It was inevitable and it’s happened more than once. A listener of my radio show has yet again referred to me as a Nazi. The listener, a member of one of the Jewish ultra-orthodox sects was taking exception to my criticism of the ultra-orthodox community’s support for Shlomo Rubashkin.
In November 2009, Rubashkin, a Lubavitcher and the former owner of Agriprocessors, the largest Kosher meat processor in North America, was convicted of 86 counts of financial fraud, including bank fraud, mail and wire fraud and money laundering. In June 2010, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison. In a separate trial, he was acquitted of knowingly hiring underage workers. He is currently serving his sentence in Otisville, New York. In January 2011, his lawyers filed an appeal; on September 16, 2011, the appeals court ruled against Rubashkin.
Since his conviction, various Jewish sects have held rallies raising money for his defense, called the US government anti-semitic and labelled Rubashkin a pigyun shevuyin (endangered captive). At one rally in Crown Heights, a Rabbinic leader stated that ‘No Jew, regardless if he is guilty, should spend a night in jail’.
Jews are not above the law. Sometimes, even Jews that give a lot of charity commit crimes that deserve punishment. The second we feel that we are above the law, we are in tremendous trouble. Many have argued that Rubashkin had no choice but to commit fraud, for his company was going under. That to me is baloney, there is no excuse to commit crimes, religious people are supposed to be better than that.
The listener continued with the old argument that what I speak about on my show supplies ammunition to Jew haters. The truth is, Jew haters don’t need me for ammunition, they have centuries of history to rely on for that.
As for calling me a Nazi, it’s insulting, but I’m not going to take it to heart. The fact that the listener felt he had to use that kind of rhetoric to disagree with something I said, only goes to prove that he has a major mental problem. I honestly hope he seeks help and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Imbecile. When a Jew is in dire need of support, who is facing life imprisonment, criticizing shows a complete lack of a basic Jewish Midah (Character Trait) compassion.
Do you feel compassion for Bernie Madoff? What about David Bercovitch (The Son of Sam)? How about Jonathan Pollard?
And starting a comment with an insult starts the convo on a good foot
You, in your ignorance of anything legal, CHOSE (against Jewish instincts) to believe Rubashkin’s detractors who basically amount to some immoral anti-semites, instead of the overwhelming opinion of many legal scholars, congressmen and the general population that Rubashkin has been extremely wronged in this case, beginning with the Judges ex-parte meetings to his outrageous draconian sentence.
Realize that you are wrong and apologize.
You see, you just totally ignored my first response to you. Typical for hysterical closed minded people who don’t respect other people’s opinions or ideas.
I should have known this by the fact that you started this conversation off with an insult. Usually people with no argument do that.
Have a good shabbos.