This is your personal invitation.
EVENT: Kikar Pariz to be renamed "Freedom for Jonathan Pollard"
CONVENOR: The Jerusalem City Council (Led by Rep. Mina Fenton)
FACILITATORS: The Committee to Bring Jonathan Pollard Home & J4JP
WHERE: Kikar Pariz (Paris Square), Jerusalem (Opp. King's Hotel)
WHEN: Monday, January 7, 2008 B"H
TIME: 2:30 PM
On Monday, January 7, 2008 at 2:30 PM, the Jerusalem City Council, led by Representative Mina Fenton (NRP), has scheduled a renaming ceremony to take place at Kikar Pariz (Paris Square) in Jerusalem - a public square situated midway between the American Consulate and the Prime Minister's Residence - to rename it in honor of Jonathan Pollard.
The name change to Freedom for Jonathan Pollard Square anticipates the arrival of President George Bush in Israel (January 9, 2008) and marks the start of Jonathan Pollard's 23 rd year in prison. The Jerusalem City Council declares that the name change will take effect immediately and remain in effect UNTIL Jonathan Pollard is released and returned to Israel.
Members of the Jerusalem City Council, Jonathan Pollard's wife Esther and other public figures will be in attendance. The ceremony is being arranged in coordination with the Jerusalem-based Committee to Bring Jonathan Pollard Home (HaVaad) and Justice4JP.
This event, taking place at this critical time, is far more important than any demonstration or rally. It is urgent that as many people as possible attend in order to show support for the release of Jonathan Pollard. The greater our numbers in attendance at this event the stronger a message will be sent to President Bush and to Ehud Olmert to FREE JONATHAN POLLARD NOW!!
For further information visit www.jonathanpollard.org (English) or www.FreePollard.org (Hebrew).
Or email us at justice4jp@gmail.com (English) or FreePollard@gmail.com Hebrew).
Please be there.
Showing posts with label Johnathan Pollard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johnathan Pollard. Show all posts
December 29, 2007
March 26, 2007
Why is Johnathan Pollard Still in Prison?
If the Jewish people needed to be taught a lesson, these two decades of solitary confinement for Pollard have surely been sufficient to teach it.
Rabbi Moshe Grylak -Point of View, Mishpacha Magazine - March 14, 2007
[provided by JUSTICE FOR JONATHAN POLLARD]
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2007/031407.htm
Two weeks ago, the news broke that two of the greatest leaders of Torah Jewry, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv shlita, and Rav Aharon Leib Steinman, shlita , had written a letter to President George W. Bush, requesting the release of Jonathan Pollard, who has been rotting in prison for the past twenty-two years.
The publicity surrounding the letter was cause enough to focus our attention once again on the continuing outrage being perpetrated by the United States government. Once again, we tried to fathom something that seems virtually unfathomable: why, after so many years, has Pollard still not been released? Why does he repeatedly come up against such extraordinary and incomprehensible callousness on the part of the American authorities, and why does the Israeli government persistently ignore the cries of this unfortunate man, a man who performed a great service for them by passing on the information he had at his disposal? And why hasn't American Jewry risen up and fought tooth and nail for his freedom?
We ponder this riddle and try to find an explanation, even a partially satisfying one that will at least reveal some rhyme or reason to the unforgiving behavior of all parties in this painful saga. How can one make peace with such a great wrong that flies in the face of all of the rules of justice and common sense? The mind rebels at the fact that a man should be made to pay so heavy a price for an act of spying so minor in comparison to acts committed by others.
Others caught spying for America's enemies got off with short prison sentences, while Pollard, who spied for an ally, received an outrageous punishment. Spies who betrayed the US to the Soviet Union during the Cold War era, causing the death of American agents, were freed years ago, while Pollard, who transferred information vital to the security of America's ally, Israel, causing no apparent harm to the United States, still suffers in prison. What is different about Pollard? Why must he continue to rot in jail indefinitely?
We search for an answer.
Perhaps the reason can be found in the anti-Semitic bluster displayed by former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, the son of a Jewish apostate who converted to Christianity? Was this the source of his burning hatred towards a Jew who betrayed the United States government? We all know, after all, that honesty, logic, and justice go out the window when decisions are guided by anti-Semitism.
