Whatever you think about Jonathan Pollard, there are some basic facts of the case that cannot be ignored. Chief among them are:

1. Jonathan Pollard has served longer for the crime he was sentenced for than anyone else convicted of like crimes.
2. The United States of America made – and broke – a plea bargain agreement they made with Jonathan Pollard.
3. Jonathan Pollard has no interest in remaining in America. Were he to be freed, he would come to Israel, never to return or hurt the United States.

And one last point – what Jonathan Pollard gave to Israel should have been given to Israel under agreements made between the U.S. and Israel.

With all of that, I’ll say one more thing. I don’t want Obama to come to Israel. We don’t need his pressure, we don’t need the traffic headaches, and we honestly don’t need his opinions. But if he is to come, let him at least, at very least, bring Jonathan home to Israel.

What Jonathan Pollard did – almost THIRTY YEARS AGO – was wrong. The US was wrong and perhaps Israel was wrong – but it has been Jonathan Pollard who has paid the price, far and above what should have been demanded. It is time, past time, to end this farce.

Obama, don’t come…or at least have the decency to bring Jonathan Pollard home.

Visit A Soldier’s Mother.

February 25, 2013

To:
Mr. Barack Obama
President of the United States of America

Honored President,

Divine Providence, acting through the American People, has appointed you to the most exalted office in the world: President of the United States. You stand at the head of the most powerful nation in the world whose strength is measured not only by its political, economic and military might, but also by its spiritual power as the flag bearer of liberty and freedom. At the eastern port of entry to the United States stands the Statue of Liberty which symbolizes for all who enter her gates, the longed-for national calling card, the yearning for freedom of all mankind. In the chronicles of history, the brilliant personalities of George Washington, President Abraham Lincoln and the visionary Martin Luther King, stand out. Their character and their fight for independence, liberty, and equality, light the way for your feet in forging another link in this illustrious chain.

My dear President, it is 28 years (nearly 10,000 days) that Jonathan Pollard has been incarcerated in an American prison. He was sentenced for a serious offense, passing classified information to a foreign country, albeit a friendly nation, the State of Israel. Those who were responsible for this affair have admitted their guilt and expressed honest and deep remorse for this serious breech, even if it were done with the intention of protecting the security of Israel.

Despite the admissions and the remorse, Jonathan continues to remain in jail for a period of time unparalleled in its harshness and for which there has been no precedent in all American history. In addition to the fact that the man is serving a disproportionately severe sentence, it is well known that his health is failing and his life expectancy is diminishing.

In the book of Samuel I in the Bible, Chapter 14, the People of Israel cry out: “Shall Jonathan die?” This outcry which refers to Jonathan, the son of King Saul, screams from the chambers of my own heart with regard to Jonathan Pollard, that he should merit to leave prison alive, and perhaps even be blessed with the most basic right which has been denied him up until now, fatherhood.

Honored President, after the requests of the president of our country Mr. Shimon Peres, and our prime minister Mr. Binyamin Netanyahu, and thousands of Israelis, as well as those of exalted American leaders such as Secretaries of State, Professor Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, I too add my voice to the many who are calling on you to hear and to respond positively to commute the sentence of Jonathan Pollard, who seeks only to live out the remainder of his life with his wife Esther in the State of Israel which has granted him citizenship. Your taking this action, Mr. President, shall be engraved upon the hearts of freedom-seekers throughout the world as a gesture worthy of being included in the chronicles of humanity.

With blessing,

Sincerely,

Rabbi Israel Meir Lau
Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv – Jaffa
Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council

The petition calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to release Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, which will be delivered to the visiting president on his visit to Israel, stood at 62 thousand signatures as of Monday morning.

The petition makers’ goal is 100 thousand signatures.

The petition text (click here to add your vote, and follow the petition debate on Facebook) reads:

The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States of America The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500

Via Hand-delivery

Dear President Obama:

We, the People of Israel, look forward hopefully and with pleasure to your visit to our country.

In anticipation of this important occasion, we would like to appeal to you about a matter which is deeply troubling to every one of us.

Our President, Shimon Peres, and our Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu have both issued formal appeals to you on behalf of the People of Israel, imploring you to release Jonathan Pollard.

Jonathan Pollard has now served 28 years of a life sentence in American prisons. A few short weeks from now, he will mark his 10,000th day in jail. Both he and Israel have repeatedly expressed remorse. We have learned our lesson and have been living with the painful consequences for nearly 3 decades.

We are encouraged by the appeals of Secretaries of State Kissinger and Schultz, among the many American officials calling for Jonathan Pollard’s release, including many who have first-hand knowledge of the case, because of the gross disproportionality of his sentence. Jonathan’s failing health lends urgency to their appeals.

We, The People, simple citizens of the State of Israel, sincerely hope that you will take this opportunity to respond positively to the many requests for Jonathan Pollard’s release, including those made by Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Peres on our behalf.

We appeal to you as one who symbolizes the shared values of humanity, compassion and hope for a second chance, that both of our nations embrace. We implore you to commute Jonathan Pollard’s sentence to time served without delay and allow him to live out his remaining days as a free man. It is our fervent hope and prayer that your upcoming trip to Israel will bring us the good news we have waited for, for so very long, and that this tragic and painful episode can finally be put to rest once and for all.

With blessing,

Former Israeli Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau wrote President Barack Obama  that God, via the American people, “appointed you…President of the United States,”  and that as a defender of freedom, he should release Jonathan Pollard from prison more than 28 years.

