Sister Mary McCauley, the former pastoral administrator at St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Postville, Iowa, who provided support for families affected by the Agriprocessors raid, publicly condemned the complete acquittal of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin on charges of child labor violations as a tragedy. “I was heartsick,” she declared. “I had to just sit and deal with the heartbreak I was feeling.”
Never mind that a jury deliberated only 12 hours to reach a verdict exonerating Rubashkin on all 67 counts. Never mind that Rubashkin, a father of ten with a long of history of charitable acts feeding the hungry and the poor, has been so demonized in the press that it was practically impossible for him to receive a fair trial, and still he was found innocent. The good sister is convinced that the man should have gone down. Her heart tells her so. The jury be damned.
Op-Ed: The Never-Ending Lynching of Sholom Rubashkin
So much for Christian charity.
Sister Mary McCauley, the former pastoral administrator at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church in Postville, Iowa, who provided support for families affected by the Agriprocessors raid, publicly condemned the complete acquittal of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin on charges of child labor violations as a tragedy. “I was heartsick,” she declared. “I had to just sit and deal with the heartbreak I was feeling.”
Never mind that a jury deliberated only 12 hours to reach a verdict exonerating Rubashkin on all 67 counts. Never mind that Rubashkin, a father of ten with a long of history of charitable acts feeding the hungry and the poor, has been so demonized in the press that it was practically impossible for him to receive a fair trial, and still he was found innocent. The good sister is convinced that the man should have gone down. Her heart tells her so. The jury be damned.
Funny that.
When I, as a Rabbi and broadcaster, read of the unending accusations against countless priests and even nuns for molesting children, and against the Pope himself for covering it up, I went on the air on my radio show on America’s most listened to station, WABC 77AM in New York City, and begged my audience to place the allegations in perspective. The Pope had been tried in a media circus without being given an opportunity to respond or defend himself. Further, all judgments about the morality of the Church had to be assessed in the context of the global good it does in running the world’s largest network of orphanages, hospitals, and schools. Whatever crimes were committed against children by men and women sworn to G-d’s work were despicable in the extreme and abomination against all that is decent. And they would have to be held accountable. But wait before you lynch any innocent man.
I was heavily criticized on the air by my own devoted listeners, with the angriest calls coming from Christians and Catholics. ‘How can you defend our Church, Rabbi Shmuley? You who promotes family values and ethics? Do you not understand what these men have done?’
Yes, of course I understood. But allow the facts to emerge before you disparage the whole of the Church. Don’t paint with a broad brush. Point a finger only at the Priests who are guilty and refrain from assailing the papacy itself until you hear more. Amid the caller onslaught, I stood my ground. All people carry the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.
Unless you’re Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, that is, in which case even once you’re found completely innocent on charges of child labor by a jury of your peers you are still guilty.
Senator Obama, campaigning in Iowa to be President in August 2008 and promising a new era of civil American political discourse, forgot his commitment when it came to Rubashkin: “When you read about a meatpacking plant hiring 13-year-olds, 14-year-olds – that is some of the most dangerous, difficult work there is. They have kids in there wielding buzz saws and cleavers? It’s ridiculous. And the only reason they’re hiring these folks is because they want to avoid paying people decent wages and providing them decent benefits.” The President is a politician and might be forgiven for pandering for votes, although it would still be encouraging if now, in light of the acquittal, he would publicly apologize for his slander. But sister McCauley is a nun consecrated to Christ and has no such excuse.
I have no doubt that the sister is a good woman who wants to defend immigrant children, even as they admitted under oath to falsifying their work papers in order to work at Agriprocessors. I agree Sister Mary that these children were desperate. The cowardice on the part of the American government in repeatedly failing to address the immigration crises with serious reforms leads to these tragedies. But does Sister Mary not reserve even a tiny sliver of her heart for Rubashkin’s ten children, one of whom is autistic, even as their lives have been turned upside down as their father has been painted as the anti-Christ?
