What Rubashkin Knew And When He Knew It

I reread a large chunk of Stephen Bloom's book Postville over the second day of Shavuot. I hadn't looked at the book in a long time – I think I last read bits of it five years ago.

Bloom clearly…

…shows that Aaron Rubashkin was directly and knowingly involved in recruiting, transporting and employing illegal workers, despite his recent claims to the contrary.

Bloom also reports sexual harassment of female illegal workers, forced sex, and other abuses.

At the same time, he reports some kindnesses done by the Rubashkins for a few illegals.

Bloom reports the starting salary in 1997 was $6 per hour, with nothing taken out – meaning no Social Security or Income taxes withheld.

How could that be?

Because Agriprocessors was still refusing to comply with US law mandating companies check workers documents and withhold taxes.

After the book was completed, Agriprocessors began to "comply" – and that is when the company-obtained fake IDs and Social Security numbers apparently began.

It was also about this time that the illegals working at Agriprocessors became overwhelmingly Mexican and Central American. The flow of Ukrainian, Russian and Eastern European illegals dried up as Russia's economy flourished and as US entry tightened after 9-11.

But this should be clear – many of the very abuses now claimed by Guatemalan and Mexican workers (and backed in many cases by hard evidence) also happened to illegals working at Agriprocessors in the early to mid-1990s, and that abuse was documented and made very public by Bloom.

No one – not the government, not the rabbis, not the Rubashkins – can claim they did not know.

Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America.

Comments

[yidandahalf]

Bloom did as far as I can tell, a flawless story on the Rubash-in effect in Postville. It is a must read for anyone even remotely interested in this issue. If your library can't order it, buy it on ebay. But read it at all costs.
Could we ever observe kashrus the way we did before the shoah? Or should we just forget about this wishful thinking because 'times have changed' and we must keep up with the now? Do we shut up and turn away from the house of cards Big Hechsher has erected? Ka$hru$ has morphed into a corrupt bilking of the consumer across the land and good Jews are being sold treif to line the pockets of the OU. Do we follow our conscience if we dare and try to bring change? If not for the Rubash-ins would this matter have even come up? G-d forbid but it seems that way. How long would things have gone on otherwise?
Heres a new story of meat shortages:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.kosher06jun06,0,6421502.story?page=1

[Isa]

Was't there a short story how Rubashkin took the writer to a men's mikve and of course the author didn't appreciate the experience.
I thought why expose somebody to that? Even the MO men do not go to the mikve (perhaps once a year before Yom Kippor for some)
Ahhhh Rubashkin knew the writer would write about that, then the frummies would 'know' that he was 'g-d fearing'
Yea right! observe every chumrot that there is and then turn around and put the 'whip' to your workers

[yidandahalf]

Maybe I will give the rubbishcan the benefit of the doubt, after all maybe he has just been following the goyish meat industry and going along and well, got out there and didn't realize the ice was so thin. After all the gentile industry has been hoodwinking the American public for twenty odd years, what has he been doing so differently? Maybe he didn't think "Well, it worked good enough for the goyim, how much better would it work on the Jewish kosher consumer?". Maybe he didn't actually allow such thoughts to come to the front of his mind, but maybe..........who knows?
Read "Slaughterhouse" by Gail Eisnitz for an in depth report of the meat industry and government collusion. Another must read if you are following the Rubash-in story no matter what your interest is in it.

[D.]

I actually thought Bloom seemed kind of clueless from his book. If he had a better Jewish background or, more importantly, done better research, I think the book would have made a bigger impact and been taken more seriously. Agriprocessors is the biggest Hilul Ha-Shem in recent memory and deserves competent coverage. In my opinion, Bloom didn't do it justice.

[yidandahalf]

D, the book was written sometime ago, a recent update or two really was not enough. As you suggest, a new look at Agri with from fresh eyes would be excellent.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Yid & 1/2: Also read "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser.

[formely frum]

"Maybe I will give the rubbishcan the benefit of the doubt, after all maybe he has just been following the goyish meat industry and going along and well, got out there and didn't realize the ice was so thin." yidandahalf

__________________________________

maybe yes maybe no, however isn't the claim of the frum world we are better than others. I guess not.

In addition, many years ago when the nursing home scandal broke, most if not all, where frum Jews. Because of that, a writer in the Jewish Press no less said, I can not believe this, where they just targeting nursing homes owned by frum Yiden? So, He decide to do his own investigation of nursing home. ]
In his next article he said, I am shamed as a Frum Yid. My investigation sadly showed that the conditions of the nursing homes owned by frum Yiden were horrible, and those owned by non-frum or Gentiles the condition were nice well keep and the patients well cared for. he said, I guess i was wrong, the reason why frum Yiddin where arrested investigated was because they should have been, and the reason there was no Gentile ones (or very few)in the sweep was simple because they where well kept and the patients cared for. (my words, no dead bodies for weeks in the freezers and telling the government they where alive so they can keep on getting checks))

So lets not be so quick to say, since a frum yid was caught doing something wrong, that it must be industry standard.

[Carol Ann Varley]

The 1978 Humane Slaughter Act authorized the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to monitor humane treatment of livestock at time of slaughter; but the prime objection of FSIS is meat safety.

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has experience in animal welfare. APHIS should be handed the responsibility for enforcement of the Humane Slaugher Act.

The social contract between the federal government and its citizens promising humane treatment of livestock at slaughter has been broken.

In the meantime an ethical option is to refuse to purchase meat.

[yidandahalf]

YL, for some reason I kept thinking "Fast Food Nation" was a documentary. Saw "McLibel" and "The Future of Food" which I highly recommend. I'll get Schlosser's book asap on ebay. Thanks!

Formerly Frum, I have been 'monitoring' myself of late since being branded an anti-semite. The rubbishcan now epic saga has made me so bitter and I thought I ought tone it down a notch.

Miss Varley, Have met with Aphis folks in the course of work but it has been awhile and of course before all of the exposes. Will look into this, thanks for the info.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Yid & 1/2: The book was made into a documentary, so you're not wrong.

[Carol Ann Varley]

I watched Fast Food Nation about a month ago. In the special features section the writer and director discussed the decision not to make the film a documentary; instead, it is a character portrayal based on the book's themes.

Some scenes were filmed inside actual meatpacking plants. There is a graphic scene of captive-bolt method of slaughter. The animal drops instantly, yet there is sadness to see life vanish for the sake of hamburgers.

[Peterson]

There was one line early on in Blooms book that convinced me it was fictional literary work.
"employees standing knee deep in blood"
This is completely false and made up. Ankle deep in the blood pit would have been acurate and believable. "Literary License" is what I believe it is called as is most of the rest of the book. Nothing flawless about Blooms book, he is just another Jew trying to make a buck off another Jew, in some circles they call that method of making money,
"Ka$hru$"

[Shmarya]

Rubashkin was cited by regulatory authorities for not having adequate drains on the kill floor and for working with the existing drains stuffed up.

The blood Bloom saw could easily have been knee deep.