Rabbis appeal higher, as Peres confers "friend-to-Israel" credence to Obama, without clemency for Jonathan Pollard

Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement recipient, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, sounds call for greater civilian pressure on Obama to grant clemency for over-sentenced, ailing American-Jewish prisoner, Jonathan Pollard.  

By Fern Sidman

On Monday evening June 4th, over 500 people gathered for an inspiring evening of "prayer and chizuk" at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates as their collective voices were lifted to G-d for the redemption of Jonathan Jay Pollard; the US Navy intelligence analyst who has been imprisoned for 27 years on charges stemming from the passage of classified information to Israel. 

Sponsored by Young Israel of Jamaica Estates members Jacques Rothschild and Dr. Joseph Frager, the evening served as precursor for the upcoming presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Israeli President Shimon Peres by President Barack Obama. The publicity flyer for the event stated, "Let us seize the moment to join in prayer to beseech the Almighty to strengthen the hands of President Peres in pursuing justice for Jonathan Pollard."

 

Video clips of Rabbi Chaim Druckman, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, and Ms. Fern Sidman
(To advance through the sequential videos, click "Advance" to the right of the lower-left Play button)

Mr. Rothschild told the gathering that, "Mr. Peres had asked President Obama for the commutation of Pollard's sentence but has received no answer." Providing the audience with a backdrop on the Pollard case, Mr. Rothschild said, "The information given to the Israeli government by Jonathan Pollard was part of an intelligence sharing agreement and would have been presented to the Israelis in any case." Accusing the Israeli government of "shafting" Jonathan Pollard, Mr. Rothschild said, "The government of Israel worked in conjunction with the American government against its own agent."  He added that, "The US forced Pollard into a plea agreement and then reneged."

In a voice reverberating with anger and indignation, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, the recent recipient of the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement, queried, "Did Jonathan Pollard kill someone? Why 27 years in prison? Did anyone else get this kind of punishment?" He called upon the entire Jewish nation to pray for Pollard's release from prison and called for a massive demonstration on Pollard's behalf in Washington, DC prior to the presidential election in November. Admonishing the US government for "cruelty" in allowing Pollard to languish in prison for such a protracted amount of time, Rabbi Druckman said, Now, it is impossible to remain quiet. Doesn't the president of the United States have a heart? Are they trying to kill Pollard?"

Leading the congregation in prayer and the recitation of Tehillim were the mellifluous voices of Cantor Netanel Hershtik and the Hampton Synagogue choir which was conducted by Itzchak Haimov. In unison, and in one clear voice that pierced the Heavens, the attendees called on "Avinu SheBaShamayim" (our Father in Heaven) for mercy and compassion, and beseeched the Almighty for the swift redemption of Yonatan Ben Malka (Jonathan Pollard).

Having visited Jonathan Pollard over 20 times in the last years, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel said that his last visit only several weeks ago with Jonathan Pollard was the most difficult. "When you speak with Jonathan you can tell how he is within the first minute or two of the conversation", he said. Referencing Mr. Pollard's rapidly deteriorating state of health, Rabbi Lerner ruefully observed, "He is now quite sick and his illness is getting to him."

Nonetheless, Rabbi Lerner described a man who is a great source of "chizuk" (strength). "Jonathan is Shmira Shabbos and Shmiras Kashrus and beyond that he's a genuine ma'amin (a true believer in G-d).

Offering an poignant illustration of Mr. Pollard's indefatigable faith and trust in the One Above, Rabbi Lerner told of Jonathan being prescribed a certain medication for a kidney ailment. Others visiting Jonathan at the time remarked to him that in order for that particular medication to be effecitve it had to be taken with an excessively large amount of water. Rabbi Lerner said that Jonathan's response to this was, "I am so very happy that I have to drink all that water, just so I can have the chance to  make a brocha to G-d."  

Rabbi Lerner also noted the fact that many prominent US government officials who had previously favored the sentence handed down to Pollard had now reversed their positions and are publicly calling for clemency to be granted him. Speaking of former CIA director R. James Woolsey, Rabbi Lerner said, "he is now behind Pollard." In January of 2011, Mr. Woolsey went on record stating that Pollard should have been released from prison five years ago.


