Anne Henderson Pollard, ex-wife of imprisoned American spy Jonathan Pollard, has been admitted to the Abarbanel psychiatric hospital in Bat Yam, amid contradictory reports about the reason for her hospitalization and her physical and mental state.
According to the deputy director of the institution. Dr. Moshe Zohar, she applied voluntarily for physical and mental treatment on Aug. 8, on the advice of friends. He denied reports that she is being forcibly held in the hospital.
Zohar declined to comment on reports that she would be treated for drug addiction, saying that observations of only a day or two are insufficient to draw any conclusions about a patient’s physical or mental condition.
Pollard, who was divorced from her husband this spring, was paroled in April 1990 after serving 40 months of a five-year jail term in the United States in connection with his espionage activities for Israel.
U.S. authorities permitted her to come to Israel to receive medical treatment for a painful digestive disorder.
Spokespersons for the Public Committee for Jonathan Pollard rejected accusations by Anne Pollard’s father, Bernard Henderson, that his daughter is not being properly looked after in Israel and is now held against her will.
Amnon Dror, a committee member, disputed Henderson’s charge, saying, “If he would only come to Israel, he would see and appreciate the loving care and treatment she is being afforded here.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
