies to convene and head this private bais din. This was Scheinberg's bais din.

The details of what transpired there came from people who were there and others who spoke with people who were there.

Margolies is a talkative fellow. Call him and ask for details.

[moshe]

Got it.

[Litvish]

Well, he was my rebbe for two years.

At the time (1969-71) he told me that the way to get rid of my homosexuality was to learn more gemoro. He assumed that I agreed that it was something to get rid of.

At the time I am sure that he felt he was on the cutting edge of psychiatric thought on the matter since, according to him, all answers to life are in the pages of Torah.

I learned more gemoro but the "cure" never materialized.

Thank god.

Now I am a happy, healthy 63 year old gay man in a solid relationship for 27 years with another man.

A sheynem dank, rebbe.

Too bad you didn't live long enough to come to my wedding.

[A E ANDERSON]

I don't see what your problem is with the 1985 ruling by an ecclesiastical panel that is clearly superseded by other developments and revelations.

A panel rules, presumably based on the best evidence then available to it, that this certain rabbi should keep his specific post, in effect clearing him of allegations that were apparently, at the time, insufficiently substantiated with respect to the narrow matter at hand: the man's continued employment at a specific time in a specific period for a specific employer.

With the passage of time, others might well bring sufficient evidence to another (or the same) ecclesiastical panel, which might well rule otherwise. Courts, civil or ecclesiastic, can only rule on matters at hand and evidence before them:

Scheinberg's ruling may well have been correct at the time it was issued, and the mere fact that his panel found differently under other circumstances is surely not a religious endorsement of what is, le-kulei 'alma, a grave sin that cannot be tolerated generally and especially in those who teach children.

So as you so merrily condemn Orthodox rabbis for perpetrating, facilitating or enabling sexual abuse of children, please reflect on the fact that in Judaism, such behavior represents a grave sin. No rabbi known to engage in such behavior could be allowed to continue in his post any more than a Sabbath violator or consumer of carrion.

I don't know what kind of dream world you folks live in, but I cannot conceive of any rabbi being allowed to continue in his post in any US congregation were there credible (and even less than credible) allegations circulating to the effect that the cleric buggers or sodomizes little boys, etc.

Even people who did attend the services officiated at by such a cleric would likely spend most of the time pointing and snickering.

Remember, in Judaism we don't have the easy out of the televangelists, who merely need proclaim that they are sinners, too, in need of God's cleansing grace. Far lesser sins are disqualifying character flaws for the rabbinate, a fortiori child molesting.

So I really hate to break the news but the synagogues of the world are not and will never be nests of pederasty.

[Flatbusher]

I hold the Menahel of Yeshiva Torah Temimah in Flatbush responsible for everything. He is the most vile, baal gayvah you will ever see. HE is similar to the treyfah Catholic Bishops who felt that the concept of "Church Uber Alles" rules.

Lipa Margolies knew that innocent yiddishe kinderlach were being suexually molested in his building and/or by his staff, and instead of cutting his losses and protecting current and future children , he felt that protecting his "CHURCH" in Flatbush took precedence over everything.

Hence he called in favors from all these Rabbis (who asked for favors in the past from him to accept children in his school which used to considered elite before people found out about the molesters there, but understood that there will be a quid pro quo in the future) and they did his bidding.

This is not Yiddishkeit; this is the worst kind of corruption possible & if you need an explanation why we are still in golus you need go no further than this. Forget about the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundaton.

Thank you "Failed Messiah" the only place in Jewish Media (also Nuchem Rosenberg on his blog) where you can get the truth.

We feel like Russian Jews used to feel in the old Soviet Union hearing the propoganda from the 'official' channels non stop & had to rely on Western sources for the truth.

[SupportTheSurvivors]

Posted by: In the name of all Kolko victims | March 21, 2012 at 09:11 AM

+1

[Robert Wisler]

Scheinberg ejaculated the following sentence:

in accordance with the wisdom of our holy Torah

His entire miserable life was an act of defecating upon "our holy Torah".....

