Between Rock and Hard Place

By Getzy Markowitz

When initiating a conversation, current events are always a good icebreaker. But this morning, one of the stories that my friend and I discussed was a heartbreaker.

For nearly three months, Mr. Sholom M. Rubashkin, a fellow Jew and a sweetheart of a man, was imprisoned. Denied bail, it was his bond with G-d and faith that sustained him. As Mr. Rubashkin is an observant Jew and a sensitive soul, the trials that he endured leave one with an uneasy feeling of guilt. Accused, but far from convicted, Sholom was incarcerated as if he had committed crimes against humanity. Reading the reports of clergy who visited him through a plexiglass window, one wonders how our government could punish a man only accused of white-collar, with a choke collar.

A mother of ten, Mrs. Leah Rubashkin was the single member of the family permitted to visit their detained breadwinner. However even she could not see her husband in the flesh. Rather, they met via the wonders of modern technology, catching glimpses of each other on a two-way monitor. A devout man, Sholom starved on some days as the meal schedule conflicted with his prayer timetable. One New York rabbi related a conversation he had with the inmate: “When I met with Sholom, he was drinking water from a plastic container. He apologized, explaining that he does not drink water from a bathroom sink and that the only time that he can get fresh water is when someone visits him.”

A ruling by Magistrate Jon Stuart Scoles on November 20, five days after Sholom’s detainment, cited Israel’s law of return as grounds for incarcerating Mr. Rubashkin while awaiting trial. Sholom was not allowed to work on his case at home: “Under Israel’s Law of Return, any Jew and members of his family who have expressed their desire to settle in Israel will be granted citizenship.” With this judgement, a citizen of the United States was treated as a dangerous foreign national, and the nation that was created as a haven for Jews was further legitimized. Thank G-d that last week, after a lengthy and traumatic ordeal, the appeal system reversed the biased decision.

As the weekly section of scripture reported myriads of Jews exiting Egyptian bondage in the great Exodus, local papers announced the good news. Sholom Rubashkin was released from his own restraints.

Upon learning the news, there was a sense of excitement in the greater Jewish community. Most people understood that a miracle has taken place, albeit through the timely and painful method of being clothed in natural proceedings. The euphoria could be sensed in synagogues and private homes, as men toasted L’Chaim. Commiserating women took a cue from our current Torah reading, and offered thanks to G-d.

To be sure, while the story of legions of Hebrews leaving Egypt for the first time in over two hundred years is a high point in the Jewish faith, it was the miracle at the Red Sea that sealed their freedom. Shortly after their glorious departure from that depraved land, their oppressors took chase to reclaim the liberated Tribes of Israel. It took the miraculous division of the Red Sea to secure Israel’s parting from Egypt.

While Sholom Rubashkin will enjoy his children’s company this Shabbat, he is still being pursued by dangerous forces. However, the believer is familiar with the end of the story. With the Egyptian chariots taking chase behind them and a vast sea impeding their forward march, the Hebrews were stuck somewhere between a rock and a hard place. Moses stood up and called on them to stand firm and witness the salvation of the rock of Israel. The sea miraculously split, and the Hebrews were free.

As Sholom was reunited with his family, his loving wife Leah offered a prayer to reporters that, “We should experience the ultimate freedom with the coming of the Messiah.” With a miracle akin to the splitting of the Red Sea in store for the Rubashkins, may Leah’s fervent prayer be fulfilled. And may the knowledge of G-d finally fill the earth as the waters cover the seabed.

+ For previous essays by Getzy Markowitz