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Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin Denied Basic Rights

SHOCKING: Thursday evening, after sitting through an hour-long recitation of the jury’s verdicts in Sioux Falls, Iowa, Reb Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin was detained pending a bail hearing at the insistence of Peter Deegan. If that were not shocking enough, the ordeal he was subsequently put through is positively offensive, contemptible, and a black mark on the justice system of the United States.

Reb Shalom Mordechai was taken by the US Marshals service to South Dakota State penitentiary in Sioux Falls pending transfer to Iowa. He was not allowed to make a phone call to inform his lawyers or his family of his location. One of the Marshals, upon learning of this, was nice enough to call the family. They would have otherwise not known where he was.

As part of the entry process into the jail, Reb Shalom Mordechai was asked to disrobe and change into the prison uniform. He complied, but stopped short of removing his tzitzis and yarmulka, explaining that, as a religious Jew, he was required to wear these garments at all times, that it is permitted under federal law, and that he would not take them off.

The staff immediately conferred with their superiors and confirmed that they would not allow him to wear his religious clothing. At this point, six burly, intimidating prison guards entered with riot shields. They took a video of this interaction.

The warden at the prison then decided that he would be allowed to wear his yarmulka, but not his tzitzis. Reb Shalom Mordechai explained that although he had no interest in making trouble, he would not remove his tzitzis for religious reasons and his religion does not allow him to even walk around withouttzitzis.

The prison staff belligerently insisted that he nevertheless remove them or they would be removed by force and he would be placed in a disciplinary area alone.

Reb Shalom Mordechai explained that he was not fighting with them, but he would not remove them himself. He was not trying to give them a hard time, but he was insisting on his religious rights. He also took the opportunity to inform them of his other religious needs, namely, the tallis and tefillin required fordavening Shacharis, before which he would be unable to eat. They responded by yelling at him for threatening a hunger strike. “Do you know where you are?!” they shouted

They then removed his tzitzis. He was given only a thin sheet to cover himself and they brought a wheelchair to move him, since he had said that he would not be allowed to walk without his tzitzis.

The staff took him to the disciplinary area, where a woman asked him questions from a form, and then disregarded his answers, writing in whatever she wanted to over his objections.

They left him to sleep with no clothes – only the thin sheet and his yarmulka and another sheet to cover himself.

In the morning, they brought him papers to sign, which he would not do without his lawyers.

The US Marshals arrived to transport him to Iowa, and they confirmed that he was allowed to wear tzitzis, which were then returned to him.

Due to his commitment to strict kashrus, food was purchased by his family that met those standards, but the food was not allowed into the Iowa prison because it wasn’t packaged correctly. He did not eat at all from Thursday lunch until Motzoei Shabbos when he was finally given a small bottle of grape juice for Havdalah, a package of rolls, and a pareve matzoh ball soup mix, which he ate cold.

Reb Shalom Mordechai is currently in county jail in Sioux City, which has been a lot more respectful of his rights and religious freedom.

The bail hearing has been set for Wednesday, at 9:15 a.m., in Cedar Rapids.

The family asks that everyone daven and say Tehillim, as that is what Reb Shalom Mordechai feels is really important.

Please continue to daven for Shalom Mordechai Halevi ben Rivkah.

The need for financial support is still very strong. Anyone who can help out and can lend support should take a moment to send a donation to the Pidyon Shvuyim Fund. The help of Yidden across the globe is severely needed.

You can easily donate here

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58 Comments

  • Jew

    Incredible! What can, the public do. We want to help in this situation. Should we write letters, demonstrate? etc

  • the shomrim six

    the public can help the shomrim 6 and that will help all jews against mesirah

  • Chai

    People are encouraged to write letters to Honorable Judge Reade. Faxes can be sent to 336-458-2338. Emails can be sent to postville@gmail.com. It is crucial that we all show our support!!

  • Chayale B

    I received a text message that I should send an email/fax to the Judge.

