Postville, IA – “Baloney!” — Abraham Aaron Rubashkin’s angry reaction Tuesday afternoon to an indictment handed up earlier in an Iowa court. The indictment named him, his son, Sholom Rubashkin, and two employees with more than 9,000 violations of that state’s child labor laws.
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The indictment charges the defendants “participated in efforts to conceal children when federal and state labor officials inspected that plant.” Penalties could include lengthy prison terms and run up millions of dollars in fines.
“Crazy,” he said in a very brief telephone conversation with The Jewish Star. “For what? What did I do?”
Mr. Rubashkin, who built a modest Borough Park butcher shop into what until recently was the nation’s largest kosher meatpacker, returned to the meeting he said he’d interrupted to answer the phone.
Clearly he doesn’t believe anything was amiss at his plant in Postville, despite the indictment, the threat of other criminal charges related to immigration violations for which 270 of his employees have already been convicted, the interruption to the nation’s glatt kosher meat supply, and the massive chilul Hashem caused by all of the above.
He’s not alone, of course. Some of Rubashkin’s many supporters have characterized the many accusations as a “blood libel,” and chalked the whole affair up to good old anti-Semitism.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which has been hounding the Rubashkins for years, stirred up a lot of this fuss by calling to the attention of the authorities the plant’s many deficiencies. In the end, it seems, the union will win.
A knowledgeable source told The Jewish Star Tuesday that the OU would like to see the plant unionized under new management, and has been speaking with the union.
Rabbi Menachem Genack, the OU’s rabbinic administrator declined to confirm that he’s been speaking to the union, but did reaffirm the threat he made back in May, reported in The Jewish Star, that he would remove the OU hashgacha from Rubashkin products in the event of criminal indictments.
“We’re standing with that position,” he said Tuesday. Unless new management is brought in, a new CEO and new investors, he will pull the hechsher. He said the Rubashkins have two weeks.
As far as the OU is concerned, the For Sale sign is hanging at the Postville plant.
“People have been interested in coming in and so on — we’ve been probing and looking — but the stated issue didn’t change: there’s got to be new management,” Rabbi Genack said. In the end the Rubashkin family would probably become minority owners.
Why not act immediately?
“The question is the timeframe, only because Yom Tov is upon us. The kashrus was never compromised,” Rabbi Genack said. He added that the OU is concerned with the welfare of the workers, and the families of the shochtim and mashgichim in Postville.
A union spokesman, Scott Frotman, applauded the indictment and said, “Given the seriousness and sheer number of charges, we cannot see how this company can remain in operation with the current ownership.” He confirmed that the union has been in talks with the OU.
Getting back to our short conversation with Abraham Rubashkin, we weren’t expecting a tearful telephone confession, but his absolute certainty that there’s no merit at all to any of this would seem to more than justify what’s been said and done so far, and what’s apparently about to happen next.
The shame of it is, it didn’t have to come to this.
“These are not bad people but they’re just so sloppy,” said Rabbi Genack. “And because they messed up so many times, they’re just piling on.”
“The kashrus was never compromised,” Rabbi Genack said.” First this sleazbag Genack has to defend himself and his business then he can throw Rubashkin under the bus, I hope that you all see thru this Rabbi Genack found a way to squeeze money from another sorce. What a ….
Remember Le Marais how he threw his own mashgiach under the bus for a fee dollars.
OMG!! Agriprocessors will be unionized?? How terrible. The owners will now have to pay higher wages. How will it look to the goyim? How are they going to afford to pay the workers more and pay the attorneys at the same time?
It’s time to boycott OU if they have joined forces with the terrorist unions.
Who knows what kind of sinister stuff is going on behind the scenes – this is not poshut.
Yitzhak – Your choice of foul language makes your kashrus quetionable
OU has joined with the Unions… SHAME ON THEM!!!
Rubashkin will shine once he has his day in court.
in the meantime, we just sit back and watch as everything falls in place. first and foremost we will see how some self hating jews such as the OU went to great length for money and bribes from the unions and PETA. so long that rabbi Weissmandel keeps his Hashgacha, you know that the Rubashkins are innocent.
May Hashem help “Vyitamu Chato’im Velo Chot’im Min Ha’aretz” and the truth will shine thru.
Boycott the OU? You are too funny, clearly you have no clue what you are eating. You know all of those products with Frum hashgachos? Who do you think gives the hashgacha on the ingredients?????