[Jeff]

Posted by: A E ANDERSON | Clown Heights 11213 | March 21, 2012 at 11:21 AM

Did that really make sense to you as you were typing it?

[Good Riddance II]

Wow. I never knew that his evil ways were recognized by so many. He has a faithful cadre of thugs and protectors. This post and comments reveals the extent of his manipulation of Rabbis and establishing corrupt Batei Din.

Even in death his victims still carry fear.

[jancsibacsi]

A E ANDERSON-Youre really really good at discombobulating everything that is discussed here or written about what a wacko you are.

[seymour]

the problem is that rabbi like him feel that everything under the sun can be solved by THEIR INTERPRETATION of Torah.
The Torah is perfect. Therefore, if the Torah says there must be two adult witnesses then that is it. And since the Torah not only them but forever, then it must follow that since there is no adult witnesses kolco must be innocent, otherwise the Torah would have mentioned the sometimes a child could be believed.

I do not think he was evil just delusional. A delusion that effect many.

Of course the bug problem is that the Torah just does not say much about anything really it just tells a fantastic stony.

all the other stuff is just made up even if one wants to believe that it was written by god

[huhuggi]

i'm not here to choshev hashem's cheshbonos but 3 little children were also buried today. coincidence? who knows...
may we never hear of such things ever again.
pls, brothers be careful what you say and do, we have enough enemies from without..

[jewishwhistleblower]

>I do not think he was evil just
>delusional.

The allegation he was delusional at the time of writing the letter appears to be completely contradicted by Rabbi Yisroel Plutchock, Rosh Yeshiva of Derech Chaim.

[jewishwhistleblower]

huhuggi, I fail to understand how we honor our 3 precious little children in France by being silent in the face of corruption, abuse and the spiritual murder of our children by child molesters and their protectors. Chaim Deutsch publicly stated that unknown to the average frum Jew, people are being raped on a daily basis in the Orthodox community in Brooklyn (that is higher than in the general community). In Judaism we protect the vulnerable in our community and speak out/act against corruption and abuse both in and outside our community. Perhaps you have our religion confused with some other religion that sacrifices children in the name of some false deity?

[ah-pee-chorus]

a HUGE yasher ko'ach to shmarya and whoever provided him with this important document.

After a thorough delving into the minute details of the matter, we concluded in accordance with the wisdom of our holy Torah to reaffirm his [Kolko’s] standing of innocence and determined that he shall retain his job as a teacher.

and therein lies the problem. allowing logic, reason, and our innate sense of morality to be suspended in lieu of interpretation of some old books which themselves reflected the morality and constraints of a society in the bronze age leads to tragedy.
does anyone doubt that if one of scheinbergs sons or grandsons described being molested by kolko that he would have ruled differently? shame on this little fool of a man.

[ah-pee-chorus]

i guess donning 100 wool, four cornered ,tassled garments doesnt lead to wisdom or righteousness after all. i'm shocked.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>scheinbergs sons or grandsons
One of Scheinberg's grandsons is an alleged pedophile. The DA in the case stated that "We believe that there was pressure placed on the victim and children's families to get them not to testify," ... "There was a child who could have substantiated what was said, and that family would not cooperate."

A civil suit was settled by the camp the grandson worked at days before Newsday was to publish an article about the alleged abuse.

[huhuggi]

jwb, you completely misunderstood me.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>jwb, you completely misunderstood me.
I don't believe I have. Perhaps you should clarify your comment or retract it.

[ah-pee-chorus]

: jewishwhistleblower-

can you tell me which grandson? or where i might get the info? this is quite important since i think one of his grandsons teaches at an MO yeshiva in which i have friends and relatives.

[seymour]

The allegation he was delusional at the time of writing the letter appears to be completely contradicted by Rabbi Yisroel Plutchock, Rosh Yeshiva of Derech Chaim.