But perhaps the reason for Pollard's harsh punishment lies in something deeper and more fundamental than one man's anti-Semitism. Perhaps the timeless Torah principal that "they are a people who will dwell in isolation" comes into play here. Perhaps through this draconian sentence, the United States sought to teach a painful lesson to American Jewry, to make clear to them that they were mistaken in their interpretation of this great democracy's generosity towards them. "Listen up, you Jews," the sentence is saying, " America may be the most hospitable country the Jewish people have ever known since the destruction of the Temple. But that doesn't mean you ever became an integral part of the American people. Keep in mind that we're just very good hosts, but nothing more. There's a limit to what democracy has to offer you. Don't forget that you're different from the Irish, the Italians, and all the rest of the immigrants that blended into the American melting pot. Any American citizen who's caught spying for the enemy has to pay the penalty, and that's all there is to it. But such treachery by a Jew is much worse in our American eyes. This Jew has taken unfair advantage of our hospitality. He is ungrateful, and that makes us feel very insulted. He has crossed a line that you Jews mustn't ever cross. You are indeed very welcome guests in our wonderful country. But only guests. So please act accordingly."
Could such an attitude, never spoken about openly, but quietly germinating in the deep recesses of some minds nonetheless, have brought about this perversion of justice? Perhaps. We don't know.
Perhaps, if this hunch of ours can explain the hard-heartedness of the American government on this issue, it also explains why American Jewry hasn't come out in full force against the injustice of keeping Pollard in prison so long. Perhaps in this way, this large and influential Jewish population is expressing its anger at Pollard for upsetting the delicately-balanced relationship between the American government and its Jews. Perhaps they feel that by doing what he did for Israel, he endangered the entire American-Jewish community, and therefore they are unwilling to help him?
We don't know if we are reading the situation correctly. In any case, we believe that the letter from the gedolei Yisrael must surely change prevailing attitudes. If the Jewish people needed to be taught a lesson, these two decades of solitary confinement for Pollard have surely been sufficient to teach it.
Perhaps the general apathy, both in the U.S. and in Israel, is due to the fact that only the national-religious and right-wing circles in Israel have rallied to the cause. And of course, nothing more irks the liberal, Jewish left wing in America, and all the more so in Israel, than activities on the part of nationalistic and religious groups on behalf of any cause whatsoever. Liberal Jewry will never make common cause with them, no matter how just the cause may be.
And why haven't we seen chareidi Jews coming out en masse to demand Pollard's release? Perhaps it's because we don't feel comfortable with the flamboyant approach of demonstrations, mass petitions and other such pushy means that we simply don't believe will be effective?
Perhaps.
But one thing is certain.
Jonathan Pollard is still in prison because we, the keepers of the Jewish faith, have not directed our tefillah,(prayer) in the full sense of the word, on his behalf. The one and only power operating in this world is the power of prayer. This is clear and simple. But nonetheless, we'll make mention of a statement once made by the Chazon Ish, ztz"l, to Rav Ben Tzion Bamberger, ztz"l, the mashgiach (director) of Yeshivas Ponevezh, when the latter, as a young man, began to teach in cheder. Rav Bamberger, who recounted part of the conversation to the writer of this column, asked the Chazon Ish what point in particular he should stress in the education of
young Jewish boys. The Chazon Ish answered him as follows: "They must be taught that tefillah is the most important thing. If a person wants to be successful in life, if he wants to buy a house, a car, or whatever he wishes for, he should know that tefillah is the key to attaining it, the only key. True, he cannot be sure that Heaven will grant his request, but no other way of attaining his desire exists."
And of all the questions we have posed and all of the puzzles we have pondered, this is the gravest question of all: why aren't we davening (praying) properly for Pollard? It could very well be that if we could answer this one question, all the rest of the questions would be answered.
See Also:
Marriage Made in Prison - Exclusive to Mishpacha Magazine
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2007/031407.htm
--
JUSTICE FOR JONATHAN POLLARD
Website: http://www.JonathanPollard.org
RSS: http://www.JonathanPollard.org/rss.htm
Rabbi Moshe Grylak -Point of View, Mishpacha Magazine - March 14, 2007
[provided by JUSTICE FOR JONATHAN POLLARD]
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2007/031407.htm
Two weeks ago, the news broke that two of the greatest leaders of Torah Jewry, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv shlita, and Rav Aharon Leib Steinman, shlita , had written a letter to President George W. Bush, requesting the release of Jonathan Pollard, who has been rotting in prison for the past twenty-two years.
The publicity surrounding the letter was cause enough to focus our attention once again on the continuing outrage being perpetrated by the United States government. Once again, we tried to fathom something that seems virtually unfathomable: why, after so many years, has Pollard still not been released? Why does he repeatedly come up against such extraordinary and incomprehensible callousness on the part of the American authorities, and why does the Israeli government persistently ignore the cries of this unfortunate man, a man who performed a great service for them by passing on the information he had at his disposal? And why hasn't American Jewry risen up and fought tooth and nail for his freedom?