    Is this true? Should we really do something?

    If so, can you please inform us what to do?

    I’m sure everyone would like to help!

  • Mushky Pinson

    I heard that we shouldnt send anything to the Honorable Judge cuz it would be considered harassment. That’s what SMR’s lawyer said

  • YB

    i think that any action we take should first be approved by the Rubashkin family and their lawyers.

  • in reply to mushka pinson

    dont send anything to the judge send to 336 458 2338 (not the judges #)

  • Postville

    That number and email are NOT to the judge directly, they are to his family, and they will pass them on to the judge on Wed.

  • A Tomim.

    And we at the Kinus continue to so obliviously celebrate….

    Don’t we all realize this is serious, (additional to being a husband a dear father of a large family) Is there anyone in our large Lubavitcher family who still feels R“l this is a Tzveiter etc..???, does everything go on normally, with Kinus particularly, the dance and song, culminating with the “spontaneous dance”???? Intolerable…TSNCC”VAKAA, WHE

  • Jew

    Can we have a clarification here.
    It seems there is conflicting reports. It makes sense not to send anything to this judge who has proven herself to be biased from day 1. Is there another authority that we can appeal to?

    Can the lawyers give us official direction to do something that will help, not hurt the Rubashkin case?

  • yys

    prison is no joke and they are not familiar with religious jews while this needs to be fixed I don’t think it is respectful to have this info publicized.
    Thank you.

  • First Amendment

    This is a violation of his constitutional and civil rights. We need ACLU, Lewin, Dershowitz to get involved.

  • hashem yerachem

    are we still in Russia ? aren’t we in America where your allowed to have your rights to liveas a yid

  • recruit our elected officials & lawyers

    It was posted in one of the websites that usually Frum Yidn don’t do well with juries.
    I think that a lawyer like Nat Lewin or somebody with similar qualifications should be ask to compile all cases involving frum yidn and the outcome from the juries, and how in similar cases when the defendants were not frum yidn similar juries were more lenient.
    After the verdict we could see how moving the case to South Dakota, was not enough, especially that there is no Frum Yidn, and no interaction of juror with yidn to be able to understand the mentality.
    2000 years of xtianity, trying to justify their beliefs and the abandonment of ours, even in the best situations, had to prompt them to explain to themselves that there is something wrong with our faith, and by extension with us. Even in the best scenario the chance of a jury in an area where there are almost literally no Jews, would not be able to fully comprehend the mentality of a Jewish person accused, without including a bias at least a very subtle one in the best cases, that could lead to not to have in their hearts to find that many of the allegations were not doubt proof.
    The fact that the authorities at the prison were not informed by whoever ordered SMR into custody, to respect his religious rights and the fact that they were not aware of them, proves the aforementioned points.
    it may be plain incompetence, but it needs to be pointed out by respected lawyers, not involved in the case and by our elected officials in NY and other areas where there are Large Jewish populations.
    They need to let their colleagues of the same level in those States to know that there is some level of bias or at least insensitivity against us.
    We Frum Yidn may want to do business with those areas, but knowing about their possible attitudes if something goes wrong, could make us think twice about investing or cooperating. If they don’t care if we don’t want to do business with them etc, it may mean that the situation is even worse than what we thought.
    In any case tracht good vet zain gut, let’s start this dialogue that may tip the scales.

  • Pinson

    thanks for the info.

    To clarify: Send to Rubashkins who will fwd it to officials when/if necessary.

  • Please do somthing

    Please send in a neatly written fax to the honourable judge Reade. Requesting bail that Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin is not a flight risk and therefore should be let out on bail.
    fax to: 336-458-2338 or email to postville@gmail.com
    PLEASE MAKE SURE TO DO THIS AND ASK ALL FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO DO THE SAME THUS FULFILLING THE GREATEST MIZVAH OF PIDYAN SHVUYIM.
    May Sholom Mordechai merit the ultimate geulah shleima bchodesh hageulah mamash NOW!!!!

