By COLlive reporter
Members of Agudath Israel of America’s Board of Trustees, Executive Staff, Regional Directors and key activists from across the country were in Washington, DC, this past week.
Agudah’s Leadership Mission took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 7 and 8 and included an hour-long meeting we had with the new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
What was perhaps the emotional highlight of the visit to Capitol Hill came during their lunch meeting with Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.
Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel, began the meeting by speaking about the Senator’s great friendship to the Jewish people and support for Jewish causes.
Zwiebel then mentioned concern Hatch has shown for Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, a former kosher meat executive who is serving an excessive 27-year sentence in federal prison.
Senator Hatch responded by describing the Rubashkin case as “a travesty of justice,” and declared his resolve to do whatever he could to help free Rubashkin, a father of 10 children and many grandchildren.
When the Senator concluded his impassioned statement, Zwiebel called upon my colleague Ms. Leah Zagelbaum, Agudath Israel’s director of communications, to play a voicemail message she had on her cellphone.
The voice was of Mrs. Leah Rubashkin, Sholom Mordechai’s wife, talking about how helpful Senator Hatch has been in advocating for her husband and giving great chizuk to the family.
The delegation then stood and recited together a chapter of Tehillim in merit of Sholom Mordechai Halevi ben Rivka.
“Senator Hatch and his staff were visibly moved, as were all of our Mission delegates,” Zwiebel told the Baltimore Jewish Life. “It was a moment of great uplift, and great resolve.”
Number 4, your point is well taken. and Number 6, whilst it is true that Lubavitch/Chabad is doing something they could be doing a heck of a lot more. And, by publicizing what you are doing it brings more attention to the situation and a greater incentive from others to do more.
Chaim David Zwiebel is a very special Yid. He also happens to be a cousin to Reb Meilach Zwiebel a.h.
Perhaps S.M. Rubashkin is better off going through the court system? If he’s pardoned it appears as if he was guilty of a crime, but he did nothing.
If the new administration truly and sincerely wants to make America ‘Supremely Great’ they should observe ‘The 7 Noahide Laws.’ There are other ‘great’ countries…but how many are ‘Supremely Great?’ How many countries can claim: ‘We Are a Light to the World?’
Who says Lubavitch isn’t doing anything for him? Just because you don’t hear about it, does it mean that they’re not doing anything? Helping a fellow yid shouldn’t be dependent on the sect of Judaism you follow. If non-Lubavitch has better connections then let them use their connections, we need all the connections we can get. If a non-Jewish person has connections would you decry the Jewish people saying that they don’t help their fellow yidden?
Thank you Agudas Yisrael for your efforts. May Hashem Yisborach grant the Hatzlacha and Yeshuah for Sholom Mordechai. Beracha veHatzlacha beChol Maasei Yedeichem
It’s beautiful that the non-Chabad world has not stopped working for Reb Sholom Mordechai, a Yud vus shtampt foon Nevel. But where is the Chabad activism for him? Total silence. It’s a bit embarrassing.
praying publicly !!! not afraid to show their Jewishness!!!
Wow, free Shalom today!!
Finally something is starting to happen to free SMR