We ponder this riddle and try to find an explanation, even a partially satisfying one that will at least reveal some rhyme or reason to the unforgiving behavior of all parties in this painful saga. How can one make peace with such a great wrong that flies in the face of all of the rules of justice and common sense? The mind rebels at the fact that a man should be made to pay so heavy a price for an act of spying so minor in comparison to acts committed by others.
Others caught spying for America's enemies got off with short prison sentences, while Pollard, who spied for an ally, received an outrageous punishment. Spies who betrayed the US to the Soviet Union during the Cold War era, causing the death of American agents, were freed years ago, while Pollard, who transferred information vital to the security of America's ally, Israel, causing no apparent harm to the United States, still suffers in prison. What is different about Pollard? Why must he continue to rot in jail indefinitely?
We search for an answer.
Perhaps the reason can be found in the anti-Semitic bluster displayed by former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, the son of a Jewish apostate who converted to Christianity? Was this the source of his burning hatred towards a Jew who betrayed the United States government? We all know, after all, that honesty, logic, and justice go out the window when decisions are guided by anti-Semitism.
But perhaps the reason for Pollard's harsh punishment lies in something deeper and more fundamental than one man's anti-Semitism. Perhaps the timeless Torah principal that "they are a people who will dwell in isolation" comes into play here. Perhaps through this draconian sentence, the United States sought to teach a painful lesson to American Jewry, to make clear to them that they were mistaken in their interpretation of this great democracy's generosity towards them. "Listen up, you Jews," the sentence is saying, " America may be the most hospitable country the Jewish people have ever known since the destruction of the Temple. But that doesn't mean you ever became an integral part of the American people. Keep in mind that we're just very good hosts, but nothing more. There's a limit to what democracy has to offer you. Don't forget that you're different from the Irish, the Italians, and all the rest of the immigrants that blended into the American melting pot. Any American citizen who's caught spying for the enemy has to pay the penalty, and that's all there is to it. But such treachery by a Jew is much worse in our American eyes. This Jew has taken unfair advantage of our hospitality. He is ungrateful, and that makes us feel very insulted. He has crossed a line that you Jews mustn't ever cross. You are indeed very welcome guests in our wonderful country. But only guests. So please act accordingly."
Could such an attitude, never spoken about openly, but quietly germinating in the deep recesses of some minds nonetheless, have brought about this perversion of justice? Perhaps. We don't know.
Perhaps, if this hunch of ours can explain the hard-heartedness of the American government on this issue, it also explains why American Jewry hasn't come out in full force against the injustice of keeping Pollard in prison so long. Perhaps in this way, this large and influential Jewish population is expressing its anger at Pollard for upsetting the delicately-balanced relationship between the American government and its Jews. Perhaps they feel that by doing what he did for Israel, he endangered the entire American-Jewish community, and therefore they are unwilling to help him?
We don't know if we are reading the situation correctly. In any case, we believe that the letter from the gedolei Yisrael must surely change prevailing attitudes. If the Jewish people needed to be taught a lesson, these two decades of solitary confinement for Pollard have surely been sufficient to teach it.
Perhaps the general apathy, both in the U.S. and in Israel, is due to the fact that only the national-religious and right-wing circles in Israel have rallied to the cause. And of course, nothing more irks the liberal, Jewish left wing in America, and all the more so in Israel, than activities on the part of nationalistic and religious groups on behalf of any cause whatsoever. Liberal Jewry will never make common cause with them, no matter how just the cause may be.
And why haven't we seen chareidi Jews coming out en masse to demand Pollard's release? Perhaps it's because we don't feel comfortable with the flamboyant approach of demonstrations, mass petitions and other such pushy means that we simply don't believe will be effective?
Perhaps.
But one thing is certain.
Jonathan Pollard is still in prison because we, the keepers of the Jewish faith, have not directed our tefillah,(prayer) in the full sense of the word, on his behalf. The one and only power operating in this world is the power of prayer. This is clear and simple. But nonetheless, we'll make mention of a statement once made by the Chazon Ish, ztz"l, to Rav Ben Tzion Bamberger, ztz"l, the mashgiach (director) of Yeshivas Ponevezh, when the latter, as a young man, began to teach in cheder. Rav Bamberger, who recounted part of the conversation to the writer of this column, asked the Chazon Ish what point in particular he should stress in the education of
young Jewish boys. The Chazon Ish answered him as follows: "They must be taught that tefillah is the most important thing. If a person wants to be successful in life, if he wants to buy a house, a car, or whatever he wishes for, he should know that tefillah is the key to attaining it, the only key. True, he cannot be sure that Heaven will grant his request, but no other way of attaining his desire exists."