It was also noted throughout the course of the evening that Harvard law professor, Alan Dershowitz called Pollard's sentence a "travesty of justice" and that during his tenure, former President Bill Clinton had wanted to commute Pollard's sentence but was dissuaded from doing so by certain Jewish senators who wrote to him and campaigned against Pollard's release.

In a private interview following at the evening's conclusion, Mr. Rothschild assigned the blame for Pollard's life sentence squarely on the shoulders of former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. "It was he who threw Pollard under the bus." Adding that he was gravely disappointment in the Israeli government, Mr. Rothschild said that he had invited Ido Aharoni, the Israeli Consul General in New York to speak at the evening's event but was told that he could not make it. 

"It is clear to me that no Israeli officials endorsed this event because they don't want to make waves with the US administration. They don't want to upset the apple cart right before Peres is to be presented with the Medal of Freedom award. Israeli participation in such an event could embarass Washington and that's the last thing they want to do," said audience member Hannah Milstein of Forest Hills, New York.

Rabbinical perspectives on paying ransom of 1,027 convicted Arab terrorists to free a sole Israeli captive, Gilad Shalit

Israelis celebrate the return of Islamist-held captive Gilad Shalit

Rabbi Zvi Block, of Beis Medrash Toras HaShem, offers a Judaic perspective about paying excessive ransom for releasing a kidnap victim, in the wake of Israel's releasing over 1000 convicted terrorists in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit.




Rabbi Abraham Cooper is the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Fox News published his Op/Ed, Gilad Shalit Comes Home -- Tears of Joy Mixed With Bitter Tears of Sorrow.

"Jewish law demands, that a community’s last Torah scroll must be sold off to perform one special deed: Redeeming a Jew from captivity.


The Talmud says captivity is worse than starvation or death. The great Medieval scholar Maimonides, who lived in an era when helpless Jews were too often held for hostage, collected money to redeem them and lashed out at those who refused to help as violating biblical commandments, including "you shall not harden your heart" (Deuteronomy 15:7); "you shall not stand idly by the blood of your brother" (Leviticus 19:16); and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).


One legal text admonishes that anyone who delays in ransoming a captive is akin to a murderer.
Indeed, 2,000 years ago the Talmud explicitly cautioned that the commandment to redeem the captive ends when the deal upends “ Tikun Olam” -- the good order of the world. Meaning, only make the deal, if "… they [the kidnappers] should not seize more captives".


Tragically, throughout 2,000 years of exile, embattled Jewish leaders, too often found themselves between a rock and a hard place, more often than not, forced to pay high ransoms, with the knowledge they were helpless to stop the next kidnapping.


Even the modern state of Israel has not been immune from this scourge.. Over the last four decades, Jewish scholars have grappled with the phenomenon of terrorist kidnappings-- from the Entebbe skyjacking saga in 1976 to the Shalit affair.


The late former Chief Rabbi Goren, ruled that one must not pay more than the captive's value because it would encourage the kidnappers to kidnap more Jews and endanger the public.


Rabbi Goren’s conclusion: the safety of one or a few Jews in captivity does not take precedence over the safety of the entire public and without doubt, the freeing hundreds or thousands of terrorists in 2011 will definitely increase terrorism and the threat of more kidnappings.


But other scholars disagree since Israel is struggling with a war based on Palestinian nationalism—not money. And so, the price paid for Gilad Shalit's freedom, however painful and lopsided, they argue, will not make any difference to Hamas or Hezbollah, who will continue to try to kidnap Jews regardless of what Israel does.


It will be a bittersweet Simchat Torah this year for us Jews: We celebrate a tradition that cherishes Life and helped repatriate a kidnappedson; while we cast a wary eye on terrorists who leverage our reverence for life to stoke the flames of their culture of death."
 
