Jewish organizations ask Trump to end Jonathan Pollard’s parole conditions
Orthodox Union president Mark Bane emphasized in his letter the difficulty of the curfew conditions.
By OMRI NAHMIASJonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer convicted of spying for Israel, exits following a hearing at the Manhattan Federal Courthouse in New York City, May 17, 2017(photo credit: BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS)
WASHINGTON – Three major Orthodox organizations are asking US President Donald Trump to terminate Jonathan Pollard’s parole so he can support his wife, who is suffering from advanced-stage metastatic cancer, Hamodia reported on Monday.According to the report, Agudath Israel of America, the Orthodox Union, and the Coalition for Jewish Values (CKV) sent three separate letters to the president last week, citing humanitarian concerns.The organizations stressed that Pollard’s severe parole conditions, including night curfew, make it harder for him to take care of his wife. Pollard was released nearly four years ago after serving 30 years in prison.Rabbi David Zwiebel, the executive vice President of Agudath Israel, wrote in a letter obtained by Hamodia, “In order to simply accompany his wife to her doctors’ appointments and her chemotherapy sessions, which assistance she very much needs, Mr. Pollard is required by his parole conditions to give three days’ advance notice and submit a formal written request to leave Manhattan and go to wherever she needs to be taken. Unless he receives written permission, which is not automatic but can be denied and must be negotiated each and every time, he cannot accompany her.”Orthodox Union president Mark Bane emphasized in his letter the difficulty of the curfew conditions. “On a daily basis, should his wife need medication, food or any other items between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., Mr. Pollard’s strict curfew prevents him from procuring them for her,” he wrote. “And if God forbid, she needs emergency medical care during that time, Mr. Pollard cannot go to the hospital with her.”CJV president Rabbi Pesach Lerner added in his letter that Pollard “was a model prisoner and has been a model parolee,” and added that “given his wife’s health and need for assistance reaching treatment locations, pharmacies, and even basic needs, the current extreme limitations on Mr. Pollard’s movements are not merely an unjustified part of a disproportionate sentence, but are also causing him and his family unnecessary hardship during a very trying time.”