And of all the questions we have posed and all of the puzzles we have pondered, this is the gravest question of all: why aren't we davening (praying) properly for Pollard? It could very well be that if we could answer this one question, all the rest of the questions would be answered.
See Also:
Marriage Made in Prison - Exclusive to Mishpacha Magazine
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2007/031407.htm
--
JUSTICE FOR JONATHAN POLLARD
Website: http://www.JonathanPollard.org
RSS: http://www.JonathanPollard.org/rss.htm
February 06, 2007
Call the White House to Free Johnathan Pollard
Received by email from www.hameir.org:
---------------------------------------------------
American Jewish organizations have organized a massive nationwide campaign to call the White House every afternoon for the next two months and request/demand freedom for Pollard. The campaign is to last, if it does not succeed in attaining its goal beforehand, until after Passover, the holiday of freedom.
The campaign, spearheaded by the National Council of Young Israel, is predicated on the fact that the White House tallies all incoming calls, "and so every single phone call makes a difference."
A statement issued by Young Israel Executive Vice President Rabbi Pesach Lerner asks citizens concerned by Pollard's plight to "call daily between the hours of 11-2 pm EST, and encourage their family members and friends to do the same. Callers are reminded to expect the lines to be busy and to keep calling until they get through."
The White House phone number is 1-202-456-1414.
In addition, the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel of America (the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah), Agudath Israel's Rabbinic Presidium, and nearly 100 members of its Conference of Synagogue Rabbis have issued a declaration calling on "all caring Jews... to convey the message to President Bush that Mr. Pollard has served long enough, and that the time has come to free him."
Agudath Israel states that Pollard's plight "demands our urgent attention. [His] life sentence – a penalty far more severe than that imposed upon others who committed similar or even more serious crimes – is difficult to comprehend... At this time, it appears that all legal avenues through the judicial system have been shut off."
"Only the President of the United States, by granting Mr. Pollard executive clemency, can save him from spending the rest of his life behind bars," Agudath Israel pleads.
The Bnei Elim organization has announced a series of simultaneous lie-in-the-street rallies on behalf of Pollard. The rallies are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8, at 6 PM EST, and 3 PM on the west coast of the U.S. Pollard supporters are asked to lie down or sit in the street at the designated location, in the hope of drawing the media to pass the "Free Pollard!" message along to President Bush. Locations include: Zion Square in Jerusalem (at 6:00 PM), Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets in NYC, Merrit Island and Cooper City in Florida, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Taylorsville, Utah.
In addition, the Midrashah Tzionit, a Jewish educational center in Kiev, Ukraine, has declared the current month of Shvat a month of struggle for the release of Jonathan Pollard. The activities will include hunger-strikes and petitions to the Israeli government. Jews in the Ukraine and other former Soviet republics are collecting signatures for a petition to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the government of Israel, demanding immediate and urgent steps to secure Pollard's release.
Furthermore, on the 23rd of Shevat (February 11th), concerned Jews will hold a day-long hunger strike in Kiev, Odessa, Minsk, Moscow and other cities. On the same day, a Jonathan Pollard video-conference will be held, including participants from all over the former Soviet Union. The Russian-language website of the Midrashah Tzionit has posted much information on Pollard and on the efforts to free him.
Jonathan Pollard, in failing health, is currently in his 22nd year of imprisonment, many of which were under very difficult conditions, for having given classified information to a friendly nation and ally, Israel.
The Zionist Organization of America "welcomes" the recent statements by former CIA director James Woolsey and former top US. Middle East negotiator Dennis Ross in favor of clemency for Pollard, and reiterated its own call for his release.
Woolsey recently told Arutz-7, "Now that he has served 20 years of a prison sentence, my view is that a 20-year sentence, I think, is enough... I think the close relationship between United States and Israel as fellow democracies is also a consideration so, at this point, I think Pollard has served a long enough sentence."
Dennis Ross was quoted in Canada's Jewish Tribune as stating that Pollard's sentence was excessive and that he should be released. "Pollard has been in jail for so long that whatever facts he might know would have little if any effect on national security today," Ross said. He added that he discussed the issue with President George W. Bush, but that Bush is showing no interest in releasing Pollard.
