While Terrorist Murderers are Released Jonathan Pollard Languishes in Prison

[muman613]

The injustice of this makes me want to puke. The Israeli government has failed miserably in advocating for the release of the Jewish hero Jonathan Pollard. This poor man has been wasting away in prison while smiling blood-soaked murderers waltz out of their cells to heros welcomes and financial stipends from the arab government.

In my mind the current Israeli government is not Jewish in the slightest form. A major principle of Jewish faith is the release of Jewish captives held by non-Jewish nations. Yet Israel has only voiced muted calls for Pollards release. If Israel was a true Jewish nation it would have been the HIGHEST priority to remove Yonatan from the horrible incarceration he has faced at the hands of the gentile nation of America.

[muman613]

Murderers are Released; Pollard Continues to Languish

The shameless hypocrisy and its underlying message are clear.
From Rabbi Menachem Brod

"There is no forgiveness for passing classified information to help Israel...but Jewish blood is cheap."

The American administration, which claims it does not interfere in "the decisions of the justice system”, successfully pressured the Israeli government to demonstrate complete contempt towards the decisions of Israel’s justice system and to ignore fundamental principles of law by releasing the unrepentant murderers of innocent men, women and children from Israel’s prisons.

The US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, recently declared that the release of Jonathan Pollard from prison should not be expected any time soon.

"There would have to be very unusual circumstances for President Obama to get involved in opposition to a decision by the justice system," said the ambassador. "The president has only very rarely involved himself in these kinds of matters throughout his term. There is no reason to expect that this case should be treated any differently than any other case."

What a diplomatically disingenuous statement! Pollard has been languishing in jail for 29 years. He is the only person in the history of the United States to receive a life sentence for spying for a friendly country. The usual sentence is two to four years.

Last year his health took a turn for the worse and he was hospitalized five times with life-threatening medical emergencies.

Numerous senior American officials have voiced their support for his release, among them past Secretaries of State Kissinger and Shultz, past CIA head James Woolsey, and others, who have first-hand knowledge of the classified information relating to the case.

And what does the ambassador say?  In the absence of “unusual circumstances... the President rarely gets involved in these kinds of matters.”

A Celebration of Hypocrisy

We, however, are very familiar with strong American involvement "in these kinds of matters."  For example, the release of murderers and terrorists from Israeli prisons.

All of the bereaved families’ protests and the outcries of Israel’s citizens protesting against the release of the murderers were readily dismissed by the Israeli government’s claim, “We have no choice but to release the murderers in order to honor the commitment we made to the United States.”

The same American administration which claims it does not interfere in "the decisions of the justice system” successfully pressured the Israeli government to do just that; to demonstrate complete contempt towards the decisions of Israel’s justice system and to ignore fundamental principles of law by releasing the unrepentant murderers of innocent men, women and children from Israel’s prisons.

Where has there ever been a precedent for this? What country would be willing to release the murderers of its own citizens? But the almighty America pressed and Israel caved in.

It is likely that during the talks on this issue the Israeli delegates made the request that America help sweeten the bitter pill by releasing Pollard. How do you think the American delegates responded? Imagine the disdain on the faces of the Americans in ties and jackets when they hear Israel's request to release Pollard. They must have leaned back in their armchairs and muttered with poker faces: "The President rarely gets involved in these kinds of matters.”

The Message is Clear

We don't know why the Americans continue to behave with such harshness and cruelty towards Pollard who caused no damage to the US, while spies who did do damage were released after serving much shorter sentences. However, keeping Pollard in jail for such an extended period of time sends a loud and clear message: there is no forgiveness for passing classified information to help Israel.

Moreover, releasing the unrepentant murderers of innocent men, women and children from Israeli prisons sends a corollary message: Jewish blood is cheap. The convicted murderers whose hands are dripping with Jewish blood are released to a hero's welcome. We call them “murderers” which is what they are, but the government deceptively refers to them as “prisoners”, as if they had been unjustly incarcerated as political prisoners.

After each appalling act of terrorism in Israel, the Prime Minister and the IDF are quick to declare that "the long arm of the IDF will bring the murderers to justice," and indeed, the security forces endanger their lives to apprehend the murderers.

