in Avot it says that the good path is "haroeh et hanolad (to be able to realize the implications of events.)
I do not see this request for clemency (see below) helpful to Jonathan Pollard but rather using this as an opportunity to sell out Judea and Samaria. What kind of deal is being suggested here??????Jonathan Pollard has been betrayed several times over and is this initiative is asking for another betrayal. Surely in the process we don't want to betray our brethren in Judea and Samaria either.
Jonathan Pollard was first betrayed when he admitted guilt in return for a plea bargain and cooperated with the prosecutors. This worked against him. He has so far been in jail going on 24 years or so. The evidence against him is still so "classified" that his lawyers can not even review them even to defend himself against them. According to his wife Esther he is being kept in jail now as a pawn for political deals.
This apologetic letter initiated by Congressman Frank and others supported by NCYI (National Council of Young Israel) Agudath Yisroel and the Conference of Presidents asking for clemency is setting Jonathan up for a trap. Many of you will now stop reading this letter and this mere suggestion. "How can you be against an initiative that unifies Jews with non Jews on Jonathan's behalf?" you ask me? Dejas vous. In the weeks prior to Bush's leaving office, a similar initiative was a total failure and only succeeded in adding 36 new people to the comment line in the White House.
Why?. Because perhaps Jonathan acted morally when he handed over the damning intelligence to Israel. ? If so then why is he apologizing? He can honestly argue that he was put into a moral dilemma and acted according to his conscience and it was the USA that was immoral in the fact that they turned their backs on Israel and did not provide Israel with intelligence that Israel needed for its defense and which America was obligated to provide as per a prior agreement with Israel.
The million dollar question is " Why didn't America, Israel's ally, pass intelligence regarding a power plant capable of producing chemical weapons of mass destruction that threatened Israel's existence. "
This minor detail of America's betrayal of Israel is conveniently left out of all the accusations against Jonathan Pollard. I have been assured that there is truth in this fact.
Rather than taking the offensive at USA and demanding some explanation why the USA withheld this evidence placing Jonathan POllard in a very awkward and morally challenging dilemma, Jonathan as advised by his lawyers or whomever advised him, opted to plead guilty in order to strike a plea bargain.
Once again, in 2010 America is turning its back on Israel. They are pumping millions if not billions of dollars into literally building up a terror STate while putting unbearable pressures to stop Jewish building in our Biblical, ancestral homeland. They are training a Palestinian army, Dayton's army, that has already and will continue to be directed against Israel. They are providing weapons in the billions of dollars to Arab Terror supporting countries like Saudii Arabia that risks the free world.
Israel and Jonathan Pollard have more to gain by telling America, we rely on G-d and we refuse to make deals with you. The amount of money America provides Israel is a very small part of Israel's economy and Israel can say no. G-d owns the Land and has chosen Judean and Samaria and the rest of Israel as the Promised Land for the Jewish People.
America needs Israel more than Israel needs America. America will be blessed when and because America supports Israel. However when America chooses selfish Scar and the evil hyenas over the Lion Kingdom the result will be met with destruction and desolation as we saw very clearly with the Jewish Disengagement from Gaza. The Palestinians were handed over hothouses that produced beautiful flowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, bug free lettuce, peppers etc. These hothouses brought in revenues in the millions or perhaps hundreds of millions of dollars for Israel. These beautiful Gush Katif agricultural communities on the sea were model communities with flourishing, religious, cultural and educational centers and the residents were proud and productive members of Israeli Society. AFter the devastating expulsion of these 22 Jewish communities wreaking havoc in the personal and business lives of the Jewish residents who were forced to make this sacrifice int he name of "peace", The Palestinian "peace lovers" received these hothouses as a gift. Rather than use it to build up their economy they vandalized the metal from those hothouses and used it to produce weapons to shoot into Southern Israel. Not quite the prophesy engraved on the Isaiah Wall near the UN to turn swords into plowshares.
