St. Paul, MN – There was great joy in K’lal Yisroel when we heard on Monday that the jury had proclaimed Sholom Rubashkin not guilty on all 67 counts of child labor and worker abuse with which he had been charged.
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However, not all of Am Yisroel was dancing with joy. For the last four years, the Conservative Movement has waged a relentless and unyielding campaign against Agriprocessors and its most visible leader, Sholom Rubashkin. The Conservative Movement declared a boycott of all Rubashkin products, based on their many allegations and claims of worker abuse.
None of these claims had or have ever been substantiated, verified, validated, or proven by any respectable justice authority.
In tandem with their efforts to destroy Rubashkin, they promoted the Hekscher Tzedek, the Conservative mark of “ethical kashrut”. With every mention of the claims of atrocities purported to have happened at Agriprocessors, they spoke about the need for the Hekscher Tzedek. However, the first axiom of “social justice” must be that one may not destroy the life of another human being in order to promote one’s own concept of ethics.
I am deeply saddened to have to tell you that I believe without question or doubt that the Conservative Movement beleaguered Sholom Rubashkin with charges that were totally unproven only because they wanted to promote their Hekscher Tzedek.
Hekscher Tzedek was created by tormenting a fellow Jew.
This past Monday, June 7, 2010, there was certainly mass dismay and disappointment for the Conservative Movement. Sholom Rubashkin is innocent. None, I repeat, none of the allegations against him held up in court. The workers who testified against him were shown to be liars.
The Conservative Movement needs to take this matter very seriously. They need to stand up and admit the truth. They transgressed the most fundamental law of ethical and moral conduct by preaching to their constituency charges that were nothing more than the self-serving fabrication of the labor unions and the malicious design of Nathaniel Popper, who wrote his contemptible diatribe in the Forward newspaper, forming the basis of the Conservative jihad against Agriprocessors and Sholom Rubashkin.
The Conservative Movement needs to rethink and re-evaluate the Hekscher Tzedek. Does the Jewish world really need a kosher mark born and bred out of the pain and anguish of an innocent Jew? This is the time for the Conservative Movement to look back and reflect on the past and to go forward with truth and honesty.
Rabbi Asher Zeilingold, is the Rav of Adath Israel Congregation in St. Paul, Minnesota and can be reached via email [email protected]
Just because someone is found not guilty, does not make him innocent. It only means that the jury was unable to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Brilliant! Well written, excellent article from a dynamic, honest and genuine person. Kol hakavod.
“forming the basis of the Conservative jihad against Agriprocessors and Sholom Rubashkin.”
the article has enough merits of his own, but using the word Jihad is a poor choice of words in my opinion
why do we even talk about them , some idiot sits in house and yells i am the president , do we answer him , let the dog bark …. they are a bunch of losers who have too much time on their hands …… ignore them and they will die on their own …. the more attention we give them ….. its like water for a plant …..
did anyone see a major cooperation change from their current baal machsir to them ?
I just started reading this article. I see that it pertains to the Jewish Conservative movement – their attitude to the Rubashkin matter.
With all due respect, the “movement” is dead – a gavre ketila. The hashgacha business is BIG bucks. Is there any surprise that they want a piece of the action. Hey, I don’t blame them for wanting it – there is money to be made. After all this IS America – da goldene medina.
But, it would be very difficult to promote a hashgacha of Kashrus when 90% of your constituents (if not 100%) don’t care about kosher, and will not hesitate to “keep a kosher kitchen” (with their jewish heart) but outside.. everything goes.
So they sell “yashrus” – “tikkun oilom” ANYTHING BUT kashrus.
As a matter of fact I was SHOCKED to read the SMR considered accepting their “hashgacha” – rationalizing that it would get them to eat kosher. As if this would help. Thank Hashem that our rabonim – the other baalei hachsheirim saw the light and told him not to do it.
Reb Amnon went through what he did just for telling the poretz to give him 3 days to “think about it”
perhaps this is why SMR is going through what he is.. because he also “thought” about it
Right on, Rabbi Zeilingold. Thank for having the courage to speak out for the truth.
Now SMR can be the masgiach for the Hechsher tzedek. I believe that we would do better to say tehillim and shevach to the Riboyno shel oylom for the verdict on this trial and leave all those others , the conservatives, Peta and all the yeedin on this site who continue to debase, insult without sensitivity to what all parties went thru here to the workings of shomayim. Let us not be G-ds bazorger. Everyone gets what they desrve but the Torah says we should not seek Nekoma.. Let them be with their chillul Shabbos, their rabbonim and majority of Jews eating tref (outside), majority intermarrying and disappearing from the Jewish faith that way,
Let us hope that the Hechsher Tzedek Hashgocho will go on the treif food most of them it . But must of all let us hope they will become shomer torah umitzvos and that we can all live in achdus as avodim of Hashem.
very well said (the rabbi does not need my haskama)
hechsher tzedek is a joke its the same as these rabbis who are busy with tikun oilam a new made up mitzvah of the mo
bh we have 613 g-d given to moses mitzvos follow those
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Sholom Rubashkin is innocent.
