By Yochonon Donn, Hamodia
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Speaking fast, Sholom Rubashkin managed to cover most of Maggid during the 55 minutes allotted to him for visits during the Seder.
The former manager of the kosher slaughterhouse Agriprocessors is allowed visitors until 9 p.m. — 55 minutes after sundown in Cedar Rapids, Iowa — so he tried to cover as much of the Seder as possible in that time frame.
Mendel Baron and Shmuel Vishedsky, both 19, spent the first two days of Pesach in Cedar Rapids and joined Mr. Rubashkin for the beginning of the sedarim.
The two bochurim, who are currently learning the Postville Yeshivah, are registered prison chaplains and are entitled to meet privately with prisoners. Other visitors must speak though a gate separating them from the inmate.
“This is a true honor,” Vishedsky told Hamodia, Lbecause in my opinion we are dealing with a man who is above nature. His emunah and bitachon, and the chessed that he does with people puts him above nature.”
Baron and Vishedsky became prison chaplains about two weeks after Mr. Rubashkin was arrested in November at the conclusion of his bank fraud trial.
Although they visited him as often as possible, until now they could not come on Shabbos because of the strictly enforced prison rule that all visitors must sign in before and after the visit.
Due to the intervention of Rabbi Mendel Katz that rule was waived for the sedarim. The director of Aleph Institute, an organization that provides aid for Jewish prisoners, called the two boys a day before Pesach to tell them of the rule change.
Baron, who was reached while spending bein hazmanim with his family in Miami, and Vishedsky, who was in Brooklyn, immediately flew out to Iowa.
They both say they did not regret their changed plans.
“Sholom Mordechai made [the Hagaddah] come alive,” said Vishedsky. “It was the most meaningful Pesach I ever had,” added Baron.
“In general a clergyman comes to a prisoner to make sure that he doesn’t lose hope, he doesn’t commit suicide, but over here he was uplifting us,” said Vishedsky. “Everything he was reading he applied to his own personal situation.”
i cant belive what the did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
such a kiddush hashem
kol hakovod to lubavitch. only such bochrim would give up their comfortable home seder 4 him. our hearts cry ,what active eitzos to do? was the media contacted? adl? all the talk show guys?do we need to make a demonstration somewhere? someone should decide what’t good or counterpproductive.
AMEN AMEN hurry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ISRAEL,PLEASE HELP FREE HIM,AND SWIFTLY TAKE HIM TO ISRAEL NOW. JT
way to go
We don’t have much gelt, we say Tehillim for Shalom daily,it’s not enough. If you were in 770 this past Shabbos and did not become motivated to help, you were sleeping in Shul!
No one should be able to sleep at night while our brother is suffering, unless you are actively participating in helping in some way towards Shaloms release.
WAKE UP EVERYONE AND GET INVOLVED!!!
why
wow really impressed shmuel, keep up the awesome work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
whats up nuss.
Not just SMR also us should be freed from OUR prison (golus)
MOSHIACH NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
beautiful!!
good news soon!
moshiach now
Yidden daven!!!!!
it’s jay
how sad hope he gets free soon and gets taken out of his mitzraim
This is what Chabad is all about!
yashar koach to those bachurim and I’m sure it was a chizuk from both ends, as well as to his family.
Vee vant Moshiach NOW.
oyy ad mosai take this decree away!
that mitzrayim is from the loshen of limitations- and hashem came to mitzrayim to lift bn”ei from their limitations – may hashem come and lift SH M- out of his limitations and ALL of bne”i to the geulah hashlamos AMEN!!!
wow!! 🙂
no
is that you minky
May Hashem change the hearts of man for good and k’eref ayin Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin will be a free man and will join his family. Amen! It is possible. Remember the earthquake recently in Haiti, suddenly the prisoners ran off free! Moshiach Now!
moshiach now
AMEN!!!!!!!! may he experiance a TRUE yetzias mitzrayim emeedietly
Brings tears to my eyes and lump in my throat! May Hashem change this terrible decree against him and may he merit a real Yetziyas Mitzrayim Speedily!!!
lshana habah beyerushalayim!!
good job “sederage”