 His father-in-law is Aaron Rubashkin, a Lubavitcher hasidic Brooklyn butcher and the founder of the now bankrupt slaughterhouse and meat-packaging factory Agriprocessors based in Postville, Iowa.In September 1960, Balkany founded "Bais Yaakov of Brooklyn", now "Bais Yaakov of Midwood", a strictly orthodox girls′ school in Borough Park, and served as its dean.A conservative Republican, he has been active in political fundraising since the early 1980s, mainly for Republican politicians, and has also often acted as a lobbyist for various Jewish causes.