Rabbi Lau quoted from chapter 14 in the First Book of Samuel, which refers to King Saul’s son Jonathan with an impassioned outcry, “Shall Jonathan die?” The rabbi says he feels the same please from his heart for Jonathan Pollard.

Rabbi Lau reminded the President that Pollard’s life term in prison for passing on classified documents for Israel was unduly harsh and “unprecedented.”

President Obama has reportedly been having trouble sleeping. After one night of particularly bad dreams the President called on his advisors to discuss the matter. He described a series of dreams which in which he saw American-made Chevys and Fords being eaten by some kind of Chinese car. Obama’s advisors did not know what to make of this, until one recommended a solution. “Um, sir, I worked as a prison wardon once, and we had a prisoner who had an uncanny ability to interpret dreams, he might be able to help…”

The prisoner, Jonathan Pollard, was cleaned up and rushed from his prison cell in Butner, North Carolina, to the White House.

“Jonathan, can you help me with this?” asked the President.

Pollard went on to interpret the dream as referring to an imminent collapse of the American economy, but also gave recommendations as to how to avert the mess. In a novel approach, Pollard recommended that the US government not spend money more than it has.

When the President heard of this great wisdom, he immediately appointed Pollard as Secretary of the Treasury. At the confirmation hearings, in which Pollard did better than any of the other Obama appointees, Pollard promised to get the US economy back in shape within 7 years.

As the new influential man in Washington, Pollard helped Israel clear hurdles to attack the Iranian nuclear bomb making facilities.

However, just before Israel could launch the attack, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Khomeini and eight other top officials in the Iranian regime were found hanged in a secret bunker. It is presumed that the 10 committed suicide rather than face the fallout of the Israeli attack. The people of Persia held parades and celebrations in the streets of Teheran, and marked the day for all future generations as the Day of Freedom.

With the collapse of the Mullah era, Israel and Iran became great friends and created a new super-successful oil and gas conglomerate called IPOAG (Israeli/Persian Oil and Gas) which put OPEC out of business, and subsequently defunded the Saudi global terror efforts. The UN also was forced to close its doors after funding dropped out from both Arab oli states and the US, which stopped paying dues under new directives of the Treasury. Plans are now being drawn up for a new international body, and a new international court of justice based out of Jerusalem.

Jonathan Pollard’s release from prison was certainly seen as a great victory for Jews. However, the amazing chain of events which emanated from the freedom of just one man, that is, the betterment of the American economy, the fall of the Iranian Mullah regime, the success of the Israel/Persian alliance, the end of global terror, and the creation of a healthy international body, in the end furthered and bettered the lot of all mankind.

The Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) and the National Council of Young Israel announced on Friday, January 4, that EMET will serve as the NCYI’s voice on Capitol Hill for purposes of addressing foreign policy.  Both organizations are right-of-center and resolutely pro-Israel.

EMET is a small Washington, D.C. think tank which conducts weekly one-on-one briefings with Congressional offices, and hosts frequent talks by leading policy experts which are attended by members of congress, staffers, and others interested in Middle East policy.

According to Sarah Stern, founder and president of EMET, the collaboration between the two organizations makes sense

because of the strong symmetry in foreign policy views shared by the two organizations.  EMET’s policy focus will remain, as always, preserving and defending the national security of the United States, and its ally Israel, in the joint struggle against the forces of radical Islam and emphasizing Israel’s unique role as the eastern outpost of Western democratic values.  EMET currently does this with the backing of over 25,000 Americans throughout the United States.

The issues that EMET focuses its attention on educating members of Congress about include the need for Jerusalem to remain undivided; the need to demand of Islamist regimes that unless they meet required policy thresholds, U.S. military and financial assistance will be curtailed or even terminated; the dangers of a nuclear Iran; the dangers of a failed “land for peace” policy in dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the recognition that the path to peace is blocked by Arab Palestinian intransigence; and the need for American leadership in obtaining the release of unjustly jailed Jews around the world, including Jonathan Pollard.

The NCYI is an organization that grew out of the needs of Torah observant Jews to meet the challenges of a non-accommodating diaspora world, especially during the early decades of the Twentieth Century. Young Israel has 146 branches throughout North America, and it currently focuses not only on Torah observance, but on the needs and aspirations of its community, including various kinds of focused political action.  Obtaining the release from prison of Jonathan Pollard is a particularly important issue for Young Israel.  Rabbi Pesach Lerner, the executive vice president of the organization until his recent retirement, was one of Pollard’s most fervent advocates.

NCYI President Farley Weiss said in a joint press release about the arrangement between the two organizations, “NCYI is very excited to have EMET represent NCYI on it matters of foreign policy concerns.  I personally have admired for many years the tremendous job Sarah Stern and EMET has done and accomplished on Capitol Hill and their sterling reputation.  We are confident that partnering with EMET will be a win-win situation for both parties and will give the National Council of Young Israel a much stronger voice on issues of concern to our members.  We look forward to a great relationship with EMET.”

I previously wrote about new documents declassified in the Jonathan Pollard case, which might help us understand his disproportionate life sentence and why he is still imprisoned after 27 years.

After a week of medical tests in the hospital, Jonathan Pollard was returned on Sunday to his prison cell.

After falling seriously ill a week ago, Pollard was taken to a hospital were tests were performed,including an MRI of his brain.

The results are not yet in, but his condition stabilized enough that the authorities decided to return him to his cell to await the results of the tests.