Hope you like vegetables. Because that is what you will be eating.
LOL
No I dont like vegetables and I garantee you that we have enough honest kashrut organizations that can give supervision on ingredients.
Please stop these stupid scare tactics! What do you think?The world is dependent on one stupid rabbi genack?
Yonason thankfully I have a dignified profession that doesn’t require me to give and take hechsherim to the highest bidder. What foul language are you talking about. You know what I think about Hashgochos? They are worse then gangsters. They are not to be trusted at all. That is a general statement. There are a few honest Rabbi’s out there I am just not sure who they are. If you don’t believe what I am saying, ask anyone that ever had the misfortune of dealing with a certifying agency.
from the Ou 5,200 plant did they ever Monitor who is are isn’t legal ? The cleaner that cleans the Ou office is he she legal ? Now the Union and Forward’s are happy with the mess they done the have Started to Scrutiny Alle too with the same Baloni stuff that will force all kosher meat product’s to Cost Sky Racking prices ???? We have to pray for a good blessing year
ou has under age workers to
It seems the Union is helping the OU get into the big companies. Otherwise, why would the OU go with the Mafia hand in hand ?
The Ou supervises almost 98% of all the ingredients used in the production and manufacturing of kosher foodstuffs worldwide. Because they are in so many places it has become almost impossible to replace them, and without their in depth understanding of all the intricate methods used in the production and manufacture of foodstuffs you would not be eating
To the last poster, I recommend you learn about what makes commercially prepared food “kosher.” There are only a handful of kashrus organization (world wide) that have the knowledge base (ie. food chemists, process engineers etc.) to certify ingredients. How many Rabbi’s who give hashgachos will know there way around a plant that makes glycerin? Or a factory ship that processes fish? Or know what is a clarifying agent?
I hope you get the picture.
BTW, didn’t your mother ever tell you that vegetables are good for you? And Ronald Reagen made it easy for you by declaring that ketchup is a vegetable (oops, virtually all ketchup is OU or OK).
“An animal slaughtered kosher requires “B’dikas Hore’oh” — inspection of the lungs. If this inspection turns up a “sircha’ — an adhesion — the entire animal is taref. The Ra’moh, whose decisions we usually accept in matters of Halacha, is lenient in this case. He permits the practice of “Mi’uch U’mishmush” — rubbing gently the ‘sircha’ between the ringers of the “bodek” and if this process removes the “sircha” the animal is kosher (Ramoh, Yore Deah, 39:13). Those who refuse to accept this lenient view of the Ramoh or question whether the ‘bodek’’ was gentle enough in the handling of the ‘‘sircha” insist that their meat be from an animal with “glatt’’ — (smooth, in Yiddish) lungs with no “sircha” at all and are willing to pay the price. So much for the basic halacha:
May I now ask several questions. based upon practical experience:
1) Beef cattle without a “sircha’ is very rare. At times, as little as 0- 5% are really ‘‘glatt. ‘Where does all the beef sold in New York as “Glatt-Kosher’ come from?
2) The Ramoh (ibid) specifically excludes calves and lambs from his lenient decision concerning ‘‘Mi’uch U’mishmush,’’ Consequently, a calf or a lamb which has a ‘sircha” is treif even according to the Ramoh. What, then, is ‘‘Glatt-Kosher” veal or lamb?
3) Poultry requires no inspection of the lungs. In fact! the lungs of all poultry is adherent to the ribs. What, then! is “Glatt Kosher” chicken or duck?”
Hmmm. What about glatt kosher fish?
“People have been interested in coming in and so on — we’ve been probing and looking — but the stated issue didn’t change: there’s got to be new management,” Rabbi Genack said. In the end the Rubashkin family would probably become minority owners.
Is OU `in the business of hostile takeovers, UNION MAFIA or just plain ole dirty kickbacks?
Like Sarah Palin says: ‘The good ole boys club’.
I want to know what do they want as their greedy cut?
kashrus(aka ca$h-R-us), has been a business for too long. if kosher consumers actually gave a damn about the kashrus of the food they put in their mouth, we would see some reform. I’m not optimistic. the idea that merchants PAY someone to endorse their foods as kosher STINKS. This results in too many ulterior motives & livelyhood concerns that can compromise a Rabbi’s judgement should a kashrus problem arise in one of his endorsed products. rabbis & supervisors must be paid for the SERVICE (not their endorsement) they provide. they can’t be paid by the merchants. they must be working for the consumers. I don’t have the solution- but something must be done! if only you people would know what’s really going on in this industry. many supervisors/certifiers are neither qualified nor g-d fearing. I can go on & on. as consumers let’s demand action. we have the power. we are the strongest union. hashem yerachem…….
