Trump set him free; now, Iowa slaughterhouse exec coming to Lakewood

Sholom Rubashkin, whose 27-year prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in December, prompting celebration in many Orthodox Jewish communities, is coming to Lakewood.

Rubashkin, a Iowa kosher meat processor who was convicted of more than 80 counts of financial crimes, is expected to speak at a fundraiser for a food bank, Tomchei Shabbos, which also uses the name Family Food Relief, organizers have confirmed.

The Saturday night event, a men's only private affair, is the nonprofit's largest annual fundraiser.

"Our organization and the Rubashkin family have had a relationship 25-years-plus," said Ben Svarc, co-director of the nonprofit. "They were one of our first suppliers."

So Tomchei Shabbos of Lakewood extended an invitation to Rubashkin, and he accepted, Svarc said.

"We didn’t know if that would come together," he said. "We do owe the family, in a sense, a thank you."

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Svarc said Tomchei Shabbos assists about 500 families in a month, and even more during Jewish holidays. The organization spent nearly $6 million to provide free or at-cost food in 2015, according to tax filings, and helps people around New Jersey, but primarily in Lakewood.

Tomchei is Hebrew and loosely translates to "supporters," Svarc said. Shabbos is the Jewish sabbath day – Saturday.

“Our organization is equally concerned about the Tuesdays and Wednesdays as well,” Svarc said.

“Core to our mission is not only to feed the people who are in need the actual food, but to do it in a way, in a fashion that is assisting in their overall stability."

That approach means boxing up ingredients that families can use to cook in a week or month, so they don't have a daily worry of where to find food. Boxes are brimming with chicken, cooking oil and pasta, for example.

About 2,000 people are likely to attend the fundraiser, Svarc said. Part of that draw certainly will be Rubashkin.

Trump commuted the man's prison sentence on Dec. 20. The action allowed Rubashkin's release after serving eight years of a 27-year term, but did not nullify his convictions.

More than 30 bipartisan members of Congress supported a review of Rubashkin's sentence, which many argued was too long for the crime.

The release of the slaughterhouse executive was met with celebration in many Orthodox Jewish enclaves, including Lakewood, and campaigns to write thank-you letters to the president.

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Rabbi Avi Schnall, head of the New Jersey office of Orthodox advocacy group Agudath Israel of America, said that exemplified the unity of the nation's Orthodox Jewish residents.

"The Orthodox community on a national level undertook this project because there was an injustice done to one of our members," he told the Asbury Park Press. "Jews across the country were celebrating his release. That’s something special."

The celebration wasn't universal, however.

Some Jewish commentators questioned the hero's reception of Rubashkin, pointing to conditions at his Iowa plant; allegations (which were dismissed or on which Rubashkin was acquitted) of immigration and child labor violations; and the convictions themselves.

The northern Iowa company owned by Rubashkin's father, Agriprocessors, was raided by federal immigration agents in May 2008. Hundreds of Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants were arrested, and Agriprocessors soon declared bankruptcy.

Following the raid, prosecutors charged Rubashkin with using fake paperwork to borrow on a line of credit, which led to a $27 million loss for a St. Louis bank after Agriprocessors closed, according to media reports.

Rubashkin was convicted in 2009.

His time in prison was marked with appeals. See more in the video at the top of this story.

Contributing: USA TODAY

Stacey Barchenger: @sbarchenger; sbarchenger@gannettnj.com