But it's not really serious. Sooner or later they will be released, whether to appease the Americans, or to grease the palm of Abbas, lest he turn to the UN, Heaven forbid!

Because, after all what have the murderers done? Murdered a few Jews? No big deal.  It's not the end of the world.

But release Pollard?!  How could you even ask such a thing?! You know very well, “the President rarely gets involved.”


The author, Rabbi Menachem Brod , is a senior Chabad  rabbi from Kfar Chabad, Israel. He is the spokesman of the Chabad youth movement center Tze'irei Agudas Chabad in Israel and the editor of the nationally distributed Chabad weekly  Sichat Hashavua. He is also the official Chabad spokesman in the Israeli media.

For more information follow Justice4JP on the web pollard www.jonathanpollard.org See J4JP updates on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/justice4jp

[muman613]

A hip-hop song which calls for Yonatan to be released, by Shi360

[Binyamin Yisrael]

Shimon Peres was Prime Minister when this happened and he ordered handing back the documents with Pollard's fingerprints on them. Israel is the only country that informed on its own agents. Also, the Israeli Embassy expelled him when seeking asylum. It is said that an American President would release him if an Israeli Prime Minister was serious enough in his request.

What about Ted Cruz's position on a pardon? Many self-hating Republicans thinks Pollard was a traitor, even those whom otherwise claim to be Right Wing. Even Rick Santorum who JTF endorsed for President in 2012 wrote back to me negatively about Pollard when I wrote to him about the issue while he was Senator.

If Obama really cared about the Jewish votes, he would release him immediately. But all the self-hating Jews that voted for him hate Pollard too.

Obama is irrelevant on every issue, especially foreign policy regarding Israel, except that he has the ability to release Pollard. In fact, that's the only thing any President can do for Israel that Israel needs from a US President. But a real US President is relevant on domestic issues. Obama is not even relevant on domestic issues. Pollard is the make or cut deal that you can judge whether a US President is really Pro-Israel. Even Reagan who was President at the time was not really Pro-Israel because of this. On the other hand, because of this you can say that Prime Minister Harper of Canada is the most Pro-Israel out of any head of a government or head of state. JFK is the only US President that I can think of that didn't do anything negative to Israel. All those since Reagan are responsible for Pollard being in prison. Also, all those since 1967 have been calling for Israeli national suicide to some degree. Kennedy was the last President to leave office before 1967. Who knows if he would have been a sellout like LBJ if he had lived. Truman was Anti-Israel and Eisenhower collaborated with the Soviet Union to stop the joint Israeli, British, and French invasion of Muslim Nazi Egypt while ignoring Soviet atrocities in Hungary at the same time. FDR was responsible for the Holocaust. Prior to FDR, I don't know about lesser of the evils since there was no State of Israel at the time and no Holocaust. Maybe some American leaders were evil in supporting the Arabs during the time of the Balfour Declaration.

[muman613]

The true Jewish outlook is explained by this Rabbi from Yeshiva Ohr Sameach:


http://ohr.edu/explore_judaism/ask_the_rabbi/ask_the_rabbi/1561

From: Adam Blumenthal

Dear Rabbi,

I was wondering if you could discuss the laws pertaining to Pidyon Shevuyim (redeeming captives). I know it is cited as a great mitzvah. However I was wondering if there is a point where it should not be allowed under the grounds of either inequitable exchange or in the event that it could encourage more enemies to take captives, since our enemies consequently know the value that Jews hold for the redemption of their captives. Basically, I was wondering if there is a point at which we should not redeem our captives because it may in the long run do more harm than good. Thanks and Shabbat Shalom, Adam.

Dear Adam,

While it is beyond the scope of this column to evaluate any general policy or specific case of redeeming Jewish captives, I will present to you what our sources say about the subject.

