Today’s JTA article points out Rubashkin has substantial liability for “...his alleged role in a scheme to defraud the company’s bank, as well as a hot of charges relate to his role in helping procure false documentation for the plant’s illegal work force.”

Please note that the myriad labor law violations are not mentioned - and those that are reported are far more serious.

Jews have neglected both Biblical and Talmudic obligations to the immigrants who worked at the factory, especially after the raids in May.  That their only option was to become felons through a plea-bargain resulting in several months of incarceration prior to being shipped back to their native country by Immigration is an ending the we, as Jews, should be ashamed of, to have stood by and allowed this to happen.

In the name of Kashrut, or Heksher Tzedke?  Indeed, I think not.

All Jews should be ashamed of the collateral damage.

Also, it is, in my opinion, the responsibility of the presidents of the Major Jewish Organizations to clean up this mess.  This is, when you strip away all the nonsense, a problem created by a Jew that effects many many people--it is our responsiblity as a Jewish community to lead the effort to make Postville “whole” again.

Rubashkin, Agriprocessors and the Postville Jewish community are not the victims of anti-semistism they are the cause of it. 

Many national leaders simply fail to understand the gravity of the situation.  Jews just like Italians, Irish and other groups complain when their group is stigmatized by the actions of a minority.  But the point our national secular leaders fail to understand is that the Agriprocessors group has essentially been given a franchise by the OU which in turn is given a franchise by the general Jewish community.  Thus the actions of Rubashkin reflect on all of our community in a much different way than let’s say the cosa nostra’s actions reflect on Italians or the way OJ’s actions reflct on African Americans.  And speaking of OJ the protestations of the orthodox community that “Nothing has been proved” while true, remind me of OJ’s claim of innocense-who believes that either is not guilty?

The bottom line is tht the OU’s policy was to produce cheap kosher meat and turn a blind eye to the conditions at AGP.  The recent editorial in the Forward said it all.

The presidents of the Major Jewish Organizations shouldorganize a drive to suppor tthe town of Postville instead of leaving the clean up of our mess to a local Catholic Priest

I’m looking forward to the day when the Trustee sells to an honest group of businessmen who will run the business in a way that we would all be proud.  Remember Jews were at the forefront of the labor movement.  And Jews were for the most part the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire which started the movement.

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This is critical to long-term solutions starting now. If the plant isn’t viable, relocation strategies are needed for workers; if it is viable, temporary worker support in-place is indicated.

The longer we wait for (for example) the Iowa Economic Development authority to assist in such a determination, the more intractable the problem will become.