New York – Jewish Paranoia and Jonathan Pollard

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    Esther Pollard, left, wife of imprisoned Jonathan Pollard, holds a picture of him during a protest in Jerusalem, demanding his release, Monday Jan. 7, 2008New York – You have to be way over the top with Jewish paranoia to believe that George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are anti-Semites or haters of Israel, that they acted out of such motives in the White House. I think any reasonable person, Jew or gentile, has to agree that neither Bush nor Clinton would have treated any Jew unfairly because he wanted to punish American Jewry or the State of Israel.

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    If people want to second-guess how Bush and Clinton dealt with any “Jewish issue,” these two ex-presidents deserve at least that much benefit of the doubt. With complete certainty, we can say that for at least the last 16 years, the US was led by presidents who were neither anti-Semitic nor anti-Israel.

    So the question is: Why is Jonathan Pollard still in prison?

    The answer is one that neither Israelis nor members of the American Jewish community are willing to accept, at least not publicly: He’s in prison for a good reason. What that reason is, I don’t know. The few people who do know aren’t saying. But there must be some substantive cause – presumably having to do with US national security – that’s kept him in prison since 1985. If there wasn’t, if he really was a victim of injustice who should have served a much, much shorter sentence as his legions of defenders insist, then he would have been free a long time ago. President Bill Clinton would have seen to it, and if Clinton hadn’t, then President George W. Bush would have.

    BUT THEY didn’t. Over the course of 16 years, Clinton and Bush refused to pardon Pollard for espionage. If their reason didn’t have to do with national security, then it could only have had to do with anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment, and since you have to be a truly raging Jewish paranoid to believe the latter, the only reasonable conclusion is the former.

    Yet the whole campaign for Pollard’s freedom, which is supported by all of Israel and organized American Jewry, is based on the explicit or implicit notion that he’s been kept behind bars this long because of powerful forces in the US that want to punish American Jewry or Israel. Forces so powerful that they could even dictate the decisions of presidents as friendly to Israel as Clinton and Bush.

    The campaign for Pollard allows no other conclusion: Since he received a life sentence for spying on behalf of a US ally when spies for America’s enemies have gotten off with a few years or even less, what else could be behind it except anti-Semitism or hostility to Israel?

    “It raises concern about why a Jew who spies for Israel is treated far more harshly than those who have spied for other allies, or even enemies, of the US,” wrote Pollard’s wife Esther, in The Jerusalem Post this week. She compared her husband to Dreyfuss – “a Jew serving time for crimes he did not commit.” Esther Pollard doesn’t have to use the term “anti-Semitism;” it’s clear enough what she means.

    I’m sorry, this is ridiculous. But this is what Israel and organized American Jewry are saying, explicitly or implicitly, in the campaign for Jonathan Pollard’s release, because there is no other explanation why he’s still in prison except anti-Semitism, unless it’s to protect US national security. But if Israel and organized American Jewry accepted that Pollard was still in prison because of US security concerns, they could not go on calling for his release. The message of their campaign is that to a meaningful extent, the US is controlled by forces hostile to American Jewry and Israel.

    MY POINT is not that we shouldn’t feel sorry for Pollard. We should. He’s not a murderer, he’s not a rapist, and I’m fully convinced that he didn’t pass secrets to Israel because he wanted to hurt the US, but rather because he wanted to help Israel. Also, I think, because of the money he was getting and because the Israelis made him feel important, but still, 23 years in prison seems to be more than enough punishment for giving classified information to an American ally. Which is why I’m convinced Pollard is still in prison not for the sake of punishment, but for the sake of prevention – prevention of further harm to US national security that, in Washington’s view, would likely occur if he were released.

    I don’t know what potential harm they’re worried about. But it had to have been something serious to cause then-CIA director George Tenet to threaten resignation in 1998 if Clinton gave Pollard clemency. It had to have been serious for seven former US secretaries of defense and 60 US senators – including Joseph Lieberman – to urge Clinton against a pardon. It had to have been serious to keep George W. Bush from freeing Pollard before leaving the White House a month ago.

    A dislike for Jews or for Israel wasn’t it.

    “There are details of his case that have always made his release problematic, and that’s all I’m going to say about it,” said Elliott Abrams, a very staunchly Jewish, pro-Israel, Republican foreign policy official, in an interview with The Post’s Ruthie Blum Leibowitz last week. Could the problem Abrams was alluding to have been anti-Semitism high up in Washington? I don’t think so. If Elliott Abrams says there’s a problem about letting a convicted spy out of a US prison, I think he means a real problem, a substantive, serious problem for his country.

    I think many Israelis and a tremendous number of American Jews who’ve lent their names to the Pollard campaign realize, even if only subconsciously, that the US wouldn’t keep Pollard in jail if it didn’t have a very good reason, one that has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. But they lend their names to this campaign because in the Jewish world, the Pollard issue is like motherhood and apple pie. Demanding his release shows you’re a good Jew, you’re for Jewish solidarity, you have a good Jewish heart. In our world, signing your name on a petition to free Pollard is about as politically correct as you can get.