U.S. judicial experts, too, have decried the injustice of the sentence. Federal Judge Stephen Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said that the "government's breach of the plea agreement was a fundamental miscarriage of justice."
Retired U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini, a former chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, has written, "I am convinced that Mr. Pollard has expressed the appropriate remorse and served adequate time."
Former Federal Prosecutor Rudolph Giuliani, a former Mayor of New York City who may run for U.S. President, said the sentence was unfair and "way beyond the sentences served by other people that have been convicted of the same offense".
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=121029
--
David Ha'Ivri
www.hameir.org
---------------------------------------------------
American Jewish organizations have organized a massive nationwide campaign to call the White House every afternoon for the next two months and request/demand freedom for Pollard. The campaign is to last, if it does not succeed in attaining its goal beforehand, until after Passover, the holiday of freedom.
The campaign, spearheaded by the National Council of Young Israel, is predicated on the fact that the White House tallies all incoming calls, "and so every single phone call makes a difference."
A statement issued by Young Israel Executive Vice President Rabbi Pesach Lerner asks citizens concerned by Pollard's plight to "call daily between the hours of 11-2 pm EST, and encourage their family members and friends to do the same. Callers are reminded to expect the lines to be busy and to keep calling until they get through."
The White House phone number is 1-202-456-1414.
In addition, the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel of America (the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah), Agudath Israel's Rabbinic Presidium, and nearly 100 members of its Conference of Synagogue Rabbis have issued a declaration calling on "all caring Jews... to convey the message to President Bush that Mr. Pollard has served long enough, and that the time has come to free him."
Agudath Israel states that Pollard's plight "demands our urgent attention. [His] life sentence – a penalty far more severe than that imposed upon others who committed similar or even more serious crimes – is difficult to comprehend... At this time, it appears that all legal avenues through the judicial system have been shut off."
"Only the President of the United States, by granting Mr. Pollard executive clemency, can save him from spending the rest of his life behind bars," Agudath Israel pleads.
The Bnei Elim organization has announced a series of simultaneous lie-in-the-street rallies on behalf of Pollard. The rallies are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8, at 6 PM EST, and 3 PM on the west coast of the U.S. Pollard supporters are asked to lie down or sit in the street at the designated location, in the hope of drawing the media to pass the "Free Pollard!" message along to President Bush. Locations include: Zion Square in Jerusalem (at 6:00 PM), Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets in NYC, Merrit Island and Cooper City in Florida, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Taylorsville, Utah.
In addition, the Midrashah Tzionit, a Jewish educational center in Kiev, Ukraine, has declared the current month of Shvat a month of struggle for the release of Jonathan Pollard. The activities will include hunger-strikes and petitions to the Israeli government. Jews in the Ukraine and other former Soviet republics are collecting signatures for a petition to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the government of Israel, demanding immediate and urgent steps to secure Pollard's release.
Furthermore, on the 23rd of Shevat (February 11th), concerned Jews will hold a day-long hunger strike in Kiev, Odessa, Minsk, Moscow and other cities. On the same day, a Jonathan Pollard video-conference will be held, including participants from all over the former Soviet Union. The Russian-language website of the Midrashah Tzionit has posted much information on Pollard and on the efforts to free him.
Jonathan Pollard, in failing health, is currently in his 22nd year of imprisonment, many of which were under very difficult conditions, for having given classified information to a friendly nation and ally, Israel.
The Zionist Organization of America "welcomes" the recent statements by former CIA director James Woolsey and former top US. Middle East negotiator Dennis Ross in favor of clemency for Pollard, and reiterated its own call for his release.
Woolsey recently told Arutz-7, "Now that he has served 20 years of a prison sentence, my view is that a 20-year sentence, I think, is enough... I think the close relationship between United States and Israel as fellow democracies is also a consideration so, at this point, I think Pollard has served a long enough sentence."
Dennis Ross was quoted in Canada's Jewish Tribune as stating that Pollard's sentence was excessive and that he should be released. "Pollard has been in jail for so long that whatever facts he might know would have little if any effect on national security today," Ross said. He added that he discussed the issue with President George W. Bush, but that Bush is showing no interest in releasing Pollard.
U.S. judicial experts, too, have decried the injustice of the sentence. Federal Judge Stephen Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said that the "government's breach of the plea agreement was a fundamental miscarriage of justice."
Retired U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini, a former chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, has written, "I am convinced that Mr. Pollard has expressed the appropriate remorse and served adequate time."
