(Click on image to ENLARGE it) Former Israeli Sephardic Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu recently met with Jonathan Pollard, energizing a renewed campaign to achieve Pollard’s release through presidential clemency. Pollard has no other legal recourse except to seek a presidential release. Last year, the Supreme Court denied his request of an appeal of a life sentence handed down in 1986 for spying on the US for Israel.
According to Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), Rabbi Eliyahu is “one of the few in the lead” of a vigorous campaign to free Pollard before Bush’s impending departure from office in January, 2009. The drive, spearheaded by NCYI, with the participation of national and regional Jewish organizations, has Rabbis and community leaders calling upon all Jews to convey the message to President Bush that Pollard has served long enough and that the time has come to free him.
In a recent letter to President Bush, Rabbi Eliyahu wrote: “…I am willing to act as Jonathan Pollard’s guarantor, to take him into my custody and to accept full responsibility for him. He is a dignified man, who is deserving of special consideration.”
Rabbi Lerner is among Pollard’s most stalwart supporters. He accompanied Rabbi Eliyahu to Butner Federal Prison in North Carolina, where Pollard is serving his 22nd year. Because Rabbi Eliyahu doesn’t speak English and the Navy monitors Pollard’s visits, Rabbi Lerner translated the conversation to and from Hebrew.
“Rabbi Eliyahu has adopted Jonathan and his family,” said Rabbi Lerner. “He gives them time and attention. Wherever he goes, he talks about Jonathan’s cause.” Rabbi Eliyahu composed a prayer in Hebrew for Jonathan Pollard, and it has been translated into English; the prayer is available at www.jonathanpollard.org.
For materials on the Pollard case or to get involved in the campaign for his freedom, please contact the National Council of Young Israel at 212-929-1525, ext. 114.
(Photo Caption: In Butner, North Carolina following a visit with Jonathan Pollard: Former Israeli Sephardic Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu ( left) and Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel.)
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14 Responses
What a wonderful Tzadik! I’m sure he’s got lots of learning and other things to do in Israel, yet R’ Eliyahu still finds the time and energy to devote to this Jew in Tzaar.
May Hashem bless him and bring us the Geulah Shileimah, Bimheira ViYameinu Amein.
Keep up the campain for Pollard!! How do we contact President Bush?
Wow! It’s not a pleasant experience even just going to visit these jails! What ahavas yisroel!
I heard Rav Mordechai Eliyahu speak last week in Morristown, NJ at the Lubavitch Yeshiva. He was there to “farher” the smicha students and actually sign their smicha.
He mentioned Pollard briefly.
He also talked about making brachos with kavana. He said that since it is hard to do that for every single bracha all day, one should at least say “netilas yadaiim”” with tremendous kavana, thinking that we want that kavana to extend to all our brachos the rest of the day.
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I was very impressed with the Ahavas Yisroel the YW portrayed whilst reporting on the 13th Yortzait of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Zatza”l, especially the part about the 28,000 thousend people from all walks of life who visited the tziyon throughout the 24 hour period of the Yortzait with lines over 2 hours long even in the middle of the night and the 40,000 pani”m received via Fax during the 3 day period surrounding the Yortzait! This type of Ahavas Chinom is what we have been waiting 2 thousend years for and will surely bring the Geuloh. But please do not get carried away with your Lubavitch reporting, remember to leave time for the other very important events in the Yidishe/Yeshivah World like cars being overturned in Meah Sheorim…
Editors Response: When a Lubavitcher website will write about ANY event which is not a Chabad event, then we will write about Lubavitch. For example, would they ever DARE write about a non-Chabad Gadol who is Niftar? You know the answer, and so do we. Did they ever write about hagoen Rav Moshe Feinstein’s Yartzheit – who had a relationship with the “Rebbe”?
We at YW on the other hand write about Chabd all the time.
You took a cheap shot at the YeshivaWorld by sticking a comment into a thread which has nothing to do with this story.
its nice to see someone cares . I think his lawyers are really working hard and JP needs our support.
I think we should all write letters to Pollard
the address that they sent out was
Jonathan Pollard # 09185-016
c/o FCI Butner
Butner NC
USA
27509-1000
The White House comment line phone number is 202-456-1111. A live operator will take your comment for the president. All they ask for is the state from which you are calling and your comment.
White House Comment Line: (202)456-1111
Put the white house # on your cellphone, and call daily, it takes less than a minute. What chizuk JP must receive from such chashuva guests. More and more rabbanim and community leaders should make this visit.
charliehall: I believe you are mistaken. I have read that U.S. District Court Judge Aubrey Robinson imposed maximum sentence of life for Jonathan Pollard without possibility of parole.
So he is not eligible for parole, and therefore applying will do him no good. That would be the reason for not applying.
“To me it looks like the usual Lubavich tactic…”
Loshon hora lamed heh, you belong in….. YeshivaWorld?
everyone should have mora kavana when they say ‘mattir asurim’ 3 times a day
Reb_Motcha is correct . Sckoyach as usual