How can the OU be trusted as a Hechsher if they take bribery!!
(Genach has no reason to do this on his own volition).
Orthodox UNION.
The name says it all.
Down with the Unions!
Recently VIN reported that Empre is opening a new Meat product line and the Hecsher will be given by KAJ & Star K.
Why didnt the OU get the job??? are they not the the organization supervising Empires Kosher poultry plants???
With this peace of news in mind I would geuss that in the coniving unscruplus world of “Hecsherim” it pays for OU to disassociate themselves from Rubashkin in order to get the new Empire buisness.
AFTER ALL OU NEEDS THE MONEY THEY MAKE FROM HACSHERIM TO FUND THEIR OTHER ACTIVITIES
אוי מה הי’ לנו כי חטאנו
“Rabbi” and “Genack”. I will forever remember the 2 words/names as two opposites.
By jews we have many titles slogans and types of “chushuverh people”. In midst of the Rubashkin storys we have many more that came to light: There is a Ger Tzedek, (I mean heksher tzedek). There is a pious Rabbi. OU, labor-union (oops… I mean orthodox union)… [note: to Rabbi Genack, letters “O” and “L” look the same – I guess so, if immigration and hechsher go together).
I’m sorry. Up until a few minutes ago I always considered the OU reliable. On business trips and vacations I would call OU and find out what bread is Pas Yisroel and they helped me with all my kashrus questions… But my nightmare is becoming true… They probably lied to me…
Looking back now, when they said the multi-grain bread is 100%-Kosher-Pas-Yisreol it probably meant that it was unionized and non-child-labor-genack-in-kup.
My message to this Rabbi (Genack): YOU SHOULD OF KEPT YOURE MOUTH SHUT.
Acheinu B’Yisroel, Ananchnu Imachem… Kudos to Nachum Segal for starting his radio shows with this Ashreinu Mah Toiv Chelkenu nation. How dare you open youre mouth and help destroy another jewish person’s business? Terrible.
It brings to light the following question:
Q. On Rosh Hashonah, we have the head of a fish, or head of a sheep (rosh-keves or rosh-dahg)… Why dont we have a OU, (genack) related Rosh Yeshiva? Or a Rosh Hechsher?
A. Because we want our year to be L’rosh, V’lo Lezonov.
In the month of elul… Be a man… You had the guts to go and cause harm to youre fellow brother… Its time for you to step up… once more and fix it. (but please… Dont open youre mouth again, we are afraid you will harm us more).
I end this letter, by taking my unopened bag of OU potatoe chips and throwing it in the “ashpah” (lowest level of garbage). I will not eat. My stomache is turning..
Good night. Brother’s unite. Am Yisroel Chai.
Yiden… Do Teshuva… Repent… Stop hurting other people to boost youre Gai-vah (rabbi-part-of-you (hashem yishmor).
Is OU `in the business of hostile takeovers, UNION MAFIA or just plain ole dirty kickbacks?
Like Sarah Palin says: ‘The good ole boys club’.
I want to know what do they want as their greedy cut?
In my eyes, OU is no longer reliable.
in the USA
The presumption of innocence – being innocent until proven guilty – is a legal right that the accused in criminal trials has in many modern nations. The burden of proof is thus on the prosecution, which has to collect and present enough compelling evidence to convince the judge and jury, who are restrained and ordered by law to consider only actual evidence and testimony that is legally admissible, and in most cases lawfully obtained, that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In case of remaining doubts, the accused is to be acquitted.
this rabbi who dont go by the USA law.
should go back to a theird world country.
BTW
all the meet from south america is preduced by underage.
and all the products made in chaina , philipines ,
etc are made with child labor.
rabbi genack you are a moser momon israel byad akum.
Rabosai, you guys have no IDEA how the OU operates.
There’s no COMPANY UNDER THEIR certification, that has not been implied to, to leave others and come to their certification and the COMPANIES understand on a WINK and come on over.
There was one organization who went to the Federal Government and where it not for the othere Organizations who did not want to MASSER, the OU would’ve been under the same MICROSCOPE as AGRI/RUBASHKIN.
