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Dec 24, 2017

'Chabad Kept Refusing Rubashkin' Most Read Most Comments

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Rabbi Milton Balkany minimized Chabad's role in

helping his brother-in-law Sholom Mordechai
Rubashkin. Chabad and Satmar prove him wrong.

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Milton Balkany, the political activist and fundraiser once

dubbed "the Brooklyn Bundler," has minimized Chabad's role in
supporting his Lubavitcher brother-in-law, Sholom Mordechai
Rubashkin, during his legal ordeal.

Balkany, arrested and charged with extortion, blackmail, wire fraud

and making false statements for which he was sentenced for 4
years in prison, was interviewed on Motzoei Shabbos on Zev
Brenner's Talkline radio show.

He said that the entire Jewish community attempted to advocate

for Rubashkin, but there was no single group who accomplished as
much as Satmar, praising both Satmar factions for uniting in their
efforts on the Rubashkin case.

"Satmar spearheaded with such magnitude from day one," Balkany

stated, saying that Satmar chassidim primarily visited Rubashkin
and financially supported his family. "There was no day or night...
you are talking about people who deserve hakaras hatov."

Rubashkin himself expressed appreciation to the Satmar community

after being commuted by President Donald Trump last week. On
Sunday, Rubashkin and his elderly father Avrohom Aaron
Rubashkin and family members visited the Satmar Rebbe of
Monroe and davened at the Ohel of the Satmar Rebbe R' Yoelish
ZT"L.

"The Satmar certainly gave lots of money and moral support, but
not in the first years. To say that Satmar did it all and everyone
else did nothing is disgusting and not true," said an activist in the
Satmar community in a voicenote on Sunday.

In the interview, Balkany said that given their propensity to steer

away from controversy, Lubavitch was relatively quiet in the first
few years of Rubahskin's imprisonment and that "organizers of the
annual Kinus Hashluchim refused repeated requests to have Tehillim
said for Rubashkin."

Participants of the Kinus Hashluchim clearly remember the name

"Sholom Mordechai ben Rivka" being mentioned each year for
Tehillim. Another annual Chabad event, the gala of Colel Chabad
began with a Rubashkin relative saying Tehillim.

One senior Chabad official said, "Balkany still holds a grudge against
Chabad Headquarters for not inviting him to introduce his
acquaintance, Senator Joe Leiberman, when he was the guest
speaker at the Kinus banquet."

Balkany later told VIN News that while many Lubavitchers donated
to the Rubashkin cause and prayed diligently for his release, "the
Chabad establishment stayed in the shadows during Rubashkin's
prison term."

The Satmar askan responded that from his own knowledge, and as
posted on COLlive.com, it was Chabad who openly garnered the
crucial support of attorneys general, Congress members and
senators in support of Rubashkin's cause, since "Satmar just
doesn't have those connections."

And it wasn't only legal support that Rubashkin received from the
Chabad community of which his family is a long-time member since
their days in the former Soviet Union.

One of the leading campaigners was the Chabad organization

NCFJE who set up a committee that was involved in the legal,
financial and spiritual support. Committee members were Levi
Balkany, Yingy Bistritsky, Ari Chitrik, Sholom Duchman,
Mendel Feller, Noson Hecht, Shea Hecht, Shmuli Hecht,
Sholem B. Hecht, Sholom B. Lipskar, Benjy Stock, Zalman
Vishedsky and Yaakov Weiss. They were joined by Suri Ciment,
Hindy Labkowski and Molly Resnick.

On Motzoei Shabbos, Rubashkin made it a point to personally visit

the home of R' Sholom Ber Drizin, a Lubavitch businessman and
philanthropist from Crown Heights. People present told COLlive.com
Rubashkin thanked him for generously donating some $2 million for
his legal cause.

The Satmar askan also recalled how Rubashkin's daughter Rosa

Hindy Weiss came to a Boro Park jeweler with a bag of jewelry,
valuable personal items gifted by Lubavitch women from Crown
Heights to her father's case.
In the radio interview, Balkany also dismissed the efforts of the
Miami-based Aleph Institute which serves and defends Jewish
prisoners around the country. "They do amazing work, but they
never took someone out of jail," Balkany said.

In response, Rabbi Shmuel Schlanger of Chabad in Bakersfield,

CA, said he himself was witness to how Aleph helped Jews being
released from prison (one, after sitting for 17 years), in addition to
Jews abroad. "A retraction or apology is due to Aleph," he said.

The involvement of the Crown Heights and worldwide Chabad-

Lubavitch community, as well as the frum communities from
Lakewood to Williamsburg, are clearly evident by reviewing the
news archives of COLlive.com dating back to November 2008.

After the U.S. Immigration raid on the Agriprocessors factory (from

which Rubashkin was acquitted), COLlive.com posted appeals to
sign a personal letter, an emergency food drive in Crown Heights
for Agri employees, the establishment of a "Committee for
Rubashkin Case," Pidyon Shvuyim appeal, and 200 supporters
attend Soiux Falls trial.

On April 2010, COLlive.com reported that leaders from all frum

communities - such as Chabad Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, Rabbi
Malkiel Kotler of Lakewood, the Satmar Rebbe and the
Novominsker Rebbe - called on writing letters of support for
Rubashkin.

Following the wide shock over the harsh sentencing of 27 years,

we reported how the Skverer Rebbe, Rabbi Duvid Twersky
donated, his brother Yossi Rubashkin raising $5,000 outside a
Crown Heights grocery, the Melbourne community donating,
Postville bochurim fasting, Yated newspaper gathering
signatures, and thousands signing a White House petition.

In 2011, after being denied a "Full Court" hearing, Rubashkin was

visited by the Sanzer Rebbe, Rabbi Leibel Groner of Chabad,
Satmar Rebbe, Yisroel Besser of Mishpacha Magazine and many
unreported others.

Efforts continued with support and fundraising rallies taking place in

each large Jewish communities, lobbying by heads of Agudath
Israel, a request from President Barack Obama during the
Chanukah party, and some 77,000 letters for Prison reform.

As one person involved said, “we just witnessed and experienced

such a special achdus among klal yisroel, it’s a real pity that
there’s already those who are quick to throw cold water on a warm
show of unity.”

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