Tag Archives: Jaye Schlachet

‘We actually did a mitzvah’

Bracketed by attorneys Craig Weintraub, left, and Jaye Schlachet, Ariel Castro awaits his Aug. 1 sentencing. (AP / TONY DEJAK)

Craig Weintraub (no relation) and Jay Schlachet, the lawyers who represented Ariel Castro, “the 53-year-old former school bus driver who kept Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight captive in his house for about a decade” have an exclusive interview in the Cleveland Jewish News. If you’d like to know what it’s like to be a defense lawyer in a big media case, read it. If you’d like to understand liberal Jewish faith, read it. Here are a few excerpts.

“Weintraub and Schlachet, who are Jewish, stressed that their faith figured in how they represented Castro in a case that ran 90 days from start to finish and continues to bring worldwide attention to Cleveland.”

Despite the “sensational allegations” against him, Castro was entitled to counsel, said Schlachet. “We knew that we picked an unpopular cause to champion, and frankly, from a personal standpoint, I think it’s important to represent unpopular causes because, first of all, it’s what we took an oath to do, and it’s completely consistent with my Jewish upbringing. We actually did a mitzvah representing this man.” Continue reading