Yes, Rubashkin was acquitted of charges he knowingly, willingly, and intentionally employed minors. But is that truly the bar the Am Hanivchar has to use to claim the moral high ground?
We all know that minors and illegal aliens were employed by AGRI. Aaron Rubashkin admitted so in court when he plead guilty on behalf of AGRI to the charges the company faced. SMRs defense, black and white in the court record, was not that they weren’t minors, but that he was not responsible. Is that how yiddin are expected to run a business? Is Zeilengold suggesting that it’s ok to employ minors and illegals, and it’s ok to “fudge” some legal documents to get more money off your credit line?
We all know that minors and illegals earn less and cost less to employ, thereby maximizing profits. Do the ends justify the means?
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Hechsher Tzedek’s claimed mandate is to insure ethics in all aspects of the kashrus business. Their goal isn’t bad – their mistake is that they have no authority to redefine halacha. The halacha is if the shechita is kosher the meat is kosher, even if the kid cleaning the feathers is seven and the guy packing the meat snuck into America fron Guatemala. Morris is an apikorus if he thinks that he can redefine hilchos kashrus.
But this acquittal, is this a vindication of what SMR has endured? It is not. Mistakes were made. Crimes were committed. Does he deserve life? Of course not. Does he deserve 25 years, or even the six the defense has asked for? Of course not. He should be sentenced to time served.
But it is very dangerous to define this recent acquittal as anything more than good fortune and hashgacha that the law put so heavy a burden on the state. Either way, frum yiddin have to run their businesses like the Ribbono Shel Olam expects and that certainly includes abiding by civil law. Anything less is simply not the way the Am Hanivchar should act.
Say what? Does it not bother you that the Catholic Church in Postville was seen as the center of Chesed for the workers? I also dont understand this mentality of “if you cant proove it, it isnt real”. This isnt gemmora class. This is life. Decent businesses dont have this kind of strife. Dont get me wrong. I think there was plenty of over zealous prosecution here. But I dont think these guys are tzadakim either.
Im not sure if you wrote that comment just to start something going here or you really belive what you wrote. Either way the answer is both simple and logical. Just because your accused of something doesn’t mean your guilty, in other words one is innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore from the fact that they started with over 9000 counts and couldn’t get him on even one, I think speaks volumes about the case. Think about it and maybe you’ll actually be happy that another Jew was proven innocent.
#1 — go back to 4th grade social studies. A person is innocent until proven guilty.
Jewish and American law both presume innocence, unless proven otherwise
That’s right INNOCENCE.
Genrerally, the only ones who have a problem with this are bloggers and liberals, when the wind doesn’t blow their way.
I’m not sure what the point is that Rav Zelingold is making. The issue at the state trial was whether or not SMR knew, or should have known, that the young immigrant workers being hired at his plant were younger than 18. While there was no question that many workers were below 18, the prosecution could not convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt than SMR knew that and still hired them based on their use of legitimate looking IDs etc. The state trial outcome doesn’t change a guilty verdict on 69 bank fraud and other felony counts in the federal trial where SMR’s defense was essentially that he either didn’t know some of these practices were illegal or was too naive to know or simply didn’t have the business seichel to understand the rules of business. Anyway, he is facing 25 years in federal prison. Any you have the chutzpah to seek an appology from Conservatives to this “yiddeshe role model”. You will be waiting a long time.
Isn’t Rubashkin still guilty of fraud?
Is should be a turning point for all of us. In the orthodox world this rubashkin stuff brought us together , why can’t the conservative learn from this? Why the animosity from one group of Jews to another ? This fighting and bickering between one sect of Jews and another is got to stop! Be it by the chasidim, conservative , ortho let’s get along! , so were a little different ? So what? but to get someone so deeply in trouble for an agenda ? To whom do you think the messiah will come to ?
Conservative movement? Its like the roman empire
Rabbi Z,
With all due respect you waste ink in writing this. The focus of Allen and Popper’s jeremiad against SMR and Agri was all about forcing unionization upon the company or shutting it down if unionization failed. Unionization failed. The flags were raised in the press and anonymous informants released to governing bodies. Popper was a co-conspirator with the unions and has succeeded in reaching his objective. Meanwhile, Allen tagged along with the campaign in a cynical effort to promote his own organization and increase his own business. These two men know no shame and harbor no guilt over their utter rishus and avla, including forcing an imperfect businessman into privation (an act tantamount to murder).
