New York – Ira Sorkin’s family left Russia early in the 20th century and none of the attorney’s Jewish grandparents suffered or died under the Nazi killing machine.
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But that good fortune was just too bad, according to one vitriolic man who e-mailed Sorkin recently.
“This is in regard to your efforts on the behalf of Bernard Madoff,” the message read. “As one Jew to another I deeply regret that the Sorkin family did not perish in the Nazi death camps.”
The e-mail – sent to Sorkin’s Manhattan law office in March as he was in the midst of defending Madoff in Wall Street’s biggest Ponzi scheme – took him by surprise.
“I never had it like this,” Sorkin said about the hateful messages that bombarded him from the time Madoff was arrested for running the massive scam until his 150-year sentence last month.
There were Jews angry that Sorkin, 66, was representing Madoff, whose scheme victimized many fellow Jews and Jewish charities. But the hatred came from all directions, and some vented anti-Semitic remarks at both Sorkin and Madoff.
Last week Sorkin – whose nickname “Ike” was given to him by a Manhasset High School football coach to enhance a more macho image than “Ira” might engender – gathered up the e-mails and disclosed them exclusively to Newsday. He did so, Sorkin said, to show the lack of knowledge about the role of a defense attorney in protecting individual rights.
“My reaction was surprise, anger and in some respects sadness at the lack of understanding of what Civics 101 is all about,” said Sorkin, referring to some who seem to ignore the Bill of Rights.
“They do not understand that by defending people who are charged with doing bad things and in fact were doing bad things, protects people who might be charged and didn’t [do bad things],” Sorkin explained.
Sorkin is a respected securities lawyer who spent two years as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission office in New York in the 1980s before representing Madoff.
On Dec. 11, a relaxed Sorkin was sitting in a Maryland pre-nursery school class of a 2-year-old granddaughter. The kids were making noises like cows and ducks for a teacher’s story about a farm when his cell phone rang.
Over the children’s sounds of “moo-moo” and “quack-quack,” Sorkin heard Madoff’s voice.
“Hi, it’s Bernie, I have just been arrested by the FBI and I’m handcuffed to a chair,” said Madoff as he sat in the office of federal prosecutors, according to Sorkin.
Sorkin quickly flew back to New York, and instead of going home to Roslyn he began meeting with his staff at Dickstein Shapiro Llp in Manhattan in what became the most notable white-collar fraud of all time.
The threatening notes began arriving almost immediately, one of which hoped his legal career would be ruined. The messages ebbed and flowed with the case, increasing when Madoff was freed on $10-million bail, pleaded guilty or was nearing sentencing last month.
Sorkin responded to one note, telling the writer he should read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights before going to bed. But Sorkin thought better about answering most e-mails.
Some Jews also were offended that Sorkin was helping out a man who had so hurt many of them. That was a natural spillover from the egregious crime Madoff committed, said Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis.
“Bernie Madoff exploited his relations with the Jewish world,” Potasnik said. “What he did was shameful.”
But some of Sorkin’s mail was supportive, including a note from David Golomb, past president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. “If you are in the field Ike Sorkin is in and you are unwilling to represent unpopular figures, then I have to seriously question how much one believes in our Constitutional system,” Golomb told Newsday.
With Madoff on his way to prison, Sorkin is busy representing other targets of different federal investigations.
But will representing Madoff hurt him?
“I have no idea,” said Sorkin, who added that he would do it all over again. “It’s too early.”
Ira and his family are ehrleche yidden and a great yiddeshe family. I have known him during his many years at the SEC where he was one of the best lawyers they had in the enforcement division. He is representing Madoff as a lawyer, not as his friend or supporter. Even madoff is entitled to the best legal counsel and Ira provides that representation.
Sorkin is obligated to try and get Madoff released from jail and will file motions and appeals for the next several years. Tha is his job. He gets paid from Madoff’s money that was not stolen from the clients.
May they both drop dead!
Its a sad story for everyone involved and a tremendous Chilul Hashem.
My uncle has lost a few ‘million’ dollars in that ponzi s. and he believes that the lawyer has the full right to do what he did.
Listen all those people that invested with him where just as greedy as he was.
Why can every nazi murder have a defense lawyer ?and bernie is not entitled to one ? He did his crime he is doing his time and ira is doing his job .By the way I don’t think that all this people who invested with bernie are so Glat Kosher they knew that there is something out there evereybody is loosing money and only they make that kind of high precentage they are the ones to blame they were gready
Sorkin is right. People who are angry at him simply do not understand our legal system. BH we don’t live in a dictatorship, and EVERYONE has a right to the best defense possible.
May I also remind the oilom that the Mitzvah of Pidyon Shvuyim applied to BM equally as it applies to the three boys in china.