  • CH news junkie

    Do you think Morris Allen, the one who started this whole business by being so worried about illegal aliens, is going to run to defend Rubashkin’s basic religious freedoms?

  • sam the man

    Contact your congressman and senator to express your outrage on how the government is treating this fellow citizen!
    Its our only option. No other group would tolerate this and we shouldn’t either, the government crossed the line way to many times with this case.
    You need to do it now! Its a must! And u can call the senators in iowa to express your outrage on this gross injustice.

  • Not understanding this legal system

    Does Obama know about this? I mean, if this is going against religious and human rights, isn’t there a higher authority that can do something about it? I also received the text that we should write a letter, but my sister suggested that maybe it’s time to write to Obama and see if he’ll pardon him. I don’t know how this pardon thing works, but does anyone think that it would be an ideal thing to do; And it would possibly work?

  • action

    Just writing is not enough where is the chassidim which lobby in washington, why can’t they lobby for rubashkin, what happened to all the well connected chassimdim under the umbrealla of Lubavitch and where are the jews which are not lubavitchers from borobark, flatbush , williamsburgh, monsey , far rockaway, fivetowns don’t you all see whats happening here, read the comments on the demoines register they are ALL A BUNCH OF ANTISEMITIC BASTARDS, THEIR IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RUSSIA OR GERMANY, YID N ARE YOU ALL BLIND???? STAND UP FOR YOUR FELLOW JEW, THIS IS AN INJUSTICE UNHEARD OF IN OUR TIMES.

    WAKE UP YIDDEN DONT BE SELFISH THROUGH OUT YOUR YESHES IF YOU ARE WELL CONNECTED WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE STOP TALKING AND START DOING.

    THIS IS A HORRIBLE SITUATION, START TO INVESTIGATE THE JUDGE, IS SHE G-D START TO GET A TEAM OF LAWERS BESIDES MR COOK, MAY BE CONSULT BENJAMIN BRAFMAN, THIS IS REALLY OUTRAGES.

    A KOSHER SLAUGHTER HOUSE DRIVEN INTO BANKRUPTCY, PEOPLE LOST THEIR JOBS, THE TOWN WENT INTO THE DRAIN, WHERE DO THE FARMERS SELL THEIR CATTLE’S NOW?

    WHO IS BEHIND ALL OF THIS??? ISNT IT TIME TO GO AFTER THIS PEOPLE?

    THIS INJUSTICE IS MUCH MORE THEN JUST ABOUT RUBASHKIN, TODAY ITS HIM TOMORROW ITS MAY BE YOU, YES YOU… AND NO HELP, THE GERMANS STARTED SIMILAR AND I AM SURE YOU ARE SMILING NOW, TIME WILL SHOW THAT IS ARE ANTISEMITIC ACTS AND BIAS JUDGEMENTS AND WE ARE PRETENDINF TO BE A “ZADDIK IM PELZ” . AS LONG AS I AM WARM I DON’T NEED TO PUT THE HEAT ON, DON’T STAY IN YOU PELZ, JEWS STICK TOGETHER TURN THE HEAT ON FOR EVERYBODY. DON’T HAVE YOUR CONNECTIONS BUT SCHLUCHIM TODAY WHEN SIT BY THE GRAND DINNER AND BE PROUD OF YOURSELF HOW INSPIRING YOU ARE PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY CONNECTION ACTIVATE IT TO HELP SHOLOM RUBASHKIN, WHERE IS RABBI SHEMTOV, RABBI KRINSKI , RABBY KOTLARSKY AND ALL OTHER BIG KNACKERS WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID ABOUT?????? DO MORE …..

  • response to Tomim

    To A Tomim

    Simcha breaks all barriers! Keep the simcha going and free all those who need it.

  • CONFIRMATION!