Let us refer to the book of Joshua and Judges. Here we find the narrative of the Israelites conquering the Promised Land. There is a sad and recurring story in the book of Judges. Unfortunately it is not fiction. It is a true story. G-d commands the Israelites to conquer the Land and the Canaanite Nations and all those that do not accept Israeli's Sovereignty and the 7 Noahide Laws were to be driven from the Land along with their idol worship and places of worship. The idol worshipers loved the horrible ceremonies, such as sacrificing children to the gods. (One can see much parallels to todays society to use Palestinian children as human shields and educate them to glorify Shahidism. It is consistent with this pagan philosophy to name schools after suicide martyrs. Go to PMW (Palestinian Media Watch )website to listen to Palestinian School Children singing patriotically and being trained to be shahid. Watch their version of Sesame STreet.
Going back to the Biblical Narrative in Joshua, the Canaanite nations did not choose to make peace and accept the 7 Noahide laws nor did they have any intention of leaving the beautiful land. According to the Little Midrash Says by Rabbi Moshe Weissman based on Midrashic sources (page 63), the only one of the seven nations that decided to move away from Eretz Canaan was the Girgashi. They all went to Africa. Hashem gave them a beautiful, new land in Africa as a reward for their leaving. In addition, the Givonim saw what happened to Sichon and Og and tricked the Israelites and pretended they wished to convert. They too were spared. The rest chose to fight.
When Joshua was 110 he gives his first speech. He assembled the Judges of the Sanhedrin, the Nesiim (leaders of the tribes) and as well as all of the Nation of Israel. He warns them. "You must continue to to drive away those Nations. Hashem will help you as He did until now. But if you begin to become friendly, with those nations, they will after a while teach you their evil ways and their idol worship. If you say "on the contrary, they will learn from US how to serve Hashem! Joshua answers that this is a mistaken idea. These nations will hurt and damage you like thorns that prick your body and eyes. In his last speech Joshua warns them again.
In the Book of Judges, the Tribe of Yehuda fights additional battles. They make a grave mistake by allowing Canaanites to stay in their portion. After conquering a mountain on their part of the land they began to attack the Canaanim who lived in the valley below. To their dismay they discovered that those Canaanites possessed iron chariots. In those times, iron chariots were the equivalent of modern powerful tanks or airplanes. (p13 Shoftim Littlel Midrash Says) The men of Yehudah had no iron chariots, They said, "it is useless for us to fight against an army that has iron chariots! We will all, G-d forbid be killed.
They lacked the proper trust in Hashem. Because of this, a number of Canaanim survived and remained in Shevet Yehuda's portion of the land. This was a serious sin. The men of shevet Yehuda transgressed Hashem's command to kill (or drive out) all the seven nations living in Eretz Canaan. This scenario of the Israelites falling spiritually has a direct correlation with their inability to drive out the Canaanite nations.
As soon as the Israelites began serving idols as a result from their association with the Idol Worshipers, they fell into the enemy's hand and in the face of disaster, Hashem who is forever merciful sends 12 great Judges to lead the people and lead them back to righteousness.
According to the Little Midrash Says: based on Midrashic sources, The Jews had several choices:
1. To drive them out of the land. or
2. To use them as servants, in which case the Canaanim would pay taxes and keep the seven Noahide Laws or:
3. if the Nations would not agree to either of the above choices, Bnai Yisrael had to destroy them completely.
Hashem commanded the Bnei Yisroel in the desert "Do not allow any of the seven nations to remain free men in Eretz Canaan?". What was the reason for this commandment?
These nations worshiped idols as mentioned before and had bad character traits like in the wicked city of Sdom who robbed and abused the poor.
it any wonder that the Palestinian refugees are still living in such horrid conditions after all these years.
They are trained to be wicked.
Here are some examples: What happens to naive Peace activists women as they enter Arab camps and villages fighting for Palestinian Rights? What happens to Jewish women that foolishly agree to a relationship with ARabs and are then are trapped in Arab Villages and need secretive operations to free them. What is the Sharia law regarding Palestinian women who do not submit to their husbands? Why are Palestinian children trained to be martyrs and suicide bombers. Why are they are trained to lie to the "infidels"?.