Posted by: jewishwhistleblower | March 21, 2012 at 12:14 PM

I meant delusional at all times to think that everything under the son can be solved or decided just by looking at the Torah

[jewishwhistleblower]

One site:
theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2006/03/pinchos-sheinbergs-grandson-infamous.html

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

Imagine if you had to research a topic and present a paper to your boss where you work, and the only reference you used was a 1000 year old encyclopedia.
Imagine how outdated and backward your presentation would sound.
And that is how gedolim prepare the positions they issue.

[LikeItIs]

Amazing, all this anger and rage, by coincidence at the moment of his death. Maybe it is because he now cannot defend or speak for himself? Sure looks like Shmarya was circling like a vulture for the last breath to leave his body before pouncing.

I am sure, mark my words, that Shmarya is chomping at the bit waiting for more Jewish deaths to feast upon.

[jewishwhistleblower]

The Torah/religious law lets one go to a doctor for treatment and report abuse to police. Scheinberg was part of a group of rabbonim who improperly prevented reporting abuse to police and deliberately misapplied religious law to protect abusers. Where's the delusion?

[ah-pee-chorus]

jewishwhistleblower-

thanks. a different grandson.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>the only reference you used was a 1000
>year old encyclopedia.

That's just not have halacha works. Clearly real scholars utilize scientific knowledge and secular experts. There are literally tens of thousands of seforim that constitute the Torah (written and oral law).

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

++LikeItIs | March 21, 2012 at 01:18 PM++

Scheinberg's hospital roommate will be checking out in a few more days.

[jewishwhistleblower]

LikeItIs, Shmarya is entitled to defend himself against the shrills of a dead unrepentant protector of a convicted pedophile. Shrills like you have necessitated this thread.

[jancsibacsi]

ah-pee-chorus-For the life of me why would anyone think of going to rabbi or asking one about a molestation case concerning one of their own its like who in their right mind would incriminate their own , if you got to ask a rabbi and cant differenciate youreself whats right or wrong then youre hopless idiot

[jewishwhistleblower]

>And that is how gedolim
Such people are not gedolim no matter how many ignorant people they convince to the contrary.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>if you got to ask a rabbi and cant
>differenciate youreself whats right or
>wrong then youre hopless idiot
We should not have spiritual leaders who only offer support to molesters and not the survivors of abuse.

[Bas Melech]

Amazing, all this anger and rage, by coincidence at the moment of his death. Maybe it is because he now cannot defend or speak for himself? Sure looks like Shmarya was circling like a vulture for the last breath to leave his body before pouncing.

I am sure, mark my words, that Shmarya is chomping at the bit waiting for more Jewish deaths to feast upon.

Posted by: LikeItIs | March 21, 2012 at 01:18 PM

I think you are wrong. Other rabbis have died, and Shmarya didn't attack them after their deaths like this awful man.

[Chicago Sam]

Outstanding coverage--once again, the community owes a debt of gratitude to Shamarya for exposing the rabbi for the person he really was.

The other rabbis deserve to be sued for going along with R. Pinchas Shainberg.

[Charlie Hall]

Rabbi Willig admitted he was wrong in the Lanner case, and apologized.

http://www.torahweb.org/torah/special/2003/rwil_stmtSicha2.html

[Joe Field]

Posted by: ah-pee-chorus | March 21, 2012 at 12:36 PM

On contrary, any person who dons 100 garments to fulfill some stupid stone age fantasy, itself a sign that he is crazy.

[SkepticalYid]

Amazing, all this anger and rage, by coincidence at the moment of his death. Maybe it is because he now cannot defend or speak for himself? Sure looks like Shmarya was circling like a vulture for the last breath to leave his body before pouncing.

I am sure, mark my words, that Shmarya is chomping at the bit waiting for more Jewish deaths to feast upon.

Posted by: LikeItIs | March 21, 2012 at 01:18 PM

There's tangible documentation on this post that Pinny actively protected a pedophile, and this is all you have to say? You evidence no compassion for the victims or their families whatsoever.