Former Federal Prosecutor Rudolph Giuliani, a former Mayor of New York City who may run for U.S. President, said the sentence was unfair and "way beyond the sentences served by other people that have been convicted of the same offense".
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=121029
--
David Ha'Ivri
www.hameir.org
February 05, 2007
Sadly, Pres. Bush shows no interest in releasing Pollard
From Zionist Organization of America:
From The Jewish Tribune Canada: The former Director of the CIA under President Bill Clinton, R. James Woolsey, and former top US. Middle East negotiator, Dennis Ross, have each recently stated that convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard should be released after having already served twenty years in prison. Mr.Woolsey said, "Now that he has served 20 years of a prison sentence, my view is that a 20 year sentence, I think, is enough and I think the close relationship between United States and Israel as fellow democracies is also a consideration so, at this point, I think Pollard has served a long enough sentence" ( Israel National News, January 23, 2007).
Mr. Ross stated that Pollard's sentence was excessive and that he should be released, noting that, "Pollard has been in jail for so long that whatever facts he might know would have little if any effect on national security today." Ross also said that he had told Presidents George Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush that Pollard should be released. He said, however, that President Bush is presently showing no interest in releasing Pollard.
Excerpts from "The Missing Peace" by Dennis Ross
www.jonathanpollard.org/2005/022005.htm
The Wye Double-Cross Page
www.jonathanpollard.org/wye.htm
Terror in The US and the Jonathan Pollard Case by Larry Dub Esq.
www.jonathanpollard.org/2001/092601.htm
September 19, 2006
HaRav Shlomo Aviner: Jonathan Pollard and Israel's Prognosis for the New Year 5767
Received by email, which does not diminish the fact that we are commanded to pray for the release of our brothers who are imprisoned.
=============
Please call 202-456-1111 and demand that President Bush free Jonathan Pollard, who will soon begin his 22nd year in prison for helping save thousands of Jewish lives! And, call Senator Frank Lautenberg, who is opposed to his release, at: 202-224-3224. Thank you.
Jonathan Pollard and Israel's Prognosis for the New Year 5767 By HaRav Shlomo Aviner - September 17, 2006 - May be reprinted*
As the Jewish People prepare to usher in the New Year 5767 we all pray for a good, healthy, peaceful, prosperous and happy new year.
For many of us, our prayers may include a request for the release of our brother, Jonathan Pollard, who will shortly enter his 22nd year of a life sentence for his activities on behalf of the security of Israel. Yet how many of us realize how significant Pollard's fate is to the fate of us all?
Our tradition teaches that the souls of all Israel are indelibly linked (chaverim kol Yisrael) and that we are all responsible for each other (kol Yisrael arevim zeh lih zeh.) Thus, whether one is aware of it or not, the plight of our brother, Jonathan, has a direct impact on our prognosis for the New Year 5767, both individually and as a nation.
Ponder the following.
Did you know that Jonathan Pollard is in an American prison because he spied for the benefit of Israel, and is slowly bleeding to death before our very eyes, and no one knows how much time remains, and that every single day that he is there, we are, everyone of us, liable for the sin of "Al ta'amod al dam re'eycha. Do not stand idly by your brother's blood."?
Did you know that Jonathan Pollard did not do damage to the United States, but rather gave us information about Iranian, Iraqi, Libyan and Syrian nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare capabilities - all being developed for use against Israel; and information on ballistic missile development by these countries; as well as information on up-coming terrorist attacks planned against Israeli civilian targets. This was information which should have been supplied to Israel according to official US policy at the time, but which was being illegally withheld. Because Pollard relayed the information to us, he saved thousands of lives.
Did you know that every single day that he remains in prison, we are liable for the sin of: ""If you refrain from rescuing those who are taken to death and those on the verge of being slain---and you will claim "But, we did not know about this."? (Mishlei [Proverbs] Ch 24: Vs 11)
Did you know that seventy members of Pollard's own family perished in the Holocaust, and he saw before his eyes the plans for the destruction of hundreds of thousands of Jewish lives in the Land of Israel, and that is why he worked in full cooperation with our intelligence agents, with the full knowledge of the Government of Israel? As his wife Esther, recently pointed out in an interview, "When the information provided by Jonathan was used by Israel to send pilots on daring bombing missions, such as the [1985] bombing of the PLO headquarters in Tunis, Israel's top officials certainly knew that the intelligence was reliable before risking their pilots' lives.