So Menachem Genack, now that you see there’s a day of reckoning, how about giving this some tought before pulling the plug on Rubashkin.
What goes around comes around.
i ownder if the OU would allow its own kashruth workers to be unionized??/
do they check ALL their NOT Jewish owned plants that they do not higher illegal imigrants.
This is a PR stunt on Rubashkins loss.
thsi si definatly a witch hunt.
Name me one store or resteraunt that does not higher an illegal allien/ unducumented immigrant.
MAYBE befor eating at any of OU establishments ask them who they employee and if their not USA citizens or legal to work here WALK out anf tell them its becuase of the OU.
The OU should keep their kashruth standards as much as they expect from others
…He confirmed that the union has been in talks with the OU.
That says it all.
The problem is that the Modern Orthodox have added a new ikkar to their religion, that the law is at least equal to the Torah, if not higher than it! They are not Jews, they are Americans of the Mosaic religion. These are the same people who condemn Pollard, not just for show but because they really think he did wrong.
I am proud to have had relatives who did time in the USSR, for violating its laws; and there is no halachic distinction between the USSR and the USA. “Malchus shel chesed” is a term appropriate to mussar, and indeed we should acknowledge that the USA is a great country, and be thankful to Hashem that He has put us here, but the term has no meaning at all in halacha. There is no separate legal category for “malchus shel chesed” as opposed to “malchus horish’oh”; halacha treats their laws equally.
Sure the union will garntee Kashrus, Yes Rabbi Genack
I am shocked and disgusted by this underhanded move by OU.
If this is what they are about and these mafia unions are their friends and they kick Rubashkin when he is down and being unjustly persecuted then we need to rethink our relying on them.
It will take time but mark my words if the word gets out there to the large companies that the OU no longer is the gold standard rather it is the brown standard, they will drop them like a hot potato. It will not be too difficult to get some experts to train a new hashgocha force that is not in cahoots with the unions to fill the void.
I’m certain even their Mashgichim will find this hard to swallow and may abandon them.
We need to send a loud and clear message.
I will start by always choosing other Hechsheirim
over OU when available.
This STINKS!!!!!!!! it seems everything is about $$$$$$$$$$$ well, guess what this was a big mistake and they will see alot of $$$$$$$ go out the window. Nobody is going to have rachmonus on them as they had no rachmonus on Rubashkin (or the consumer) and brought this on themselves.
Anon Says:
No one FORCED anyone to work. This picture sems to show a bunch of unemployed ex-workers looking to Sholom Rubashkin for help – maybe they want their jobs back. Maybe they worked because they needed the money – maybe this whole episode has done nothing but hurt the workers (and the Rubashkins). I dont see any of these so called children being interviewed anywhere. (even throu interpreters). And how do you think the ones that were deported are doing – they are probably trying to cross the border in search of work all over again – except now they will have to work somewhere else b/c Rubashkin can’t give them their jobs back.
09-09-2008 – 3:27 PM
==============================================
The picture is actually telling the following.
1. where is our paycheck
2. where is the back pay you owe us.
3. where is our over time?
4. why did you force me to buy a piece of junk as a car for a premium.
5.why are you charging me premium rent for living in a laundry room with an open dryer duct vent over my head.
6. why are you taking advantage of my little sister ..
The OU is selling someone else’s business! Now that is quite a brazen role for a Kashrus company to play. Making deals with the union at the expense of Rubashkin.
Um what do new investors have anything to do with operations at the plant? This genack charcter has some explaining to do.
Just remember this is an attack on ALL JEWISH BUSINESS. We all need to unite against anti semitism and REMEMBER, TODAY IT IS AGRI AND TOMORROW IT IS U!!!
Leave it to the OU not to have a pair when it is needed.
“Milhouse Says:
I am proud to have had relatives who did time in the USSR, for violating its laws; and there is no halachic distinction between the USSR and the USA.”
I suggest you and Aaron Rubashkin return to Russia if you really think there is no distinction between the US and Russia.
One of the problems is in fact that while Rubashkin physically left Russia, mentally he did business like he was still there. In Russia lying and cheating workers, the government and the consumer was all part of how one succeeded. And that is how he chose to operate his business in the United States.
Look where it got him.
How about if we give OU an ultimatum
“Unless new management is brought in, a new CEO and new investors, we will pull the patronage of their hechsher. The OU has two weeks.”
Sounds like mafioso language ? – well what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
until this situation is resolved, i will not be eating at any OU Establishment.