[seymour]

>And that is how gedolim
Such people are not gedolim no matter how many ignorant people they convince to the contrary.

Posted by: jewishwhistleblower | March 21, 2012 at 01:36 PM

unfortunately those people are exactly the godolem the black hats look up-to

[ah-pee-chorus]

: jancsibacsi | March 21, 2012 at 01:33 PM

so true.

Joe Field -| March 21, 2012 at 02:03 PM

or religiously delusional, which isnt considered 'crazy' by psychiatric definition, but should be.

[larry]

So he made a mistake. Perhaps a big one. He thought the man was innocent when he apparently was not.

I don't see how that negates everything he has done in his entire lifetime.

And FYI, he did consult with men of science and read modern literature. he didn't just look everything up in a "1000 year old encyclopedia".

[ah-pee-chorus]

I don't see how that negates everything he has done in his entire lifetime.

Posted by: larry

it doesnt NEGATE, it OUTWEIGHS. theres nothing he could have done short of putting his life in jeopardy to physically save tens of people that would counterbalance the damage caused to so many innocent kids thanks to this.
and can you list a few of the highlights of the good he did in his lifetime that doesnt first require a belief that learning and spreading torah is somehow helpful to the world?

[Beth Frank-Backman]

Larry: this is not "just a mistake". One badly run investigation/beit din is a mistake. Two is a refusal to learn from one's mistakes. Mistakes are things we repent from and try to do better next time. Even when he had a second chance and maybe third and forth chances to get it right, he continued and at grave cost to fellow human beings.

LikeItIs: --- Amazing, all this anger and rage, by coincidence at the moment of his death. Maybe it is because he now cannot defend or speak for himself? ---

There's no coincidence. I can't speak for others, but I see two reasons for drawing attention to this issue after his death and neither of them have to do with him being defenseless.

First, while a person is living, there is always a possibility of teshuva, so I try hard to distinguish between the sin and the human being who performs the sin. But once we die, we have no more choices to make. The choices we made while we were alive become our definition.

I don't personally feel rage, more grief that an opportunity was missed and for the survivors who will never hear an apology from his lips. But if I were to feel rage, the rage I think would come from the realization now that there will never be an apology or retraction. The door to that hope closed with his death.

Second, as I wrote on Shmarya's "Baruch Dayan v'Emet" post, his actions just aren't the normal foibles we try to overlook after someone has died. Consistent with my first point, I only wrote that reply only after he died. Before then, there he still had an opportunity to return some of the hope he stole from the victims.

Based on what I know of sexual abuse, its impact on victims, and the role of silence and denial in magnifying that impact, this is all kinds of wrong: enticing people to avodah zarah (see my BDE comment), perverting justice, standing silently by the blood of one's neighbor, placing a stumbling block before the blind, and I'm sure quite a few more.

With all the praise that accompanies funerals, I feel it is important to make sure that this particular failing is not ignored. Given the seriousness of the accusations, it is important that there be more than "I heard it. Trust me" if such proof is available. That proof cannot wait and Shmyra has provided that proof.

[Good Riddance]

http://nymag.com/news/features/17010/

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
ON THE RABBI'S KNEE: BY ROBERT KOLKER
MAY 14, 2006

"One rabbi molesting twenty students over several decades would be disturbing enough, but Framowitz’s lawsuit alleges that there was also a conspiracy among powerful members of the ultra-Orthodox community to cover up Kolko’s actions. The suit names not just Kolko but his yeshiva—accusing Kolko’s boss, Rabbi Lipa Margulies, of orchestrating “a campaign of intimidation, concealment and misrepresentations designed to prevent victims from filing lawsuits.” According to the complaint, Margulies, a pillar of the Borough Park community, took extraordinary measures to derail a rabbinical court action, or beit din, against Kolko in the eighties—telling family members of a dozen alleged victims that if they came forward, they’d be shunned by the ultra-Orthodox world and their other children would be expelled from his respected yeshiva and kept from enrolling elsewhere (Margulies is named in the suit but not as a defendant). The suit also alleges that Margulies had a revered ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Pinchus Scheinberg (also not a defendant), tell the victims that as a matter of Jewish law, Kolko would have had to have more than just fondled them for the acts to qualify as sexual abuse."