There is no question that the prime minister, the defense minister and the head of military intelligence all approved these missions because they personally knew the source of the intelligence was their agent in Washington, Jonathan Pollard." But when he was caught, all the rest of the team, except Pollard, was quickly evacuated to Israel; but our Embassy refused to give him asylum, throwing him out into the street into the waiting arms of the FBI instead. Did you know that this makes us guilty every single day of the sin of, "We are guilty on account of our brother, that we saw his suffering when he pleaded with us, but we did not listen."? (Bresheit [Genesis] Ch 42: Vs 21)
Did you know that Pollard never had a trial? To spare Israel the embarrassment of public revelations, he agreed to a plea bargain, which he honored but the US violated. The Americans imposed a life sentence upon him with a recommendation that he never be released.
This is a sentence which the US has never before and never since meted out for this kind of offense, the median sentence being 2 to 4 years. Did you know that we are sinning every single day that he remains in prison, guilty of abandoning a wounded soldier in the field, a soldier who was devoted to us and who was wounded in our service?
Did you know that only in 1998, thirteen years after he was arrested, the State of Israel recognized him as our agent? Until then the State ignored him as if he did not even exist. Yet, in spite of granting Pollard official recognition, the State of Israel has never acted upon it to secure his release, or to support and assist him and his wife. The Pollards are both ill, both without medical care and without any financial support whatsoever from the Government of Israel for the last 21 years. Did you know that every single day that this situation continues we are guilty the sin of, "Tzion, hallo teeshalee et shlom assiraych? Tzion, won't you seek the welfare of your captives?"?
Did you know that Jonathan Pollard's health has deteriorated drastically and that his continued incarceration represents a life and death situation? Did you know that every additional day that he remains in prison is held against our own account in Heaven because of our continuing failure to act in accord with these verses from the Book of Samuel [Shmuel] Bk I Ch14:Vs 45):" 'Shall Jonathan who has wrought this great salvation in Israel die? Far be it! As the Lord lives, not a hair on his head will be harmed for he has worked with G-d this day.' And the People redeemed Jonathan and he did not die."-30-
Bio Note: HaRav Shlomo Aviner is the Rosh Yeshiva of Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva of the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Rabbi of Bet-El.
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Please call 202-456-1111 and demand that President Bush free Jonathan Pollard, who will soon begin his 22nd year in prison for helping save thousands of Jewish lives! And, call Senator Frank Lautenberg, who is opposed to his release, at: 202-224-3224. Thank you.
Jonathan Pollard and Israel's Prognosis for the New Year 5767 By HaRav Shlomo Aviner - September 17, 2006 - May be reprinted*
As the Jewish People prepare to usher in the New Year 5767 we all pray for a good, healthy, peaceful, prosperous and happy new year.
For many of us, our prayers may include a request for the release of our brother, Jonathan Pollard, who will shortly enter his 22nd year of a life sentence for his activities on behalf of the security of Israel. Yet how many of us realize how significant Pollard's fate is to the fate of us all?
Our tradition teaches that the souls of all Israel are indelibly linked (chaverim kol Yisrael) and that we are all responsible for each other (kol Yisrael arevim zeh lih zeh.) Thus, whether one is aware of it or not, the plight of our brother, Jonathan, has a direct impact on our prognosis for the New Year 5767, both individually and as a nation.
Ponder the following.
Did you know that Jonathan Pollard is in an American prison because he spied for the benefit of Israel, and is slowly bleeding to death before our very eyes, and no one knows how much time remains, and that every single day that he is there, we are, everyone of us, liable for the sin of "Al ta'amod al dam re'eycha. Do not stand idly by your brother's blood."?
Did you know that Jonathan Pollard did not do damage to the United States, but rather gave us information about Iranian, Iraqi, Libyan and Syrian nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare capabilities - all being developed for use against Israel; and information on ballistic missile development by these countries; as well as information on up-coming terrorist attacks planned against Israeli civilian targets. This was information which should have been supplied to Israel according to official US policy at the time, but which was being illegally withheld. Because Pollard relayed the information to us, he saved thousands of lives.
Did you know that every single day that he remains in prison, we are liable for the sin of: ""If you refrain from rescuing those who are taken to death and those on the verge of being slain---and you will claim "But, we did not know about this."? (Mishlei [Proverbs] Ch 24: Vs 11)
Did you know that seventy members of Pollard's own family perished in the Holocaust, and he saw before his eyes the plans for the destruction of hundreds of thousands of Jewish lives in the Land of Israel, and that is why he worked in full cooperation with our intelligence agents, with the full knowledge of the Government of Israel? As his wife Esther, recently pointed out in an interview, "When the information provided by Jonathan was used by Israel to send pilots on daring bombing missions, such as the [1985] bombing of the PLO headquarters in Tunis, Israel's top officials certainly knew that the intelligence was reliable before risking their pilots' lives.
