Two leading Orthodox rabbis sent a letter to President Bush urging him to release Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence for spying for Israel. Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv of Jerusalem and Rabbi Aron Leib Schteinman of Bnei Brak, Israel, signed letters in Hebrew and English that were sent to the president two weeks ago through several official White House channels. “We appeal to you as president of the greatest power on earth, the epitome of compassion and generosity, to grant clemency to Mr. Jonathan Pollard, who has been incarcerated for more than 20 years,” the one-sentence letter said. The letter originated with Rabbi Pesach Lerner, executive vice-president of the National Council of Young Israel, who is spearheading a renewed effort to win Pollard’s release. “God wants to give us Pollard,” Lerner told JTA. “He’s just waiting for us to demand him.”
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.
