Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio is a favorite in the Orthodox Jewish community. Despite his liberal views and national status, Mr. de Blasio always maintained a close and warm relationship with the community. According to the latest polls, Mr. de Blasio leads Republican Joe Lhota 2-1 among Jewish voters.
However, a review of some letters by Mr. de Blasio, in City Hall archives, show his insensitivity to an issue that is at heart with the Jewish community, not only in America but worldwide.
Following the shocking arrest of Sholom Rubashkin, the owner of Agriprocessors – the nation’s largest producer of kosher beef and chicken — The Forward ran a story about, supposedly, work abuse and violation of wage and hour laws at Alle Processing – Meal Mart which operate in Queens, NY.
Since the Agriprocessors raid in 2008, industry experts say, Alle has become the biggest producer of kosher beef. In several interviews with The forward, Alle workers made complaints about many of the same issues that have plagued Agriprocessors: low pay, unhappy relations with management, and a lack of health benefits and safety training.
Dave Young, a regional organizing director for UFCW Local 342, who worked on campaigns with both companies, placed Alle right behind Agriprocessors in problems with labor relations.
“Do I think they treat the people as bad as Agri? No,” Young said. “Do I think they are anywhere close to what they should be? Absolutely not. It’s very similar to Agri in that they don’t have paid vacation or health, and there’s lots of favoritism.”
The company remains a leading producer of institutional kosher food, employs hundreds of workers, and has contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and a number of airlines.
In July of 2009, Councilman Bill de Blasio found it important enough to report the story and the lawsuit filed to all of the five Borough presidents, urging them to terminate the City’s contracts with Alle Processing or at least not be renewed.
“Troubling information about this company has been brought to my attention, and I would like to share this with you and request your assistance in determining whether these contracts are in violation of the responsible contract language laid out by the New York City Procurement Policy Board,” Mr. de Blasio wrote.
Many in the Orthodox community still believe that the Rubashkin arrest and the actions taken against Agriprocessors were an attempt to weaken the “Shechita” industry in the United States, as an easy target by PETA, fueled by conspiracies and hatred toward Jewish traditional practices.
The lawsuit against Meal Mart as seen by some in the Orthodox Jewish community as a continued campaign against the community.
“Where was Bill de Blasio’s sensitivity, during a time of crisis to the Jewish community in the United States,” one prominent member of the community – an advocate on Shechita-related issues, who wished to remain anonymous, asked. “Mr. de Blasio shouldn’t have compiled on an issue that may feel was an assault on the Shechita industry.”
Mr. De Blasio’s spokesperson Dan Levitan declined to comment.
(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)
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19 Responses
The fourth-to-last paragraph of this article is a model of bad journalism. It reads: “Many in the Orthodox community still believe that the Rubashkin arrest and the actions taken against Agriprocessors were an attempt to weaken the “Shechita” industry in the United States, as an easy target by PETA, fueled by conspiracies and hatred toward Jewish traditional practices.” There is no source for this statement, no reference to any single person or group who believe what “many in the Orthodox community still believe”. This is Fox-style journalism, i.e., say “many” believe what you believe, and pretend you have a factual foundation for your blather about a news story in which you have a point of view.
PETA is certainly a threat to sane treatment of edible animals in their pre-edible state, and some of PETA’s proposals would, if carried out, jeopardize if not prohibit kosher slaughter. And perhaps PETA supported the raids on the Rubashkin slaughterhouse in Iowa. But there were serious failures to comply with labor and immigration laws in the Rubashkin plant, and crying “anti-Semitism” was a bad legal strategy and a worse policy for a Jewish business to pursue when, in fact, there were legitimate reasons for prosecuting the firm for failure to comply with federal and Iowa legal requirements.
I am not familiar with the facts of the Meal Mart situation, but the comparison to the Rubashkin slaughterhouse in Iowa certainly raises the possiblity that someone – Mr. Kornbluh or someone with a proprietary interest in Meal Mart, wants prosecutors steered (unintended but welcome pun) away from an investigation of Meal Mart. And, most important, there is no information in this article that Mr. deBlasio was motivated by anything other than concern for the welfare of employees. And that is also a concern for the Orthodox community, as halacha sets high standards for employers to observe with their employees. Perhaps Mr. Kornbluh should bone up on the halacha of labor relations.
Nothing is more hurtful than “crying wolf” over non-existent anti-Semitism. When anti-Semitism grows to be a threat in the US, all Jews will suffer because of the false alarms that small handfuls of self-interested people have sounded.
de Blasio is an anti-semitic communist.