There is no question that the prime minister, the defense minister and the head of military intelligence all approved these missions because they personally knew the source of the intelligence was their agent in Washington, Jonathan Pollard." But when he was caught, all the rest of the team, except Pollard, was quickly evacuated to Israel; but our Embassy refused to give him asylum, throwing him out into the street into the waiting arms of the FBI instead. Did you know that this makes us guilty every single day of the sin of, "We are guilty on account of our brother, that we saw his suffering when he pleaded with us, but we did not listen."? (Bresheit [Genesis] Ch 42: Vs 21)
Did you know that Pollard never had a trial? To spare Israel the embarrassment of public revelations, he agreed to a plea bargain, which he honored but the US violated. The Americans imposed a life sentence upon him with a recommendation that he never be released.
This is a sentence which the US has never before and never since meted out for this kind of offense, the median sentence being 2 to 4 years. Did you know that we are sinning every single day that he remains in prison, guilty of abandoning a wounded soldier in the field, a soldier who was devoted to us and who was wounded in our service?
Did you know that only in 1998, thirteen years after he was arrested, the State of Israel recognized him as our agent? Until then the State ignored him as if he did not even exist. Yet, in spite of granting Pollard official recognition, the State of Israel has never acted upon it to secure his release, or to support and assist him and his wife. The Pollards are both ill, both without medical care and without any financial support whatsoever from the Government of Israel for the last 21 years. Did you know that every single day that this situation continues we are guilty the sin of, "Tzion, hallo teeshalee et shlom assiraych? Tzion, won't you seek the welfare of your captives?"?
Did you know that Jonathan Pollard's health has deteriorated drastically and that his continued incarceration represents a life and death situation? Did you know that every additional day that he remains in prison is held against our own account in Heaven because of our continuing failure to act in accord with these verses from the Book of Samuel [Shmuel] Bk I Ch14:Vs 45):" 'Shall Jonathan who has wrought this great salvation in Israel die? Far be it! As the Lord lives, not a hair on his head will be harmed for he has worked with G-d this day.' And the People redeemed Jonathan and he did not die."-30-
Bio Note: HaRav Shlomo Aviner is the Rosh Yeshiva of Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva of the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Rabbi of Bet-El.
September 06, 2004
US soldier Ryan Anderson guilty of passing information to Al-Qaeda
Folks, if Johnathan Pollard received a life sentence for aiding an ally, Ryan Anderson should get a life sentence for aiding THE enemy:
A military court-martial convicted a US National Guard soldier who converted to Islam of trying to aid al-Qaeda. Specialist Ryan Anderson, 26, "was found guilty on all charges," said Joe Hitt, spokesman for the Fort Lewis Army base south of Seattle, Washington.
"Right now they are in the process of sentencing him."Anderson, assigned to the Guard's 81st Armored Brigade in the northwestern state, faces a possible life sentence in a military prison on five charges of seeking to collaborate with Al-Qaeda by sending the group information on US army tactics and strategies.
Anderson was arrested in February at his apartment in Lynnwood, Washington, just before his unit was to deploy to Iraq, after an undercover sting operation intercepted communications on January 23 and February 10.Anderson, who joined the National Guard in May 2002, was reported to have attempted to make contact with Al-Qaeda through Internet chat rooms.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/104730/1/.html
A military court-martial convicted a US National Guard soldier who converted to Islam of trying to aid al-Qaeda. Specialist Ryan Anderson, 26, "was found guilty on all charges," said Joe Hitt, spokesman for the Fort Lewis Army base south of Seattle, Washington.
"Right now they are in the process of sentencing him."Anderson, assigned to the Guard's 81st Armored Brigade in the northwestern state, faces a possible life sentence in a military prison on five charges of seeking to collaborate with Al-Qaeda by sending the group information on US army tactics and strategies.
Anderson was arrested in February at his apartment in Lynnwood, Washington, just before his unit was to deploy to Iraq, after an undercover sting operation intercepted communications on January 23 and February 10.Anderson, who joined the National Guard in May 2002, was reported to have attempted to make contact with Al-Qaeda through Internet chat rooms.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/104730/1/.html
August 14, 2004
Just a thought..
If America was so pro-Israel, they would have released Jonathan Pollard long, long ago. He has received the harshest sentence in American history for a spy who handed vital classified information to an ally.
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