The Conservative movement will not end with a bang or a whimper, but with a whine. The leaders all fight over the last remaining scraps of funding for their projects in a last, desperate bid for relevance. As someone who was active in the movement for years, I can say with firsthand experience that those in charge aren’t interested in unity of any sort, or even of strengthening their own movement, but rather they each have their own personal causes to devote their time and energy to. This I feel, will ultimately quicken their downfall, as instead of a large solidified movement, you have small factions fighting for resources, oftentimes against each other. Whatever the in-fighting in the frum world, at least most of it is le’shaim shemiem. When they fight, it’s usually about who gets the money or the prestige. It’s not about Torah, it’s about self promotion. Sadly, as the movement dies, both of this are necessary if one wants to stay at all relevant.
I am afraid the rabbi’s article misses the point completely
Kashrus is controversial. We only needs to look to New Zealand to see that . When one is engaged in a controversial business one must cultivate as many friends and supporters as one can. One should certainly not seek to alienate possible supporters for no good reason. Some of these supporters may have causes that they hold dear but which we are not particular concerned about. We should however not ignore those concerns because if we do, then they will ignore our concerns.
Like it or not, for orthodox shechita to continue against extreme ‘animal welfare’ opponents, we will have to rely on the support (or lack of active opposition) of non-Orthodox Jews and gentiles. Many of these ‘outside’ supporters will have their own agendas and concerns including ‘social justice’ issues. I have looked at Hechsher Tzeddek standards and nothing in them seems worth alienating possible support from many on the social left.
It would be wise for all Orthodox Schecita not to be hubristic and to accept upon itself the highest standards for workers rights.
Stop writing that line over and over!!
(1 They (the consevative movement) decided he WAS guilty.
(2 you obviously did not follow the court case because if you did you woulden’t be saying this, evryone said that he did not know about miners working there, the only person who claimed that smr did know had a grudge against him, and contredicted himself and lied in court. The miners themseleves said they dont know how old they are, and said a different age in court then they told investegaters. I can go on and on
It smells to go blaming anyone else for Reb Rubashkin’s problems. To start attacking other groups turns many Yidden off. Don’t do it.
Even by their Conservative standards, the so-called “heksher tzedek” would only be suitable for already kosher certified food products. Well, who is involved in kosher certification in the U.S.? Answer: primarily Orthodox organizations, the OU, Chof K, OK, Star K, KAJ, etc. Any food company with a legitimate heksher will simply ask their certifying organization if they need this new-fangled “heksher tzedek.” Of course, they will be told: “absolutely not…it’s meaningless.” And so the food industry will tell the Conservatives “no thanks,” and the “heksher tzedek” will be kaput!
Conservative movement, Reform movement, Reconstructionist movement……..These are like bowel movements and should be flushed down the toilet because their teachings and lack of belief in the Torah and some have no belief in G-d, has nothing in common with Judaism!
I think the Modern Orthdox are the bigger enemy, they are the ones commenting here and on the Desmoines register against Rubashkin.
can anyone provide a link to the rubashkin trial transcripts? i think that would clear up alot of the anti-semitc comments
Well said, Rabbi Zelingold. Every word you wrote is right on.
First, it’s ridiculous to take this verdict as a complete vindication of Rubashkin. The man is still guilty of dozens (and dozens) of federal violations. He’s also facing a bunch of other immigration charges, which the government hasn’t bothered to pursue. Finally, his operation was cited for improper handling of animals. There may be valid arguments against the Conservative movement’s heckscher tzedek, but this article does not make them.
Once again Reb Sholom shows his leadership and example with his soft answer–he would take the heksher tzedek if only to get them to eat kosher!!!! This is kiruv in it’s most beautiful form. Of course he knows this heksher is nonsense and has nothing to do with halachic kashrus. But he also sees further than to have a knee jerk defense and spewing hatred of conservatives for thinking up this idea—Reb Sholom sees it as an opportunity to turn around the heart of another yid……..
Rabbi Zelingold gave the hechsher on Agri’s non-glatt line.
your use of the word “jihad” is in poor taste.
The vendetta against SR on the part of hechsher tzeddek probably has a mashehu of emes, but it is batul b’meah. Truthfully, by referring to hechsher tzedek as a “movement” or part of a movement is wildly overestimating its importance. It is completely marginal and has already run out of fuel. By being the Raavad you are making them into the Rambam.
