Photo Credit: Jewish Press

Jews are commanded not to stand idly by. We are told that we are responsible for one another. We are instructed that we are, indeed, our brothers’ – plural – keeper.

Pidyon shvuyim, freeing the captive, is a commandment that reflects this vital responsibility. We are taught that even Shabbat may be violated to do this mitzvah. The Talmud (Bava Batra) calls captivity more egregious than starvation or death. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 252:3) states, “Every moment that one delays in freeing captives, in cases where it is possible to expedite their freedom, is considered to be tantamount to murder.”

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Two of our brothers, Jonathan Pollard and Alan Gross, sit in the pit of captivity. We have a mandate to see that they are freed.

Pollard just spent his 60th birthday in prison. He has been behind bars for 28 years including eight in solitary confinement. Pollard was a civilian employee for the navy who came upon information he feared would put Israel in jeopardy if Israel officials not aware of it. He tried to follow protocol and went to his superior officer with the data. He was brushed off. In desperation Pollard felt obligated to inform Israel of the looming danger.

Pollard never stood trial, choosing instead to enter into a plea-bargain agreement, expecting leniency in return for his cooperation. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deliver national defense information to a foreign government. The prosecutor asked for “only a substantial number of years in prison” but Judge Aubrey Robinson, Jr., who was lobbied hard by an incensed Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, imposed a life sentence. The average time served in cases involving those who share classified information with a friendly country and with no intent of harming the U.S. is two to four years. As mentioned above, Pollard is closing in on three decades in jail.

Alan Gross has been imprisoned in Cuba for five years. He was accused and convicted of bringing Internet access to the remaining small Jewish community on the island. He was working on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development. Cuba claimed his actions undermined the Castro government. Gross was sentenced to 15 years.

Both of these men are badly damaged, having been affected physically and emotionally by their ordeal. Pollard is said to have been in deteriorating health for years. He has been hospitalized for various serious maladies. Gross has lost 100 pounds, can barely walk, and has lost vision in his right eye. His agony on hearing of his mother’s death while he was in prison and of his daughter’s bout with cancer has left him hopeless and bereft.

There are petitions that can be signed online on behalf of both these men. The petition for freeing Jonathan Pollard can be found at www.jonathanpollard.org. The petition for Alan Gross is at www.engage.jewishpublicaffairs.org. (Click on “Why is Alan Gross still in Cuba?”)

This is a first step, but more needs to be done. The Jewish world needs to join forces and strongly advocate for their release. Help send them home before it is too late.

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Shelley Benveniste is South Florida editor of The Jewish Press.