News Roundup – Thurs. 4/29

[News & Media]

Sholom Rubashkin gave a tearful apology in court at his sentencing hearing this week over the criminal charges on which he’s been convicted. Prosecutors in the case have asked for a 25-year prison sentence, which, defense attorneys argue, will amount to a life sentence. A group of six former U.S. attorney generals wrote a letter to the presiding judge, Linda Reade, in which they cautioned against the “potentially severe injustice” of a life sentence to Mr. Rubashkin, a “first-time, nonviolent offender.” “I’m conflicted that I allowed myself to be drafted into the family business … against my wishes,” Rubashkin said in his statement. Defense lawyers have requested the sentence to be no longer than six years in prison. In documents submitted to the court, they wrote: “the mission of Agriprocessors was to provide an important means for Jews to become closer to their connection to God.”

Bickering in the East Ramapo School District has reached new heights when Antonio Luciano, a candidate for the school board, made reference to Pontius Pilate and Nazi war criminals to make a point about responsibility. His comments were directed at the Orthodox members of the school board, whom he accuses of neglecting their responsibilities to the children attending public schools in the district. The Orthodox in turn were outraged and accused Luciano of anti-Semitism. An edited video was subsequently posted on YouTube in which Luciano’s comments were interspersed with images of Jesus carrying the cross, Hitler giving a Nazi salute, and other images of the Holocaust. The images in the video were shot with a camera belonging to board Vice President Aron Wieder, a member of Monsey’s Hasidic community. Wieder claims he had nothing to do with the uploaded video.

After a court ruling against segregating classes for Ashkenazi and Sefardi students at a Bais Yakov school in Immanuel, Israel, a group of parents set up an independently run school so as to keep out sefardi students. The High Court of Justice is considering sanctions against those parents for non-compliance with the court ruling. Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush, of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, threatened during press interviews to organize a rally against the High Court. The rabbinic leader of the Slonim Chasidc sect, to which many of the Chasidic families in Immanuel belong, has stated that he would rather be jailed than comply with the court order. Apparently, the modern-day equivalent of Kiddush Hashem is being jailed for refusing religious education to sefardim.

A group in Lakewood that goes by the name “Minyan Shelanu” is planning a “family-friendly” Lag Baomer event with music, free food, and dancing. It is billed as a “fun and Spiritual event for all.” Although all aren’t quite welcome. The group has requested that single girls do not attend. This is a family-friendly event, and, well, single girls, we must suppose, are not family-friendly.

Kach activist and Chevron resident Noam Federman states things very simply. For one, “Obama is an anti-Semite.” As a result, photos of Obama, with the caption accusing the president of being a PLO agent, will be burned in hundreds of Lag Baomer bonfires across Israel. According to Federman, the Israeli youth understand just what a threat the president poses to Israel.

Disclaimer: Unpious.com is neither fair nor balanced. We are totally partial to snarkiness, cynicism, sarcasm, and stale matzah and cream cheese on Pesach Sheni.