    B”H
    Help Sholom Rubashkin go home Wed!
    Confirmed – the lawyers said that we need every single fax or letter.
    Please send a neat fax to honorable judge Reade 336 458 2338 or postville@gmail.com showing support for him and expressing your confidence that he’s not a flight risk.
    Thank you and may we hear good news

  • MaDDinBKLYN

    Whats the fuss about non jewish juries biased againts jews?
    Come to 320 Jay St 2nd floor tommorow morning and all week and see “jews” massering Jews and blatantly lying with a smirk on their faces after affirming to tell only the truth.

  • sarah

    the text about sending letters to the judge, and the number and email originated from the rubashkins themselves….

  • OUTRAGED

    i’m reading this and i am thinking sibira this is libirty and freedom of realigon??????????????????
    “YEMACH SHEMOM VEZICHROM”

  • Boycot illegal workers

    Yiden stop giving illegal workers (mexicons) jobs let the government take care of them.

  • jail is wrong

    he is allowed to wear tzizit
    plz everyone pidyun shvuin ask your balbatim to help

  • awacs

    “Do you know where you are?!” they shouted.”

    Quote sounds familiar? My wife graciously pointed out that it appears in Likutei Diburim, and it was told to a certain Jewish prisoner held on capital charges.

    His name, by the way, was Yosef Yitzchak.

    Ma’aseh avos simon labonim. :-(

  • awacs

    JK wrote:

    “What substantiated source was this information taken from?”

    I saw it on Matzav.com.

  • action!

    lets recap what each of us should do:
    a)write letter to above number
    b) call senator? anyone have more info?
    c) donate
    d) daven, of course

  • Offended

    With all due sympathy and outrage at the abuse and humiliation, it is patently absurd and offensive to compare this situation to the imprisonment of the Rebbe Rayatz.

  • ad mosai

    The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 protects the religious rights of prisoners.The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act requires prisons receiving federal funding to accommodate prisoners’ diverse religious practices and beliefs, unless they could prove that doing so would jeopardize order and safety. In the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision upholding the law, Justice Ginsberg wrote: “It confers no privileged status on any particular religious sect, and singles out no bona fide faith for disadvantageous treatment.”

  • q about jury

    Were there Jews on the jury? If not, Rubashkin was denied equal protection of the law guaranteed by the 14th amendment.

  • chutzpa

    how can we sit and dance at the kinnus when one of our own is in prison, being denied basic rights! come brothers let us storm siox falls and demand his basic human rights!!

  • walla

    can you just imagine 4 a moment these guards daring to remove any of the shmates that lehavdel the muslim wear? wow! how they would never dare!
    wow, how they would be eaten up alive by the media for descrimination!
    can’t you see them rant and rave then demenstrate until they cause enough noise?
    why are we such lemechels? why must we swallow sooooooo much garbage ALWAYS? I think we are too lazy to stand up and make as much noise as we probably should.but if we did we would probably be left alone more too!!!

  • anonymous

    Can someone please draft a sample letter of what one can write to Judge Reade?

    I would like to help (as I’m sure many others); I just need to know specifically how to compose such a letter i.e. what exactly am I asking for in the letter? how can I vouch for him? etc. I am not all familiar with all the details etc. and I want to sound like I know what I’m talking about.

    If a sample letter could be put out to the public I think that would be helpful for people who want to write; maybe even as it’s own article appealing to the community to write to the Judge etc., if this can possibly help the situation…

  • IOWA SENATORS CONTACT INFO:

    Grassley, Chuck – (R – IA) Class III
    135 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
    (202) 224-3744
    Web Form: grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm

    Harkin, Tom – (D – IA) Class II
    731 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
    (202) 224-3254
    Web Form: harkin.senate.gov/c/index.cfm

  • NEW YORK SENATORS CONTACT INFO:

    Gillibrand, Kirsten E. – (D – NY) Class I
    478 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
    (202) 224-4451
    Web Form: gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/

    Schumer, Charles E. – (D – NY) Class III
    313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
    (202) 224-6542
    Web Form: schumer.senate.gov/new_website/contact.cfm

  • A piece of advice

    It might be wise, before writing the letter to the judge, to check out her background and found out if she has anything that, if pointed out, might make her think twice – like maybe the fact that she has children and how would she feel if she was the one whose children are left with a father sitting in prison… There have been such stories, that, when pointed out, the judge realizes that if he/she would be in the same situation, wouldn’t they feel terrible? I think it just might be worth it to do some research on her.

