Jonathan Pollard and Israel's Prognosis for the New Year 5767

Friends,
The Rabbi of Beit El explains how our fate in the New Year
is linked to Jonathan Pollard's. If you want to help, there
are phone numbers to call listed at the end of this article.
Imagine if the White House got a million phone calls calling
for Jonathan's release. Imagine.

Naomi Ragen
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Jonathan Pollard and Israel's Prognosis for the New Year
5767

By HaRav Shlomo Aviner - September 17, 2006 - May be
reprinted*
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.

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,, 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 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."

If you want to help, 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 very
much!!