My suggestion to Jonathan is as follows:
Stop being so apologetic and demand some public answers from the State Department. Jonathan, you are and were the one that deserves an apology and you deserve recognition that what you did was an act of self sacrifice on the highest order for Israel and for World Peace.
Let us listen carefully and learn from Faisal Shahzad the Times Sq. bomber's rant as he gets life. "WHY I WANT TO KILL YOU." (headline New York Post front page Wednesday October 6th 2010. He is not apologetic. He believes in his cause and is not afraid of the consequences since he trusts in Allah. He believes Islam will take over America. Sharia Law will rule.
If we are compassionate to him and others like him, G-d says, he will do to us what we should have done to him.
So you argue, this proves our point. We have a higher moral standard and we will not stoop to his level.
But G-d in the Torah says that the higher moral standard is precisely to stoop to his level because if not, he will do to us G-d forbid what we should have done to him. We are not allowed to be compassionate and for sure not allow him luxuries in jail together with others that share in this ideologically based hatred against the West and against Israel. Islam knows that American and Israeli prisons have been the best breeding ground for terrorist training.
Why not let him and others like him be in isolation like Jonathan Pollard was? OTherwise, I shudder of what Faisal Shahzad could plot at the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colo. which is also home to such terrorists as failed shoe bomber Richard Reid, Sept. 11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoul and Ramzi Yousef, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center Bomb attack.
From: TED BELMAN <tedbel1@israpundit.com>
To:
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 10:47:00 -0400
Subject: CLEMENCY FOR JONATHAN POLLARD
Jonathan Pollard -- New Initiative by NCYI and Agudas Yisrael
Congressmen Request Clemency for Jonathan Pollard
Memo from Rabbi Pesach Lerner
October 4, 2010, 26 Tishrei 5771
Please take note of the initiative by Congressmen Frank, Weiner, Pascrell and Towns as well as a letter of support from the Conference of Presidents
Please peruse the releases and information that is contained in my email. There is a letter currently circulating in Congress in support of Jonathan Pollard.
It is important that we encourage as many Congresspersons as possible to sign onto the letter. Please call your Congressperson and encourage your congregants and associates to call their Congresspersons.
If they have any questions, ask them to contact Congressman Barney Franks's office.
Your phone calls can make an important difference.
Thank You
Kol Toov
PL
Sent: Mon, October 4, 2010 8:09:48 PM
Subject: Jonathan Pollard -- New InitiativeAs you will see below, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts, together with
Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York, Congressman Ed Towns of New York and
Congressman Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, are taking the lead in sending a letter
to President Obama asking the President to grant clemency to Jonathan Pollard.
Congressman Frank has circulated among other members of Congress a "Dear
Colleague" letter asking them to add their signatures to the letter to President
Obama. The goal is to present the letter to the President within the next two
weeks.
Agudas Yisroel of America, under the direction of the Moetzes
Gedolei HaTorah, has long been involved in efforts to secure Pollard's release.
A letter signed by many Congressmembers could have a powerful impact in helping
make this happen, be'H. We are therefore asking our lay leaders and regional
directors from across the country to reach out to their local Congressmembers to
ask them to sign on to the Frank letter. Time is of the essence, so please do
what you can as soon as you can.
Tizku l'mitzvos!
David Zwiebel, Esq.
Executive Vice President
Agudath Israel of America
42 Broadway
New York, NY 10004
Tel: 212-797-7385; 212-797-9000, ext. 210
Fax: 646-254-1600
dzwiebel@agudathisrael.org
* * * * * * *
* * * *
Office of Congressman Barney Frank
Press Release
Thursday, September 23, 2010
FRANK AND COLLEAGUES ANNOUNCE THEY ARE SOLICITING SIGNATURES FOR A LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA REQUESTING CLEMENCY FOR JONATHAN POLLARD
WASHINGTON -- Congressman Barney Frank, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Congressman
Edolphus Towns and Congressman Anthony Weiner announced today that they are
circulating a letter in the House of Representatives, seeking other Members to
join them in asking President Obama to extend clemency to Jonathan Pollard, the
former civilian defense officer who is serving a life sentence for passing
classified information to Israel.