    There are a couple of problems with this campaign, though. One is that it’s kind of dumb – how can you demand somebody’s release when you don’t know the real reason he’s in jail? But worse, the campaign promotes the idea of America, all the way up to the White House, being at least partly controlled by Jew-haters and Israel-haters. This is a message that slanders America and makes lots of Jews even more paranoid than they already are.

    If and when Pollard’s release from prison does not endanger US national security, I hope he goes free – and I’m sure he will. Until then, I feel safe in assuming that whatever the precise reason behind his imprisonment, it is not unjust. By now, I’d say the US is entitled to at least that much benefit of the doubt from any Jew anywhere.


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    41 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Loyal Americans and yiddim with any degree of common sense don’t subscribe to any of these conspiracy theories regarding the reason for long-term imprisonment. We’ve heard all the stories about secret understandings with the judge, how the Sec. of Defense lied to the court in a secret affidavit, etc. All of these stories have been vetted and shown to be untrue. Time to move on.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Clinton I don’t know if he wasn’t an anti semite its debatable but Bush definitely wasn’t a anti semite

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    well written and something we have realized for a long time. wonder what it could be that he is such a danger to pardon.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    ITS ABOUT TIMe! KOL HAKAVOD FOR SAYING IT LIKE IT IS. BUSH AND CLINTON BOTH HAD ISRAELS BEST INTERESTS AT HEART AND POLLARD IS IN JAIL FOR GOOD REASON

    Biggest Fish
    Biggest Fish
    15 years ago

    About time that someone said this. I just cannot stand the lies that are spread by the Pollard camp. Bottom line, Pollard is in jail for a good reason and there are alot of good theories out there as to why. The Yeshiva World does not need to spam everybody to write to the White House to release pollard. If Bush didn’t release him, who would?

    knowitall
    knowitall
    15 years ago

    pollard is being held as a baragaining chip in final peace negotiations.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    fact is he did somethng wrong and ilegal. and he is paying tje price for what he did. both presidents mentioned stood behind israel heliping in any way they can. if they wanted they could have pardonded him but there is a reason why they haven’t and its not because of him being jewish. its sad that he is in jail and we don’t like seeing a jewish in this postion but nothing can b said because he did commit a crime and was charged for that crime and that crime only.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    author postulates that if he hasnt been released its because the crime is of such magnitude that he simply belongs where he is.
    at the same time he suggests that we stop having feelings of sympathy for him and his cause, since enough is enough and lets move on.

    i disagree and there are many reasons for doing so.
    one is the amount of work gobne into researching the facts with people who are in the position to know and the revelations made to many( including, schumer, weiner, lieberman, mccain) have all commented that there is no risk in releasing him.
    two- the comparitive sentence aspect others like the russian spy who due to him many cia operatives were killed, got a lesser sentence (aldrich).
    three- if in fact he deserves what he has gotten why should we not have sympathy and try to help out, have you been perfect your whole life, no one ever helped you after that?
    four you talk by ignoring knowledge and facts and attitudes of departments involved like justice and defense security and state among others, do you know that state dislikes the state of israel.
    so to say forget about pollard and move on…. i say to you better not to be involved than to be an impediment. find something else to get paid for instead of writing rubbish, and tabloid material.

    you have poor moral ethical and humane values, and i pity you for that.

    Honestlyfrum
    Honestlyfrum
    15 years ago

    Thank you for having the courage to publically say what so many in our community are afraid to. It is laughable to subscribe to the notion that he is being held due to America’s anti Semitism. I think it was downright embarrassing that the only thing we were calling for in President Bush’s last days in office was the release of a convicted spy.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Derfner you are a sorry excuse for a human being.

    You are so far left and anti-Israel I hate considering you as part of the tribe.

    Most readers here have not read your articles in the Jerusalem Post and don’t realize your leanings.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Maybe he’s still in there because he wont release to the USA some info they want fro him about Israel!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    You must daven and do your best to try to get him released as there is a mitzva of pidyon shevuim. However the comments, the theories, and conspiracies are all based on assumptions so there is no reason ý not to feel sympathy for him.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Great article..
    I’ve been trying to knock this point of view into some friends heads, but to no avail…
    All they just say is Anti Semitesim, and refuse to hear the facts.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    i am sorry to say this but the U.S. would have let him go a while ago. It is Israel that is holding him there. Israel does not want Pollard released for whatever reasons. The U.S. could not possibly care less if he was released or not.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    We do know why Pollard is still in prison… The guy got on TV and discussed the terms of his plea bargain — which included not going to the media! He flaunted the plea bargain, and the judiciary did what it always does in such cases, it gave the maximum. That might not be the only reason (recall, his wife was charged with trying to sell secrets to other countries first, including China and South Africa, CBS’s Kurt Loehbeck tells of a long relationship of buying secrets from Pollard and on the other hand, he had access to embarassing info about Iran-Conra), but that’s enough reason for it not to be a mystery.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Hold him as a deterrent against any other tenacious jew who might want to try this.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    what could be such a concern for american security at this time? Dont things change in 23 years? Wouldnt the secrets he knew about bow out to newer and bigger secrets?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    The author of this diatrabe is a self-hating irreligious Jew. It is quite clear that there are many, many people in the government who dislike Jews, and that Jews like Tanenbaum and yes Pollard are subjected to a double standard.