"The group, along with parents and former campers from Camp Agudah, then tried summoning a beit din to rule on Kolko. They demanded Kolko not be there so the victims would feel comfortable telling their stories. But when the proceeding began, he was there, so they left. Then Margulies is said to have started a second beit din. According to Framowitz’s lawsuit, Pinchus Scheinberg, the powerful rabbi who was close to Margulies, contacted several of Kolko’s alleged victims, listened to their complaints, and told them that what happened to them was not abuse—that there needed to be penetration and that because there was none, their claims were not actionable. Then, the lawsuit says, threats followed. One father allegedly was told by Margulies over the phone that if his boy continued to complain, the safety of the rest of his children could not be assured. Both beit dins were halted, the victims never went to the police, and for years, Margulies told others who inquired about Kolko that the rabbi and the school had been exonerated."

[larry]

I don't pretend to understand or defend the letter. I suppose it could be publicized as a cautionary example for rabbis to learn that they are not infallible and that they are capable of causing harm.

My point is that it was an anomaly. Among other things, Rav Scheinberg did ,uch to defend children who were sexually abused. He was also very vocally against corporal punishment of any kind and effected change in these areas.

I don't think that you will find many letters written by Rav Scheinberg after 2006. I would like to think that he himself realized that the letter may have been a bad idea

[Good Riddance]

Larry,

"I don't think that you will find many letters written by Rav Scheinberg after 2006."

So despite his policy of not issuing writings, Scheinberg clearly deemed this issue important to issue a written ruling on it and have his esteemed shick yingel Plutchock attest to it.

What does this say about him?

[Abracadabra]

I think it is incumbent upon us to show our support for this website with monetary donations.

If we believe in truth and justice then we need to support the upkeep of the ONLY website that is willing to post daily, up-to-the-minute news on the most unpopular subjects and events in the Orthodox Jewish world.

[Chicago Sam]

This whole scandal adds new meaning to the concept of to'evah--"abomination," doesn't it?

[Shmarya]

Rabbi Willig admitted he was wrong in the Lanner case, and apologized.

http://www.torahweb.org/torah/special/2003/rwil_stmtSicha2.html

Posted by: Charlie Hall | March 21, 2012 at 01:48 PM

Charlie,

He did that under extreme duress to save his job.

Since that apology, R. Willig has done nothing to help victims of child sex abuse or to help prevent child sex abuse NOTHING.

Causing extreme damage to a group of people, creating a situation that causes more innocent children to be damaged by Lanner, and doing NOTHING to make that right past saying sorry is NOT acceptable.

As I've written several times over the years, R. Willig should have been fired then and he should be fired now.

He's a horrible man with blood on his hands.

[David Lerner]

Wow.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: A E ANDERSON | Clown Heights 11213 | March 21, 2012 at 11:21 AM

Did that really make sense to you as you were typing it?

Posted by: Jeff | March 21, 2012 at 11:48 AM

Anderson is a sick man.

For years, h has consistently tried to cover for pedophiles and their enablers.

The facts do not matter to him.

In this case, Scheinberg first ruled in 1985. The letter posted here was written 21 years later to confirm that ruling.

Even though there were many more victims of Kolko by then, and the evidence against him had exponentially grown, Scheinberg didn't retract his ruling or do anything to protect children.

And because his 1985 ruling was actually issued in violation of halakha – just like Willig's was with Baruch Lanner – to, write off what Scheinberg did as Anderson does is itself a violation of halakha and form of lying.