The letter notes that they are not questioning Mr. Pollard's guilt, the process
by which he was convicted and sentenced, nor the necessity of punishing those
who engage in espionage on behalf of allied countries. Rather, the appeal for
clemency is based on the vast disparity between Mr. Pollard's sentence and the
sentences given to many others who have been convicted of similar activities,
even with countries that unlike Israel are or have been adversaries of the
United States.
The letter also notes the positive impact that a grant of clemency would have in
Israel, as a strong indication of the goodwill of our nation towards Israel and
the Israeli people. This would be particularly helpful at a time when the
Israeli nation faces difficult decisions in its long-standing effort to secure
peace with its neighbors.
The letter will be circulated in Congress for a period of time, and then sent to
President Obama, most likely by the middle of October.
Urge President Obama To Extend Clemency To Jonathan Pollard
From: The Honorable Barney Frank
Sent By: markus.rose@mail.house.gov
Date: 9/28/2010
Twenty-five years is enough.
Dear Colleague,
We invite you to join us in sending the following letter to President Obama, asking him to extend clemency to Jonathan Pollard, the former civilian defense officer who has been incarcerated since 1985 and is serving a life sentence for passing classified information to Israel.
The letter stresses that we are not questioning Mr. Pollard's guilt, or the process by which he was convicted and sentenced, or the necessity of punishing those who engage in espionage on behalf of allied countries. Rather, the appeal for clemency is based on the vast disparity between Mr. Pollard's sentence and the sentences given to many others who have been convicted of similar activities, even with countries that unlike Israel are or have been adversaries of the United States.
We also note the positive impact that a grant of clemency would have in Israel, as a strong indication of the goodwill of our nation towards Israel and the Israeli people. This would be particularly helpful at a time when the Israeli nation faces difficult decisions in its long-standing effort to secure peace with its neighbors.
If you wish to sign, or have any further questions, please contact Markus Rose with Congressman Frank at markus.rose@mail.house.gov
________________________________ _______________________________
BARNEY FRANK BILL PASCRELL, JR.
United StatesHouse of Representatives United States House of
Representatives
________________________________ _______________________________
EDOLPHUS TOWNS ANTHONY WEINER
United StatesHouse of Representatives United States House of
Representatives
October xx, 2010
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We write to urge you to use your constitutional power to extend clemency to
Jonathan Pollard, thereby releasing him from prison after the time he has
already served. As you know, such an exercise of the clemency power does not in
any way imply doubt about his guilt, nor cast any aspersions on the process by
which he was convicted. Those who have such views are of course entitled to
continue to have them, but the clemency grant has nothing to do with that.
We believe that there has been a great disparity from the standpoint of justice
between the amount of time Mr. Pollard has served and the time that has been
served – or not served at all – by many others who were found guilty of similar
activity on behalf of nations adversarial to us, unlike Israel.
Recently, we allowed a large number of Russians, who had been spying on us for
the country that had long been our major adversary, to leave with no punishment
whatsoever. This makes it very hard for many to understand why Mr. Pollard
should continue to serve beyond the nearly twenty-five years he has already been
in prison. We agree that it is important that we establish the principle that
espionage of any sort is impermissible, but it is indisputable in our view that
the nearly twenty-five years that Mr. Pollard has served stands as a sufficient
time from the standpoint of either punishment or deterrence.
We further believe that at a time when Israel, our democratic ally, is being
faced with difficult decisions, a decision by you to grant clemency would not
only be a humane act regarding Mr. Pollard, but it would also be taken in Israel
as a further affirmation of the strong commitment the U.S. has to the ties
between us, and we believe that such an affirmation could be especially useful
at a time when those decisions are being made.
In summary, we see clemency for Mr. Pollard as an act of compassion justified by
the way others have been treated by our justice system; as an act that will do
nothing whatsoever to lessen our defenses against espionage; and a step that far
from hurting the national security, could advance it by the impact it would have
within Israel. We urge you to use the clemency power in this case.
Ted Belman
Jerusalem, Israel
972 (0)54 441 3252
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This email is L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) a great activist and lover of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichrono Baruch.