Let me be clear. I am on record in several columns as saying that Rubashkin is no hero. He has been found guilty of financial fraud and will be punished. Whatever good he and his family have done – and they are justly renowned for their charity and philanthropy – in no way cancels out his conviction, even if his intentions were to temporarily avert near-certain bankruptcy that was caused by an INS raid and eventually pay the bank back. Wearing a yarmulke and a beard, Rubashkin is a public representative of the Jewish faith and he has let us all down. In our religion there is no greater sin than desecrating the divine name. No doubt the pain Rubashkin feels in having done so is more excruciating than anything the penal system can do to him. He will have to repent of his actions before G-d and man. He will also have to serve time, tragic as that is for a man with a large family who are now destitute.
But the time served must be fair and just. For goodness sake, stop the never-ending lynching. Treat the man fairly. Prosecutors, stop portraying him as a monster. Stop the absurdity of demanding a life sentence. Don’t subvert justice in the name of justice. Six former Attorney-Generals of the United States have already strongly condemned the recommendation for a life sentence. Let the insanity end.
On the home page of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with whom Sister Mary is affiliated, it declares, “We are women of steadfast love called to live the mission of Jesus through our core values of FREEDOM, CHARITY, EDUCATION, and JUSTICE.” Those are values I applaud and respect. Are you listening sister?
Wow.
What an amazing article. Talent.
disappointed in Boteach
while the article is well written you make a major mistake when condemning Rubashkin & taking at face value his flawed conviction.Did you once speak up of the real double standard & lynching he received in the rigged trial? Did you once speak out against the Mosrim The liars that decided to save their own hide Did you once lash out @ the gov’t etc.
Free Shalom Mordechai haLevi
You, who make a chillul Lubavitch ought not to condemn Rubashkin for his actions.
Ad Educated Reader
Just goes to show you where YOU need to place your priorities. It’s time you stopped sticking your nect out for the christians, etc. They will stand up for each other, and stick together in the end – right or wrong. And so much we. There is no point in wasting our emotions, charities, feelings on others. They waste nothing on us. NEVER. We must stand strong, stand together, and feel for each other. In that way we can help each other and make a difference in this world.
Your writing in good, always to the point. But it would sound much better to me if as a Jew, as a Rabbi, you were always on my side. And I am not asking you to go against the law, against justice, but it would be nice if you would just worry about us. The good Sister, will always be there for the rest of the world. She will never be there for US. Not her freedom, not her charity, not her education, nor her justice!
So how about you save yours for us?
PS – I love your writings – I just wish they were more one sided!
sds
Number 4 is the comment of the day
Don-t get it
Why are you saying Rubashkin is guilty of bank fraud?! He was not even given a fair trial?!!
SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS ARTICLE
WHAT DOES THE WRITER MEAN BY ASSURING THE WORLD THAT RUBASHKIN “WILL BE PUNISHED”? HE HAS ALREADY SERVED AS MUCH TIME AS THE MOST SEVERELY PUNISHED SIMILAR CASE IN HISTORY! ON TOP OF THAT HIS ENTIRE BUSINESS WAS BASELESSLY DESTROYED AND HE WAS DENIED BAIL AND OTHER BASIC RIGHTS DURING HIS INCARCERATION. THE WRITER’S APPOLOGY FOR BEING A JEW IS IN CONFLICT WITH THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF JUSTICE.
natan
Please, Rabbi. You too have fallen prey to media pressure.
If not for the raid, the banks would have been paid. etc,,,
Bottom line, he should be set free! He already was punished more than all those cronies in Washington who were CAUGHT with greater ‘mistakes’ and were never arrested.
Hopefully the sentencing Judge will let him go.
Shmuley should mainly be applauded
Remember, the article he’s writing is not for us – it’s for the world at large. You fail to realize that the underlying point of his article is, how ludicrous (and yes, anti-semitic) the non-jews of Iowa (and all over the US) have been with their double-standard. He’s basically saying: Sholom has been acquitted of the ‘barbaric’ act of child labor (any ‘crime’ with the world ‘child’ in there – is taken, rightly or wrongly, to sound as ominous as related to a sex-crime). Shmuley continues to say: so yes, he’s been convicted of lying on his bank applications (tell me, Jew or Goy, who’s not lied on their bank applications to get a home-loan, etc.) so yes, they are making a Korbon out of him (but, shmuley is asking, does the crime fit the proposed punishment??) Shmuley acknowleges (sublime, if not sarcastically) the lunacy in the proposed punishment (The bank should be at fault for not doing their due-diligance on the loan). Givee Shmuley the benefit of the doubt – remember who he’s talking to. He’s not talking on the bimah in 770.
