Madoff off to "B'nai Butler."

Madoff heading to America's "Jewish" Prison to join spy Jonathan Pollard and other Jewish Criminals, Butner is called "B'nai Butler."

ADL Calls Madoff Critics ‘Anti Semites’

As a Jewish inmate in a federal prison, I have a somewhat unique vantage point from which to observe the success of faith-based programs (“Bush Plans to Introduce Christian Rehab Program In Federal Prison System,” June 27).

“On the street,” to use the local vernacular, I was one of three rabbis in a congregation of 2,000 families; here, I am rabbi of a much smaller, but no less important, congregation. We are 18 inmates strong: 11 North American Jews, two Cuban Jews and five men who are in various stages of choosing to become Jewish.

Working in the chaplain’s office allows me to be an informal liaison between the chaplain and the “B’nai Butner,” as we call our prison’s congregation. It also allows me to observe — and applaud — the wonderful impact of Christianity upon the lives of so many of my fellow inmates.

Most prison inmates are, of course, far more susceptible to the influence of Christianity than to the influence of what the Forward terms “minority religions.” The Jesus metaphor does not work for us Jews, but it can be a very powerful source of faith and hope for most of the inmates here and in other prisons. Christian fellowship is clearly not meaningful to us Jews, but it can literally save the lives of most inmates here, in the same way that outreach from our Jewish families and communities can be the “hands of Hashem” in our lives.

In some instances, as is well-known, “jailhouse” conversions turn out to be short-lived — but in many cases, prisoners’ lives have truly been turned around. I have seen drug dealers, armed robbers, sex offenders, compulsive gamblers and identity thieves become “reborn.”

If Prison Fellowship Ministries, or any other faith-based evangelical programs, can help Christians find their way to God here in prison, and maintain their connection with God — and with communities of like-minded believers — when they leave prison, then such programs must be helped to flourish, rather than be short-circuited by constitutional impediments.

http://www.forward.com/articles/7657/