Rubashkin Is Acquitted In Child Labor Case Postville/JTA — Kosher meatpacking executive Sholom Rubashkin was acquitted in an Iowa state court of child labor Sholom violations. Rubashkin Rubashkin was found not guilty on all 67 counts of child labor violations, relating to 26 teenagers from South America who worked at the Agriprocessors kosher meat- packing plant in Postville, Iowa. Several then-underage workers at the Agriprocessors plant were flown in from Guatemala by the court to testify against Rubashkin. The jury reached its verdict during the second day of deliberations. The state trial in Waterloo, Iowa, had lasted a month. Rubashkin was convicted last November on 86 federal financial fraud charges in connection with the plant. His sentencing in that case is set for this month. The Agriprocessors plant was the site of a federal immigration raid in May 2008 in which 389 illegal immigrants, including 31 children, were arrested. Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg of Sara and Morris Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center in West Bloomfield, who has vis- ited Rubashkin in jail, commented on the acquittal. "The news of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin's acquittal of all charges of hir- ing and abusing minors, plus the fact that the government had already dropped all charges of hiring illegal aliens, demon- strates that the initial case that the gov- ernment built against him was baseless:' Silberberg told the N. "Hopefully, it will put to rest the vicious canards leveled against him from so many quarters concerning his treatment of fel- low human beings. "May God grant that the judge who is sentencing him in the secondary case — for inflating invoices to receive loans from the bank — will show compassion to an individual who, although not entirely blameless, is basically a fine and decent human being." JN Senior Writer She'll Liebman Dorfman contributed to this story. Israeli Navy Thwarts Terrorist Frogmen Off Gaza Jerusalem/JTA — Israel's Navy killed four men that it said were planning a terror attack at sea. Early Monday morning, the Navy forces fired on Palestinians wearing diving suits off the coast of Gaza. The men were "on their way to perpetrate a terrorist attack:' according to the Israel Defense Forces spokesman. No Israeli forces were hurt. Along with the four men who were killed, another man is missing, said the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, according to reports. The brigade, the armed wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party, told media outlets that the men, who were carrying weapons, were participating in a training exercise and were not on a mission to attack Israel. Israel has been more concerned about the possibility of attacks from the sea since explosive barrels sent from Gaza reached Israeli beaches in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Netanya and Tel Aviv. Also Monday, Israel's Air Force struck a terrorist squad preparing to launch rockets into Israel from the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF said. The Air Force scored a direct hit on the launch squad, according to the state- ment. At least 10 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel in the past three weeks. Pope Benedict XVI Rome/JTA — Pope Benedict XVI renewed calls for international efforts toward Middle East peace and urged respect for the embat- tled Christian minority in the region. Digest on page 30 s2 , ...and this will be your team. ,.., TRUST trA tY . Jam' ol, t .-, Conservative Jews Launch Campaign To Free Shalit New York/JTA — The Conservative move- ment has launched a campaign to raise Gilad Shalit awareness of the cap- tivity of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's youth and young adult services department has begun a Yellow Balloon campaign to mark the fourth anniversary of Shalit's captivity. Shalit was kidnapped in a cross-border raid on June 25, 2006, and is being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Participants can e-mail virtual yellow balloons that say "Bring Gilad Home" and draw attention to the campaign over Facebook, Twitter and other social net- working sites. The campaign calls for the display of real yellow balloons in front of syna- gogues, affiliated organizations and pri- vate residences during the week of June 21 to show solidarity with Shalit. The campaign urges people to write to their elected officials asking them to maintain pressure on the international community to free Shalit and to write to his parents expressing support. United Synagogue also is providing materials for information tables in syna- Pope Issues Call: Respect Mideast Christians' Rights gogues and other settings, and is calling on people to "reserve a seat for Gilad" at synagogue on June 26, to recite a special prayer written by the Masorti movement — the Conservative movement in Israel — and to study the Jewish mandate to redeem captives. "We know that it is only if the world is reminded of his plight that he stands any chance of being freed:' said Richard Moline, United Synagogue's youth and young adult services director. $ — • , .• . vier , .. - it- I ll case you don't yet know us, enables our client-centric teams to Greenleaf Trust is a Michigan-based provide even higher levels of timely, wealth management firm, specializing personalized service. We're looking in asset management, trust and forward to Michigan's robust future, estate administration, and retirement and to helping you be a part of it. plan services. 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