Stop the insanity!
Good stuff. Stop the insanity.
Moishe is no al capone. Feds and the greedy bank caused all the damage then blaimed the Jew. Tyson foods had many more illegals.
This judge, a former prosiquter, are making the inflation of assets to the bank the crime of the century. Every other mortgage holder inflaited his collateral and the banks are in on it.
Lets hope the Appelet court finds reversable error when they see she allowed 2 days of testamony re illeagal imagration in a bank fraud trial. (this should have been appealed right away durring the trial but would need anouther set of appelate lawyers).
Fair Justice
i realy belive that jews should go only to din torah and never to secular courts . and if a jew is taking another jew to secular court He brings in chayus=life in the goyishe justice and than we see all this wrong none justice against jews.
i must command Rabbi boteach you allways hit the nail on the head.
IF THE RUBASHKIN FAMILY WOULD NOT TAKE OTHER JEWS TO SECULAR COURTS all would of looked diffrnet.
IF MOSHE RUBASHKIN WOULD DO EVERYTHING IN HIS POWER AS ROSH HAKOHOL TO STOP THE MESIRAH AGAIST SHOMRIM 6 . just if ..
the second mesirrah of huebner agaist a shomrim member in 71 pct was on may 11 2008 just hours before the raid on rubashkins. yes moshe rubashkin WAT DID YOU DO TO STOP HUEBNER THE MOSSER ?????????
not only rubashkin did not stop huebner the mosser his wife came to iowa as part of the rubashkin supporters.
Law of return S***...
You should wright about the fact that he was denied bail b/c he is Jewish!
Opportunist!
Where was your article before Rubashkin was exonerated?!
Shmuly, you an opportunist! You stand for nothing except for what’s popular.
Concerned Citizen
The never ending lynching of Sholom Rubashkin continues with this article by Shmuely who repeats the nonsense that he read in the media. The basis of the entire raid, which ultimately led to the bank charges – was immoral and unjust – and led to the unwarranted and unprecedented destruction of an entire town.
Rubashkin’s bank issues were as a direct result of the persecution – yes, persecution – by the govt, who’s actions were and are ,completely reprehensible, and inexcusable – not Rubashkins.
I also object to Shmuely holding Rubashkin to a higher standard than others – this is untenable – as it contradicts the basic tenets of jurisprudence and the very values of our founding fathers and the USA.
Rubashkin has been punished excessively in a very UNAmerican fashion, and he should be sentenced to time served. Anything more than that would give an irrevocably terrible black eye to the US Judicial system.
In the interest of truth and justice, Shmuely should rewrite his article to reflect that reality.
eastern prkwy
to number 13… shmuley wrote many articles for Rubashkin before and he didn’t chose to do it for himself, rather Rubashkin family came to him and asked him to write and help
Peretz
I TOTALY AGREE WITH
“14. Concerned Citizen wrote:
The never ending lynching of Sholom Rubashkin continues with this article by Shmuely who repeats the nonsense that he read in the media. The basis of the entire raid, which ultimately led to the bank charges – was immoral and unjust – and led to the unwarranted and unprecedented destruction of an entire town.
Rubashkin’s bank issues were as a direct result of the persecution – yes, persecution – by the govt, who’s actions were and are ,completely reprehensible, and inexcusable – not Rubashkins.
I also object to Shmuely holding Rubashkin to a higher standard than others – this is untenable – as it contradicts the basic tenets of jurisprudence and the very values of our founding fathers and the USA.
Rubashkin has been punished excessively in a very UNAmerican fashion, and he should be sentenced to time served. Anything more than that would give an irrevocably terrible black eye to the US Judicial system.
In the interest of truth and justice, Shmuely should rewrite his article to reflect that reality.
”
sara
sholom mordichai cannot be considered guilty since he was not provided with a fair trial. shame on u.
unimpressed
Boteach, way too politically correct and not honest enough! SMR does NOT deserve to be punished for mistakes made by the government!!! And I often like your work- I am disappointed and hurt for SMR