Scheinberg did not have a difference of opinion with victims. Scheinberg ignored or spun the facts so that he could rule against Kolko's victims because that was his mission.

In the same way, Anderson is not innocently misunderstanding the case – he is INTENTIONALLY misrepresenting it because this is his mission.

Anderson is not some innocent commenter on a blog – he is intentionally covering for pedophiles and for so-called mainstream Chabad.

We know why Scheinberg did what he did and we know who induced him to do it.

But we do not know that about Anderson.

But we will.

[SkepticalYid]

But we do not know that about Anderson.

But we will.

Posted by: Shmarya | March 21, 2012 at 03:37 PM

That sounds like a cliffhanger. ;-)

[Scott]

So a 95. Year old man made a mistake. Wow
This of course negates every other good thing he did in his life according to you losers. One wonders how the world will judge shmarya

[Shmarya]

So a 95. Year old man made a mistake. Wow
This of course negates every other good thing he did in his life according to you losers. One wonders how the world will judge shmarya

Posted by: Scott | March 21, 2012 at 03:54 PM

You need to work on reading comprehension skills.

The mistake, as you erroneously call Scheinberg's intentional attack on victims, was made when he was 74. It was *reaffirmed* when he was 95.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>unfortunately those people are exactly
>the godolem the black hats look up-to

So what? A good chunk of the Jewish world followed the Sabbatai Zevi. He eventually left our religion with his closest supporters. One day, hopefully soon, we will rid our religion of the abusers and those amongst our leadership who protect them.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>This of course negates every other
>good thing he did in his life
>according to you losers.

Unfortunately, Scheinberg had many opportunities to do teshuvah and help those he harmed. He chose instead to stand with a child molester against those he abused. That is his legacy. It will and should always overshadow everything else he did.

[DBSesq]

I don't know what role The Tenka Rav or R. Braun had in this case. But the Shearim Metzuyanim b'Halacha is an amazing set of books.

[Yechiel]

Nu Jancsi,
Tell us what happened to you back in Europe... We are beginning ro forget...

[Abracadabra]

Yechiel - Tell us what happened to you that you need to taunt someone for an extremely painful incident in their lives, pain which you surely have never lived through, because if you had you would know better than to taunt and try to hurt someone with it.

[jancsibacsi]

Yechiel-As i told you before ver geharget and then ill tell you.

[Yechiel]

Abracadabra
A person who is miserable and tries to make everybody else around him miserable due to being hooked on some ancient history... deserves to be mocked.
You are an adult; get over it Jancsi!

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

Yechiel, where are your parents buried? I would like to go and dance on their graves.

[jewishwhistleblower]

>But we do not know that about Anderson.
>>But we will

We don't? I thought it was clear that he was using the name of Andrew Engler Anderson, the name of the reporter for the Palm Beach Jewish World who was accused by William Blount, chairman of the University of South Florida Criminology Department, of selling term papers to criminology students in the early 90s.

[Litvish]

Yechiel-As i told you before ver geharget and then ill tell you.

Posted by: jancsibacsi
====

Nu,zogshe shoyn, ver ver geharget?

[jewishwhistleblower]

There was a criminal charge at the time of selling a term paper or dissertation to another person which is a second-degree misdemeanor. There were news articles in the Palm Beach Post and other papers. At one point he was to be held without bail because he failed to appear for a court hearing. I'm not sure what happened with the charges.

[jewishwhistleblower]

The papers were on what was termed "victimless crime" which included prostitution.

[Yechiel]

WSC
Both my parents are alive and well B"H.
When the time comes, do dance on their graves. Knowing my parents, they'd love it!
BTW dancing on someone's grave reflects more on your personality than on that person's.
Kinderlach: GROW UP!

[ah-pee-chorus]

Yechiel -

being frum not only hasnt help your midos, it seems to have stripped you of any good midos altogether. youre not a very good salesman for yiddishkeit.

[Yechiel]

APC
Yiddishkeit needs no salesman.
I am who I am. Sorry...