Its time for the Orthotodx to be on the watch for the new Heksher Tzedek of the Conservative and its cousin the Tav Hayosher of Uri Tzedek-which is already in some restaurants. Both undermine the basic concepts of kosher. They attempt to impose their LIberal ethical values. For Jews Torah principles are what is important. Dina Demalchusa Dina tells us that companies should follow employment law. We don’t need these groups.
We should boycott any company or restaurant using either of them. Shmuly Yankolovitch, the head of Uri Tzedek defended in the Jewish Week keeping Rubashkin in jail for Pesach. He should not be setting standards for kosher. WE NEED TO BOYCOTT URI LETZEDEK AND THECONSERVATIVE MAGEN TZEDEK.
To all the comments responding to my post:
I am an ultra-orthodox Jewish attorney and I never commented on whether I think Rubashkin is innocent or not. In this day and age, I do not put it past someone with a political agenda to go after some Jewish person. But do recognize that charges are usually not pressed unless there is significant evidence against a person, so his innocence cannot be clear, even though we all want to believe that.
The standard to convict someone on any count is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Fortunately for Rubashkin, 12 jurors had a reasonable doubt as to his guilt, so could not vote to convict him. Do not mistake that for them voting he was innocent. A person being innocent until proven guilty is a nice slogan, but it is not how it works in the criminal justice system. The D.A. cannot prosecute a person unless they believe the person is truly guilty. Then it is up to the jury to determine if there is any reasonable doubt as that assertion. If it was such a clear cut case, the judge would have dismissed the case from the beginning using the standard that no reasonable juror could find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That did not happen.
So much for Chabad’s “a jew is a jew” “labels are for clothes, not for people” lines. He is trying to smear all conservatives because of a disagreement with a few. How would he feel if people blamed all of chabad when a chabad rabbi is arrested for child molestation, for example. It was completely undisputed at the trial that there were numerous underage workers at agriprocessors. It also is undisputed that there were over 400 illegal aliens. There isn’t a lot to be proud of here.
More Restaurants with the Uri Lezdedek Heksher
QUEENS:A and A Gourmet – 188-09 Union Turnpike – 718.468.0903
Isaac’s Prime Beef – 189-19 Union Turnpike – 718.217.9299
Subway – 14124 Jewel Ave – 718.544.7827
WESTHAMPTON BEACH:
Beach Bakery Cafe – 112 Main St – 631.288.6552
MARYLAND:
Bobb’s Cafe (Univ. of Maryland Hillel)-7612 Mowatt Lane, College Park, MD 301-422-6200
Sabra Deli- (Univ. of Maryland Hillel)-7612 Mowatt Lane, College Park, MD 301-422-6200
The Pearlstone Retreat Center – 5425 Mt. Gilead Road, Reiserstown, MD – 410-429-4400
ILLINOIS:
Doubletree Hotel-9599 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL-847-679-7000
Hy Life Bistro -4120 West Dempster, Skokie, IL-847-674-2021
Kosher Gourmet-3552 W. Dempster, Skokie, IL-847-679-0597
Kosher Subway -3945 W. Dempster, Skokie, IL-847-673-7821
Slice of Life-4120 West Dempster, Skokie, IL-847-674-2021
Srulie’s-8170 McCormick Blvd., Skokie, IL1-877-CHOLENT (246-5368)
PENNSYLVANIA:
Max and David’s-8120 Old York Road (150 Yorktown Plaza), Elkins Park, PA 215-885-2400
the Holy GR”A says that the pig is kosher on the outside and tomei on the inside, a representation of false Yiddishkeit. it is the most dangerous because of its outward appearance. when a organization claims to promote kashrus and internally is a sinas Yisroel machine we have the total embodiment of what the GR”A said. application: any group or ideology that is not 100% Torah true. them’s the facts, pleasant or otherwise
The story is an ancient one: Abel was the victim of his own brother Cain. The motive was jealousy over an issue of meat v. vegetables.
for all those bashing rabbi zeilengold. calm down.
he deals with hashgacha and im assuming this is not his first incident with them (or the like)
he has spoken the truth, as one commentor posted its all facts… and its written up.
we dont need to bash fellow yidden- not matter how un-jewish they may act but he is able to say that this was wrong and it still is wrong until they do something about it.
I still dont understand why its bad to have some certification that the workers in an establishment are treated decently. So, unless you think that their particular standards are unreasonable, why would you be so intensely opposed to such a thing? You’re opposed to this just because it came from those evil Conservatives? Does this sound reasonable to you? Is this the attitude of a grown up?