Strangers in the Land of Egypt

In the Jewish Bible, we are told not once but several times to treat other people well "because you were strangers in the Land of Egypt." It is a central theme of the Passover Seder.

Some Jews apparently need reminding of that simple fact.

Agriprocessors, set among the cornfields of Postville, Iowa, is the nation's largest kosher slaughterhouse and has long been a source of friction between its ultra-Orthodox owners and the surrounding mostly-Protestant community. (The book Postville is a fascinating look at the dichotomy between the two cultures.) It was bad enough when the company was recently raided as part of a crackdown on illegal immigrants, but more is coming out.

According to an affidavit, abuse of undocumented workers at Agriprocessors runs rampant, including:

• Workers from Guatemala and Mexico were paid far below minimum wage.
• A supervisor who sold used cars on the side threatened to fire employees who didn't buy one.
• An employee's eyes were duct-taped shut by a supervisor who then hit him with a meat hook. The employee refused to report the incident out of fear of being fired.
• Female employees were routinely pressured for sex in exchange for promotions.
• Employees were required to pay the company for use of protective equipment.
  

And on and on. There is a Yiddish expression, shande far de goyim, roughly translated as "a disgrace to the Jews," which seems to fit Agriprocessors' owners perfectly. It's a safe bet that the owners, who are known for keeping a tight watch on company operations, knew these things were happening and did nothing to stop them.

The image of the greedy, money-obsessed Jew is a stereotype that won't die, and every time Jewish business owners get caught doing something despicable like this, it just perpetuates it.

Undocumented immigrants are among the most vulnerable members of American society. At every turn, they are demeaned, victimized and blamed for everything that goes wrong. One would think that Orthodox Jews of all people would pay special attention to the Biblical injunction against oppressing other people.

But it just goes to show that Jews are just like everyone else. Some are good people, some are bad.

And some, it seems, bring disgrace to all Jews by their actions.