A video featuring Rosa Weiss, daughter of Sholom Rubashkin, is circulating throughout the Jewish community in an effort to raise funds to offset legal fees associated with the case that stemmed from the May 2008 Agriprocessors immigration raid.

A Moving Video of the Daughter of Sholom Rubashkin from Zalman Tevel on Vimeo.

The video, along with a link to a donation page run by the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education, reminds members of the Jewish community that “Pidyon Shvuyim is one of the greatest mitzvos possible.” Pidyon Shvuyim is the doctrine that commands Jews to redeem captives, which, according to the Jewish law called the Mishneh Torah, “takes precedence over supporting the poor or clothing them.”  This belief is further explained in the Yoreh Dei’ah, Chapter 252, which states: “Ransoming Captives takes precedence over feeding and clothing the poor, and no mitzvah is as great as ransoming captives. Therefore, any money which is collected, even for a religious purpose, may be diverted to ransom captives even if it is raised for the purpose of building a synagogue…”

While non-Jewish readers may not understand the significance of “ransoming captives,” it has been a very real and unfortunate part of Jewish history. The first likely incident was highlighted in the Bible when Lot, nephew of Abraham, was taken captive during the battle between Mesopotamian and Canaanite kings. Enemies and rogues learned that taking Jews captive could be very lucrative since the community was mandated and bound by law to pay the ransom. Historically, then, Pidyon Shvuyim has been used to gather or collect funds for the release of prisoners of war or others being held hostage against their will.

According to information published by Shmarya Rosenberg at Failed Messiah, the pledge drive for the legal fund appears to be a continuance of a prayer vigil and other activities for the benefit of the Rubashkin family. Rosenberg notes that there is no way to designate specific purposes of Pidyon Shvuyim funds donated via the site, and that all donated funds will be placed in the Rubashkin legal defense fund.

“It has been a very challenging year for us,” Weiss notes in the video as photos of her father in custody are shown. She also notes that the situation has been an opportunity for the family to renew their faith.

“Now, a few days before Yom Kippur, I ask you to please open your hearts and help my father who never turned anyone down,” she says. “The lawyers estimate that from now until the end of trial it cost about $500,000.”

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, begins at sundown on Sunday, Sept. 27, and ends at nightfall on Monday, Sept. 28. It is considered the holiest of holy days of the Jewish year.

Sholom Rubashkin served as the day-to-day manager at the Agriprocessors plant in Postville at the time of a massive immigration raid that resulted in 389 plant workers, most Guatemalan or Mexican, being detained by federal authorities. He was taken into custody by federal authorities in the fall of 2008, and is currently facing a litany of charges ranging from bank fraud to immigration-related offenses. Chief Judge Linda R. Reade ruled last month that due to negative media, Rubashkin could not receive a fair trial in Iowa and moved the proceedings to Sioux Falls, S.D. The trial is set to begin on Oct. 10.

Rubashkin and his legal team have launched a law suit against the federal government, citing that officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not provide a response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Rubashkin asked the government to provide any and all documentation in relation to the May 2008 raid in Postville, which led to the 163 charges he now faces.

Rubashkin and several other members of plant management, including his father, A. Aaron Rubashkin, who resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. and founded the company, also face several thousand state charges of alleged child-labor law violations.

The plant, which has emerged from bankruptcy proceedings, is now organized with a new name, Agri-Star, and is under new management. It continues to operate in Postville.