Read more 

Hamas militant Fakhre Barghouti waves in Ramallah,
as one of 1000 Islamist terrorists Israel is trading

'Anyone concerned about discrimination and justice in America should call Pres. Obama to task to release Jonathan Pollard'- EVP of national Young Israel, Rabbi Pesach Lerner

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - FEBRUARY 6 2005: An Israeli
demonstrates outside the Foreign Ministry for the release
of Jonathan Pollard. Photo courtesy: Life.com

"Jonathan Pollard's unfair, unjustified and discriminatory sentence and treatment are a dismal symbol of Jewish vulnerability"- Caroline Glick

Rabbi Pesach Lerner, National Council of Young Israel's Exec VP, and personal rabbi to prisoner of Zion, Jonathan Pollard, presents a comprehensive, Judaic overview of who Jonathan Pollard is; the circumstances of his actions to protect Israel - and the new evidence which contradicts the grounds for his life-sentence; Pollard's situation as a virtual death-row prisoner; and what significance does the current groundswell of Jewish activism to get Pres. Obama to commute Pollard's sentence (and Obama's ultimate decision) have on Jewish voters' support for Obama.



Rabbi Lerner delivered these remarks (total speech video 1 hour 23 min) in Los Angeles, CA at Young Israel of Valley Village on Sunday, December 19th, 2010

In her recent essay "A Time to Shout," Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick characterizes "Pollard's unfair, unjustified and discriminatory sentence and treatment are a dismal symbol of Jewish vulnerability." Ms. Glick explains:

Caroline Glick

    "The new campaign calling for the release of Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard from prison in the US is in many ways a curious development. Pollard was arrested in 1985 and convicted on one count of transferring classified information to Israel during his service in US Naval Intelligence. He pleaded guilty to the charge in the framework of a plea bargain in which the US attorney pledged not to request a life sentence.

Despite this, Pollard was sentenced to life. So far, he has served 25 years, much of it in solitary confinement and in maximum security prisons. His health is poor. He has repeatedly expressed remorse for his crime.

Pollard's sentence and the treatment he has received are grossly disproportionate to the sentences and treatment meted out to agents of other friendly foreign governments caught stealing classified information in the US. Their average sentence is seven years in prison. They tend to serve their sentences in minimum or medium security prisons and are routinely released after four years.

Secy of Defense Caspar Weinberger (courtesy World News)

The only offenders who have received similar sentences are Soviet spies Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames. While Pollard transferred documents to Israel over a period of 18 months, both Ames and Hanssen served the Soviets - the US's primary enemy - for decades. Their espionage led to the death of multiple US agents operating behind the Iron Curtain.

Pollard was given a life sentence because then secretary of defense Caspar Weinberger wrote a classified victim impact assessment to the sentencing judge in which he insinuated that he had transferred information to the Soviet Union as well as to Israel. Weinberger reportedly attributed the deaths of US agents to Pollard's activities.

Weinberger's accusations were proven false with the subsequent arrests of Hanssen and Ames. As it turned out, the damage Weinberger ascribed to Pollard was actually caused by their espionage.

OVER THE past five years, and with increased urgency over the past several months, several former senior US officials who had in depth knowledge of Pollard's activities have called for his immediate release. Former CIA director R. James Woolsey has stated that, contrary to Weinberger's allegations, none of the documents Pollard stole were transferred to the Soviets or any other country. A few months ago, former senator Dennis DeConcini, a past chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to immediately release Pollard from prison. And in October, Lawrence Korb, who served as assistant secretary of defense under Weinberger, became one of the most outspoken champions for Pollard's release. Korb currently works for the Center for American Progress, which is closely allied with the Obama White House.

On the face of things, it seems that this is a particularly inauspicious time to renew the campaign to release Pollard. This is true first of all because of the nature of the current president who is the only one with the power to release him.

Benjamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama in J'lem. July, 2008
Photo courtesy: San Francisco Sentinel

By now there is little question that Obama is the most hostile US leader Israel has faced. It is hard to imagine the circumstances in which he would agree to do something for Israel that his vastly more sympathetic predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton refused to do.

The fact is that Obama has no interest in freeing a suffering Israeli agent who was railroaded by Weinberger and remains in prison due to the efforts of Israelhaters who wrongly insist he did untold damage to US national security. Indeed, many of Pollard's detractors are members of Obama's political camp.