    [If you do not believe there are anti-semites out there, then you believe that the late Irv Rubin, HYD, shackled and surrounded by guards, broke free and somehow climbed up on a railing and tossed himself head first in an act of suicide. You also believe that tooth fairies bring dollars to little boys and girls who put their teeth under their pillows.]

    Presidents rely on a bureacracy to provide them with the pros and cons of a presidential pardon. Therefore, while neither Clinton nor Bush were necessarily anti-semitic, there may have been those in the middle level of the bureaucracy who stymied his pardon.

    In addition, the type of hard-ball that goes on between governments is hard for lay people to understand.

    Pollard is a bargaining chip, and b’derech ha’teva will not be released unless and until the U.S. can extract a high price from the next Israeli government.

    Finally, our gedolim have urged us to do our best to secure the release of Jonathan Pollard. We are obligated to follow their psak in this regard. Pidyon shevuyim is a mitzvah. Listening to the rants of a self-hating leftist, anti-religious writer like Derfner is not.

    Anon
    Anon
    15 years ago

    “We do know why Pollard is still in prison… The guy got on TV and discussed the terms of his plea bargain — which included not going to the media! He flaunted the plea bargain, and the judiciary did what it always does in such cases, it gave the maximum. That might not be the only reason (recall, his wife was charged with trying to sell secrets to other countries first, including China and South Africa, CBS’s Kurt Loehbeck tells of a long relationship of buying secrets from Pollard and on the other hand, he had access to embarassing info about Iran-Conra), but that’s enough reason for it not to be a mystery.”

    And on top of all that, the guy has never even filed for parole. He still thinks he can force a presidential pardon. Fits a certain type.

    Anon
    Anon
    15 years ago

    “Finally, our gedolim have urged us to do our best to secure the release of Jonathan Pollard. We are obligated to follow their psak in this regard. Pidyon shevuyim is a mitzvah. Listening to the rants of a self-hating leftist, anti-religious writer like Derfner is not.”

    Yes. And your gedolim bruach kodshum knew that davka starting this campaign after 20 years in prison was punct the right time and nothing could have been done before. Since they have now revealed this, it is our chiyuv to follow them.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    While I agree that the reason Clinton and Bush have not pardoned or granted clemency to Pollard is not because of their anti-Semitism, I have no doubt that the people upon whom the two presidents relied in receiving information about whether he should be granted clemency were motivated by anti-Semitism. We just recently learned that a Jewish emplolyee of the Defense Department was wrongly accused of spying for Israel.

    The idea that releasing him would endanger national security is absurd. How could his release endanger national security? What could he do to endanger national security if released is released? Spy again? Obviously not since he would not be privy to any national secrets. Are they afraid he will speak out and provide information that will endanger national security? This can’t be the case either, because he could reveal any secrets he might have now by simply telling one of his many visitors of giving them a letter to give to newspapers. Many newspapers would be more than happy to get such a scoop.

    The fact is that there is no national security issue involved in releasing him.

    As for a secret letter to the Judge, there was such a letter written by then Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. This is an acknowledged fact. Although we do not know what was in that letter, later reports indicate that Weinberger believed that Pollard’s secrets got to the Soviet Union (indirectly – it was never believed that he passed secrets to the Soviets). This is becase at the time of the Pollard spying, the identities of US spies in the Soviet Union were “blown” and the Soviets executed them. It was later learned that Ames Aldrich, a CIA agent, revealed to the Soviets the names of the US spies. Significantly, in his book, writen many years after Pollard was convicted and years after Aldrich was uncovered as the spy he was, Weinberger referred to the Pollard spy matter as a minor matter. Similary, George Tenet, former CIA Director has said that Pollard should be released.

    Bush and Clinton have been victims of Defense Dept. and CIA anti-Semites who have convinced them that Pollard should not be released. Even presidents do not have the ability to conduct independent investigations when powerful figures in the very agencies which would conduct the investigations have doctored the evidence. There is no other explanation as to why he has served more time than even the worst spies for the Soviet Union.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I don’t understand how anyone can be convinced he passed secrets to Israel in order to “help” Israel. He also passed secrets to South Africa and tried to pass secrets to Pakistan. Was his goal to help them to?

    As others have said, Pollard is elligible for parole, but hasn’t applied. He wasnts a pardon for some reason. A pardon means he retroactively no longer committed the crime (so for instance, any benefit he achieved from comitting that crime is available to him). On the othe rhand, if he is paroled or his sentence is commuted, he is still convicted of the crime and any benefits of the crime are forbidden to him.