Saint Rubashkin

"Rubashkin's  kindness  went  beyond  the  Jews. It  was   legendary. He  was  as  generous  to the  non- Jews of Postville  as  he  was  to  the  Jews."

"[Sholom Rubashkin's]  kindness  went  beyond  the  Jews.  It  was   legendary.    He  was  as  generous  to  the  non-­Jews of Postville  as  he  was  to  the  Jews.    When  the  city   decided  to  build  a  new  retirement  home  for  the   elderly,  Sholom  donated  the  land.    When  he  first   moved  to  Postville,  there  was  no  rental  housing   available,  so  Sholom  created  a  company  that   purchased  and  renovated  dilapidated  housing  and   then  rented  it  at  below  market  costs  for  families   who  could  not  afford  to  buy  homes. He  bought  a   night  club  that  was  going  out  of  business  and   then  turned  it  into  a  grocery  store  and  coffee   shop  whose  prices  he  subsidized  so  that  everyone   could  afford  to  eat  there. " – Jena Morris as quoted in Rubashkin's sentencing memorandum filed with the court 4-9-10.

Although not billed that way in Rubashkin's sentencing memorandum. Morris was a both a longtime employee of and a close friend to Rabbi Manis Friedman, the Chabad rabbi most recently known for his anti-Arab comments (Rabbi Manis Friedman on Arabs: 1, 2, 3, 4.)  Friedman is also a very close friend of Sholom Rubashkin who attended Rubashkin's trial.

Past that, the vast majority of Rubashkin's charity went to Orthodox Jews, and the "dilapidated housing" Rubashkin purchased was often well cared for by the owners prior to Rubashkin's purchase. The rental housing was necessary to keep employees at Agriprocessors, and Rubashkin rented to Jews at steep discounts, but rented to non-Jews at full market rates.

The "night club" Rubashkin purchased and turned into a "grocery store" was turned into a kosher grocery store. It served the jewish population of Postville, all of who either worked directly for Agriprocessors or provided support services such as teaching in the Jewish school Rubashkin controlled.

Rubashkin paid his non-Jewish line workers among the lowest wages in the industry, forced them to work unpaid overtime, and shorted their paychecks.

Saint Rubashkin, indeed.

Here is Rubashkin's sentencing memorandum as a PDF file:

Download Rubashkin Sentencing Memorandum 4-9-10

Also check out Rubashkin's Defendant's Motion For Downward Departure and/or Variance, which includes claims of mental illness as a reason for a lighter sentence.

That motion mentions a report that says Rubashkin bribed Postville's mayor.

Directly Related Posts: 1, 2.