Israel can't expect a lot of help on this from American Jews, although they stand to be major secondary beneficiaries if Pollard is released. The impact of his case on the US Jewish community has been debilitating. Although the US and Israel are strategic allies which share many of the same interests and fight the same enemies, Israel's detractors in the US foreign policy community use the Pollard case as an excuse for questioning the loyalty and patriotism of American Jews who serve in the US government and support Israel. His continued incarceration casts a long shadow over American Jewry.

The odds are poor that a public campaign to win Pollard's release will succeed. (But) Israel must act. Pollard's unfair, unjustified and discriminatory sentence and treatment are a dismal symbol of Jewish vulnerability. His personal suffering is inhumane, real and unrelenting. He needs us to stand up for him.

And so we must. And so we will. The time has come, against all odds to shout that Pollard must be freed. Now."

Among the column's Comments, a writer named Tuvia astutely makes the following argument:

    The Pollard case has created risk for the American Jewish community. I think she is correct to believe that the Pollard case could be used to drive a wedge between US Jews and Israel, especially when most in the American Jewish establishment lean Left.

Photo courtesy: World of Judaica

Leaning Left already, with a Left-leaning President they can finally love, this influential and powerful group could see Pollard as nothing more than all the proof they need to support Obama and not Israel. After all, this group is politically sophisticated. For the first time in decades, they have a President they can support. Why should they put any barrier between themselves and the President they want so much to help? They understand the subtleties of power, which means that, so long as Pollard is imprisoned, with his shame and treachery indelibly before them every year, they are reminded constantly how ‘treachery’ and ‘Israel’ can go together. A modern, powerful Jew does not need to be slapped in the face to be told which side his bread is buttered on, especially with a President who seems to share their Left-leaning beliefs. Pollard’s imprisonment does that already.

How might American Jews react (especially the secularized Jews who make up the bulk of the American Jewish power establishment) if this message of discredited evidence is repeated, loud and clear? Does the sentence match the crime, now that we know the ‘evidence’ provided at his sentencing might be discredited? ...
If, as expected, Pres. Obama continues to say no, then a properly-run public campaign might make a major impact on American Jews. Do the Jews who champion The Innocence Project, formed to save citizens from unjust arrest and prison sentences, believe that discredited evidence can be used to give an unjust sentence in our case alone?

Jews in the American Jewish power establishment have been known to use the phrases, ‘Tikun Olam’ and ‘Social Justice’ in the same paragraph or speech. If the facts surrounding the Pollard case have in fact changed sufficiently so that one can argue that he, too, has become a legitimate focus for their Tikun Olam efforts, then an opportunity opens: convince American Jews, especially the secular Jews who champion the Innocence Project, that Pollard’s case, in at least one sense—bad evidence—is the same as the prisoners they wish to free, then, I believe, you may also convince them to question Obama’s stubbornness in this case. Once those questions begin, others can follow, until Obama is revealed for what he is, an enemy of Israel.

If Pollard’s current and continuing imprisonment could be used by others to drive a wedge between US Jews and Israel, can a campaign to free him be used to drive a wedge between these same US Jews and Obama?

I think that such a case can be made. Perhaps Mr Pollard’s horrible imprisonment can create, in the end, both something for himself—and bigger than himself."

Both A Time to Shout and Tuvia's postulate are worthwhile reading in full.

Israeli journalist Ben Caspit demanded that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu formally request that Obama communte Pollard's sentence and release him from prison.

Since 2006, DemoCast Newsmedia has addressed the Pollard Affair and it's implications for global stability in  these articles:

On Thanksgiving, What Is America to You? DemoCast.com November, 2006

'Espionage case could seriously damage relations with US'  JooTube.Org  Apr 22, 2008

What's next for the campaign to commute the sentence of Jonathan Pollard? DemoCast.com January, 2009

J'accuse! Is anti-Zionism within federal agencies working to vilify Israel-philic and Jewish Americans? DemoCast.com October, 2009

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