  • NoYechi770Jerusalem

    Having went through false accusations myself I took a plea baragain due to the fact I was denied my yarmulka,tzitzis,kosher food by Broward County Florida jail.(17 years ago)
    To this day I am suffering for taking a plea bargain under duress for a crime I didn’t commit,however the choice of being with no kosher food,yarmulka or tzitzis I took the plea so I could no longer be denied my Yiddishkeit by your wonderful justice system.
    B”H I am today in Israel & will never set foot in the US again bli neder where such an outrage happened to me & is now happening to poor SM Rusbashkin & may happen to any of you as well.
    Better here under Yiddishe roshoyim who at least let you have yoir Yiddishkeit than under stinken Goyim & Goy wannabe Jewish judges!!!!

  • Msech

    I can’t help but think this sounds like the Rebbe’s prison ordeal recounted in the biography. It will have a similar ending. If what was written is true, he might have a civil rights suit on his hands.

  • WE SHOULD MAKE A MACHA ON THE ANTISEMITS

    YEMACH SHEMOM VIZICHROM TO ALL THOSE ANTI-SEMETIC SHKOTZIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WERE ARE WE. IN RuSSIA last time I checked this country had liberty. we have to be moiche on this act. we should not only plead to the judges but we should also fiel a case for RELIGIOUS PERSECUTIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEMACH SHEMOM!!! VIZICHROM!!!!!
    ( THERE A BUNCH OF OIS VORFS!!!!)

  • info

    heres a letter from a rubashkin

    -hey guys
    listen i know u all want to do something well heres ur chance
    we need to get to like 700 letters sent by tom at 12 noon right now were at 200
    so PLZ SEND TO UR WHOLE CONTACT LIST AND TAKE A SEC AND EMAIL A LETTER TO POSTVILLE@GMAIL OR FAX A LETTER TO 3364582338 fax is prefered for its better to have a signature!
    below is a sample email and a list of things u should put in the email

    So please send a letter to the honorable judge Linda Reade with these points in your own words:
    1) Preferably put on a letterhead
    2) Who you are
    3)How you know SMR (or of him)
    4) A personal anecdote of SMR that demonstrates his character.
    5) Why you believe he should be allowed to go home.
    6) If you are willing to put up a house or property.

    Honorable Judge Reade,
    With all due respect, your honor, I am writing to you to ask that you allow Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin to leave jail on bail.

    Your honor, he is not a flight risk. I know him personally he is a family man in every way possible. He would never ever leave his family for his own selfish gain. His loyalty to his family is unwavering, in particular to his autistic son Moshe. He would not want to put his family under the stress it would cause if he were to default the terms of his bail agreement. He would never knowingly and/or intentionally fail to appear in court when notified to do so.

    He has constructive ties to the community and a strong support base of friends and family that he would not want to disappoint by running away.

    I am thanking you in advance for all your time and consideration given to my request.

    Respectfully,

  • Ben Pollock

    This is shocking……I hear there is even a Movement to outlaw circumcision in Iowa!!

  • a.s.

    this is the biggist black mark on the american justice system, a innocent man being charged for nonviolent crimes more then drug trafficing, armed assualt, grand theft auto, drunk driving, ect.
    if you would ask me what crime did a man do to deserve 1,255 years, the first word that would come out of my mouth would be murder!!!!