In recent days, Jewish-American organizations have turned to US President Donald Trump, asking him to lift the parole restrictions imposed on former American-Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard to let him adequately care for his wife, Esther, who is suffering from advanced metastatic cancer that has spread to her bones.
In separate letters dispatched by the Orthodox Union, Agudath Yisrael and the Coalition for Jewish Values, the organizations note the harsh terms of Pollard's parole upon his release from prison four years ago, which restrict his ability to provide his wife the medical care she badly needs.
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Rabbi David Zwiebel, the executive vice president of Agudath Israel, said in his letter to Trump: "We now plead on humanitarian grounds for the commutation of his sentence and the termination of his parole."
He added: "In order to simply accompany his wife to her doctor 's 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 wrote the American president that the parole conditions preventing Pollard from leaving his home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. would prevent him from being able to assist his wife in the event of an emergency.
"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," Bane wrote. "And if, G-d forbid, she needs emergency medical care during that time, Mr. Pollard cannot go to the hospital with her.
"We respectfully request your intervention and ask that you bestow upon Mr. Pollard and his wife the compassion and mercy they so badly need at this time by granting Mr. Pollard his full freedom," Bane added.
Rabbi Pesach Lerner, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, wrote: "Jonathan Pollard was a model prisoner and has been a model parolee. 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.
"We call upon all relevant officials, including the President himself, to find an appropriate legal mechanism to immediately grant Mr. Pollard his freedom after 30 years behind bars and nearly four years of parole with harsh conditions."
Pollard was arrested in 1985 and eventually struck a plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to spying for Israel while working as a US Navy intelligence analyst. He received Israeli citizenship while in prison in 1995.
Pollard, 62, was paroled in November 2015 after serving 30 years and currently lives in New York City. Under the strict conditions of his parole, he must remain in the United States for five years, wear an electronic bracelet and submit to monitoring of his work computer and other devices he uses despite not being exposed to classified material during his 30-year incarceration. He is also barred from speaking to the press.