Again…..
Where is the BEEF
Lock & Load
I don’t eat OU meat. I don’t trust the Kashrus. Now I am SO glad…I don’t trust their ethics either!
does the OU check out all the CHINESE Companies it certifies??? TALK ABOUT CHILD LABOR AND LABOR LAW VIOLATIONS!!!!
AIN TZADIK B”OLAM ASHER LO YECHTA!
There is no company in the WORLD that is SQUEAKY CLEAN, because if the government wants to, they’ll find something, EVEN THE PAPERCLIP YOU TOOK HOME FROM THE OFFICE AND DIDN’T PAY FOR.
The OU is the most reliable Kashrus organizations along with KAJ and some of the other large kashrus organizations. All the “Heimeshe” hachshers like to bash them so that they can get the $$$$. Then you hear all about the scandels with these organizations that certify treif meat like they did in Monsey.
This is despicable conduct by the OU.
I have a MUCH bigger problem with their actions
here than with Rubashkin’s.
Let the heimishe velt decide how to react to this.
The days of zero consequences to the rich and powerful for reprehensible and shameful deeds has thankfully come to an end.
I hope the Rubashkin’s manage with out so called Rabbi Genack.We have to stop the crap the O-U is not Hechsher lo tzedek. This guy must back the Rubashkin’s against the union’s
and there is more for those who think this is the fist problem with the potsville plant
Pollution
On August 31, 2006. Agriprocessors signed a consent decree where they essentially admitted discharging untreated slaughtering wastewater into the Postville sewerage system, in violation of Federal and Iowa State law and paid a $600,000 fine for violating waste-water regulations[15][16][17] Untreated wastewater from abattoirs is a heavy burden on wastewater treatment plants because of its high biochemical oxygen demand and high concentration of FOG (Fats, oils, and grease) which can form insoluble plaques in sewerage pipes.
Starting in 2004, city authorities started an investigation against Agriprocessors due to complaints from local residents that they routinely deposited untreated effluence into local rivers in breach of regulations. On August 31, 2006. Agriprocessors signed a consent decree[15] and paid a $600,000 fine for violating waste-water regulations.[16]
still think they are clean and worth protect as good frum yiddin
The OU is trying to compete with the conservative movements “Hechsher Tzedek”! The OU has no right to be talking to the UNIONS!
OU has mashgichim in the Agri plant, they say the meat is either kosher or not, according to this clown who runs OU he says it is kosher, that being the case OU should mix out! The CHaUTZPAH of the OU! The next thing will be is that the OU will say that they are making too much of a profit and they should share it with the worker! Like the democrats are doing to the big oil companies
“only because Yom Tov is upon us.”
Nothing is upon you. You cannot have fear of heaven to do such a disgusting and evil move.
The ou was waiting all along ,all theis years to hurt the rubashkins ,they allways hated the rubashkins ,i have heard many times belski talking on the radio against rubashkin ,they cant wait till rubashkin closes ,then they’ll go to empire (to the meat line)….
ou allways hade double standers when it came to the rubashkins !!!!!!!!!!!!!
well what goes around comes around
i personally are boycotting any product or restaurant that only has a ou hecsher ..
To all rubashkins and suporters ,i know its tough ,but keep strong you have more suporters and friends then you know (hashem should have racmones)
THE OU ALLWAYS HATED THE RUBASHKINS !!!!
BELSKI,ELEFENT AND GANACK ITS A “CHIT HAMISHLUSH”
No one FORCED anyone to work. This picture sems to show a bunch of unemployed ex-workers looking to Sholom Rubashkin for help – maybe they want their jobs back. Maybe they worked because they needed the money – maybe this whole episode has done nothing but hurt the workers (and the Rubashkins). I dont see any of these so called children being interviewed anywhere. (even throu interpreters). And how do you think the ones that were deported are doing – they are probably trying to cross the border in search of work all over again – except now they will have to work somewhere else b/c Rubashkin can’t give them their jobs back.
09-09-2008 – 3:27 PM
================================================
No one is forcing the rubashkins to keep the ou , But if you want the ou than you must comply. its very simple math.
So, the O-U has suddenly discovered that there is a problem. You mean they saw nothing all these years until now?
This is part of the union’s organizing campaign, and the O-U cowards are shamefully taking the side of the corrupt union against an Ehriche Yid.
Rabbi Weinreb, shame on you!