Nevertheless, the city doesn’t have much alternatives in obtaining Glass Kosher meat from anyone other than Alle. And they must follow procurement laws in choosing a vendor.
My the Blasio stand up blumenberg with מילה and Blasio with שחיטה – Jews will vote for Blasio they deserve what they get
nfgo3 #1: Dude, this is four year old stale information this story is all about. It is only being regurgitated know since one of the hot air politicos trying to make a stink and gains some media brownie points is the current political candidate for mayor. There is nothing knew here and there in investigation on this four year old junk and factually incorrect information.
#2, my Rebbe prohibits eating Glass Kosher meat. It is very dangerous to the mouth, the tongue and the rest of the digestive system.
Big one and… It still shows a persons true feelings and intentions. When the unions attacked kosher slaughter he backed them and did there biding without investigating in his own NOW that he wants to be mayor he loves us just like hitler in the early 1930s. And got German Jews to vote for him too
And so called “community leaders” in the frum community keep supporting this louse.
#1: Many people feel that Rubashkin was singled out for severe punishment because of his religious group. You might not agree, but if you’ve ever read anything on this site about Rubashkin, it’s clear that a lot of people feel this way.
A dead clock is right twice a day. Can’t believe I’m saying this but I agree with nfgo3, especially re: the fake anti semitic accusations.
nfgo3 Your agenda against Rubashkin shows through in your comment. He was cleared of all wrong doing against his workers at trial. The prosecution tried what ever they could to prove him guilty. They even promised green card for those who successfully testified against him. In the end the judge asked the prosecutor if they had any real evidence against him. The jury (not other frum Jews) found him not guilty of any charges.
If you read all the newspaper accounts and trial reviews, you would know that he was always fair with all employees and the other residents of his city. It is TOTALLY wrong to imply that he was guilty of mistreating on of his employees.
If you are part of PETA of the union, then it makes sense what you are implying; which is plain evil!
#2, sounds crunchy to me…Who gives the hechsher on the glass? Is it from kosher sand? Is it pure?
Mr. DeBlasio is simply following the standard atheist agenda, just as Yair lapid of the yesh Atid party in Israel.
Orthodox religious people, in their view, are reactionary, bigots who oppose “progressive” trends in society–things like abortion,
toeva, andgovernment control of education and medical care.
Religion is the “opiate of the people,” to quote Karl marx, and it must be destroyed as quickly as possible.
To nfgo3,
you wrote;
“But there were serious failures to comply with labor and immigration laws in the Rubashkin plant”.
Sorry to let the facts get on the way,
but Rubashkin was found NOT guilty in EVERY single labor, child labor, and immigration law he was charged with.
On EVERY charge of the massive unprecedented helicopter at dawn raid, he was aquitted, bar none.
Perhaps it was not anti-semitism,
Perhaps it was PETA, the unions who couldn’t get in, and hechsher tzedek itching to prove a point, combining to create a perfect storm, and finding a judge wanting a name for herself who then involved herself in the pre-arrest negotiiations. (and of course can never back out now)
While it may be true mr rubashkin was cleared of immigration charges, he was found guilty of many of the financial crimes he was charged with. Yes the sentence was disproportional and severe and should be challenged but it does makes it harder to use the anti semite card when you’re guilty of defrauding a bank with fake receivables, etc, etc.
Jew Yorker
The financial crimes only came about after the raid.
When his buisness had been destroyed by false and trumped up charges.
The cause of the rais were specific allegations that were proven to be false and without merit.
Hopefully, the voters will realize before it is too late.
#12 said: “things like abortion, toeva, andgovernment control of education and medical care”
By “toeva”, I assume you’re referring to eating pork. Or perhaps you meant idol worship? I can’t be sure, since this word appears so many times in the Torah.
So it’s all about the stinking unions? Unions have turned into ONE OF THE WORST THINGS POSSIBLE. All they do is get in the way of good companies.
I think that we don’t know the whole story with Rubaskin, I do think he was targeted by PETA and set up but he did do something wrong wrong (although it was bank fraud and not what PETA suspected) but when the whole story came out, they still couldn’t overturn the judgement which tells you that there is no proof one way or the other if the judge was corrupt, as for meal mart this is the first time I am hearing complaints but it doesn’t surprise me that people don’t feel they are being treated well and that is something that people should be concerned about. Jewish organization should be more careful in how they treat there employee but unfortunately most of them don’t