The following is an edited response to a Ezra Friedlander op-ed two days ago concerning Sen. Charles Schumer’s involvement, or lack thereof, in the release of Crown Heights Jewish leader Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin. The full version of the editorial is in the Gifter in Gotham news website.
You write that in the aftermath of the release of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, you saw much jubilation. But that was followed quickly by speculation from members of our community regarding the role or lack thereof of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer in the advocacy pertaining to the President’s commutation of Rubashkin’s sentence.
With all due respect, where do you get off telling millions of Jews they have no right to be upset about something which was fact? The fact was Schumer didn’t do anything on behalf of Rubashkin. last week was a rare moment to have millions of people worldwide be united on an issue. The issue was an injustice in the way Rubashkin was sentenced. The majority of people weren’t professing innocence or guilt but the way the government prosecuted Rubashkin. What happened to Rubashkin can happen to anyone in the United States and does happen very often.
You continue on, “There have been those who suggested that even Nancy Pelosi, the non-Jewish woman who represents California’s 12th Congressional District, has expressed her written consent for a commutation of Mr. Rubashkin’s sentence. And yet, Chuck Schumer, who calls himself the ‘shomer yisroel,’ refused to write a letter.”
Multiple sources who dealt with the Rubashkin case Senator Schumer did not help. “Shomer Yisroel” was only brought up by others because of dozens of speeches by the Senator himself bragging how he is the Jewish watch keeper and in his own words, he himself has said many times that when there is an injustice he will fix it.
You continue on, “I’m always amazed at how our community manages to shoot ourselves in the foot and display our political immaturity to the world. Or perhaps the right verbiage here might be ‘political suicide’.”
Do you really believe the entire observant Jewish community is shooting themselves in the foot and committing political suicide? is it political suicide for media to state facts? It’s the media job to report to the facts and truths to the best of their ability. How is it that so many web sites pulled off a radio interview that was criticizing Senator Schumer?
You state the old expression, ‘Those who know don’t speak. And those who speak don’t know.’
Out with the old expressions for now. My expression is new and it goes like this: Those who do know are required to speak out when there is an injustice.
And the plain truth is Sen. Schumer was notably absent in lobbying President Trump in getting the release of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin. And his failure to act on moral grounds was grounded in pure political motives.