Redeeming captives is included in the Torah commandment of charity. In fact, the Rambam writes, "the mitzvah to ransom captives takes precedence over supporting and clothing the poor. Indeed, no commandment, be it ever so important, can compare with [it], since the captive is in the category of those who suffer hunger, thirst, nakedness, and are ever in mortal danger. One who is willfully slack in aiding to ransom a captive transgresses the commandments: You shall not harden your heart, nor shut you hand from your needy brother (Deut. 15:7); That your brother may live with you (Lev. 25:36); Deliver them that are drawn unto death (Prov. 24:11) besides many other similar commandments. Truly, no commandment, be it ever so important, can compare with the ransom of captives."

Given the great importance of this mitzvah, it would seem that there should be no limit to the amount of money to be spent to redeem captives. It is interesting, then, that our Sages asserted, "Captives are not to be redeemed for more than their monetary value, as an enactment for the good of society". Two reasons for this restriction are offered in the Talmud: to prevent the impoverishment of society and to discourage kidnapping. This is precisely the reason that you suggest. If Jews are willing to pay any sum to redeem their captives, there will be no end to kidnapping Jews. However, a Jew who is taken captive, G-d forbid, must not be left to suffer captivity. Therefore his monetary value (generally accepted as his productivity worth, or alternatively the "going rate" for captives) was fixed.

There are some exceptions to the limit imposed upon redeeming captives. An individual may redeem himself for any price, because the Rabbis did not expect one to be able to uphold this enactment regarding oneself. Similarly, one is permitted to redeem his wife at any price because the Torah view is that ones wife is considered "as oneself." Another exception is in ransoming or trading prisoners of war. In such a case, a much more flexible approach may be taken because redeeming POWs at an unfavorable exchange rate will not give the enemy an incentive to start another war countries dont go to war because of an anticipated favorable POW exchange rate.

The issue of exchanging Jewish captives for terrorists is more complicated. Here, there is no formal war such that inequitable exchange wouldnt be considered the cause of a new war. On the contrary, terrorists are interested in a prolonged conflict, and unequal exchange gives them more incentive to kidnap and obtain more concessions. And even an "equitable" exchange is not necessarily acceptable here because releasing terrorists creates an additional potential threat to the public.

However, based on the writings of Rabbi Yosef Karo (author of the Shulchan Aruch, the authoritative code of Jewish law) this may be a tolerable risk. He writes, "The Jerusalem Talmud concludes that one is obligated to place oneself in possible danger in order to save someone who is in definite danger. It appears that the reason for this ruling is that one is in definite danger, while the other is only a doubt, and he who saves the life of a fellow Jew is as though he has saved an entire world". On the other hand, since a released terrorist is not exactly interested in buying Israel Bonds or planting trees for the JNF, the danger may be more definite than doubt, in which case the exchange should perhaps not be made.

Ill conclude with a true, documented story. Rabbi Meir of Rotenburg (1222-1293), one of the greatest Torah scholars of his time, was captured while trying to flee the harsh edicts of Emperor Rudolf I of Hapsburg. The Emperor imprisoned him in the Tower of Ensisheim, and demanded an exorbitant ransom from the Jewish community for his release. Fearing other despots might pursue a similarly lucrative practice by kidnapping other rabbis, Rabbi Meir refused to allow the community to pay the 23,000 talents of silver ransom they were willing to pay. Despite the communitys appeals, Rabbi Meir languished in prison for seven years until his death.

But since he forbid his ransom even after death, his remains were not released for burial until fourteen years later, when a wealthy Jew could no longer bear the disgrace, and paid the much lowered ransom. So ended one of the most remarkable acts of martyrdom and sanctification of G-ds name recorded in the annuls of Jewish history. Rabbi Meirs selfless dedication to his peoples welfare and his utter self-denial in their behalf ensured that Torah luminaries were never again held hostage for the extortion of huge ransoms from the Jewish people.

Sources:

Rambam, Mishna Torah, Zeraim, Hilchot Matanot Aniim, 8:10
Gittin 45a, Mishna
Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 252:4
Ketuvut 52a, Tur, Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 78
Tosafot, Gittin 58a
Beit Yosef, Choshen Mishpat 426
Masters of the Mesorah, Rabbi Zechariah Fendel, p110
Maharshal, Yam shel Shlomo, Gittin 4:66