#agriprocessors

Sholom Rubashkin was the CEO of Agriprocessors, the largest (at the time) Kosher Slaughterhouse in the United States, located in Otisville, Iowa.   On May 12, 2008, a huge ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raid took 389 undocumented workers (mainly from Mexico and Guatemala) and “herded them into the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo.”  Once deported, twenty-five percent of the Otisville disappeared.  (x)

These undocumented workers were not treated well.  Conditions in the factory were horrendous and “conditions at the plant … included alleged sexual exploitation of young women.” (x)  There were also some serious injuries that took place. (x)

Rubashkin was taken into custody on a “27-year sentence for 86 counts of financial fraud.” (x)  “Related charges were dropped, however, and ultimately Rubashkin was prosecuted for defrauding a bank and misappropriating funds to the tune of $26 million. He fabricated invoices and other documents to maintain a $34 million bank credit line, and used some of the money to fix up his house and buy jewelry.” (x)

As you can imagine, there was a major backlash against Rubashkin, his family, and against Agriprocessors.  Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, a fabulous Orthodox rabbi and activist and leader of Uri L’Tzedek (the Orthodox Jewish Social Justice Movement), launched a boycott against the company because if one were to follow the commandments to keep kosher, shouldn’t one also follow the laws against oppressing workers? (Dt. 24:14-15)  This led to the creation of a new “ethical seal” to mark that Kosher products were created humanly called “Tav HaYosher.”  (Please read Rabbi Yanklowitz’s full op ed on this entire situation)

Rabbi Jill Jacobs from Truah: a Rabbinic Call for Human Rights would agree with Rabbi Yanklowitz.  She writes “What would more appropriate punishment for Rubashkin be? Maybe many long years of working hardest job at his factory. Doing crap work for a workers’ rights or immigrants’ rights org. (taking suggestions for other punishments that would push him toward teshuva)” “And there are thousands of people in prison for far less serious crimes (or even violations that shouldn’t be crimes) who deserve to have their sentences commuted much more than Rubashkin.” (x)

Folks on the right are arguing the complete opposite of Yanklowitz and Jacobs.  They believe that his sentence was too long

And this brings us to today.  On Wednesday, the President commuted his sentence after serving for eight years.  “Earlier this year, four attorneys general wrote to Trump, asking that Rubashkin’s sentence be commuted because his sentence was excessive and he was a first-time, nonviolent offender.”  News outlets, like Haaretz, are making sure to mention that he was is a part of the Chabad Lubavitch Movement, has ten children, and has contributed thousands of dollars to Republican political campaigns. (x) 

What is my opinion on the whole matter?

It seems that the political and Jewish right are putting Rubashkin on a pedestal while the left is fiercely condemning his past actions and the President’s decision to commute him.  I am not really sure why the right has whitewashed his crimes.  They are claiming that his sentence was too long.  I’m not sure of that.

The Torah literally says: “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is needy and urgently depends on it; else he will cry to the LORD against you and you will incur guilt. “ (Dt. 24:14-15)

As the CEO of a company taking advantage of and abusing undocumented immigrants, Sholom Rubashkin should be ashamed.  The Torah literally says that what he did is not okay.  He certainly does not represent Judaism, he clearly does not represent the Chabad-Lubavitch Movement, and absolutely does not represent the Kosher industry.  He should be ashamed, he should be demoralized, and he should still be in jail.

What do you all think?