Pollard Update: Ron Arad, Knesset, Rally

Arutz7 News - November 11, 2003

One of those who is strongly against the Tenenbaum-Dirani hostage deal is Jonathan Pollard. His wife Esther reports that in a recurrent nightmare of his lately, he sees a "living sea of murderers and terrorists pouring out of Israeli prisons, [with] guns, knives, swords, grenades and every sort of weaponry in their hands. They are led by two men in robes and keffiyahs. The leaders are laughing cruelly [as] the mob screams bloodcurdling epithets against the Jews."

The description of the dream continues: "Through the black mist, Jonathan can see Ron Arad in his prison cell. Ron is sitting in a wheelchair, his head down in utter dejection. Jonathan is terrified. He senses that Ron is dying of heartbreak. Jonathan calls out to him, but Ron does not react. Jonathan starts to shout; still no reaction. Jonathan begins to scream louder and louder and waves his arms desperately trying to get Arad's attention. But Ron never gives any indication that he is aware of Jonathan. This only makes Jonathan more frantic, and he keeps screaming and screaming from the depths of his soul, 'Ron! Ron!' Ron never moves, never picks up his head, never gives any sign that he is aware of anyone else. Jonathan shouts louder and louder and his voice is getting hoarse, but Ron just slumps lower and lower in his wheelchair and his strength appears to be ebbing out of his body."

Pollard himself told his wife after the latest dream, "This is killing me. I know how he feels. I know how he feels, and there is nothing I can do to help him."

The Justice for Jonathan Pollard organization, after the Cabinet approved the release of 400 terrorists in exchange for Tenenbaum and three corpses, issued a statement mocking the government for not having secured the release of Pollard or Arad, yet deciding on a "wholesale release of murderers and terrorists... on the flimsiest of pretexts, claiming it is acting on the holy commandment of redeeming captives!" The organization stated, "Freeing murderers and terrorists en masse is not [the fulfillment of] redeeming captives! It is an obscenity!"

Yesterday, Pollard's name was read aloud in the Knesset plenum, together with the names of the other Israeli MIAs and captives whose return Israel seeks. The initiative to read the names every Monday afternoon was that of Likud MK Ruchama Avraham, but her omission of Pollard's name last week caused much consternation among Pollard's supporters.

A three-part prayer rally/march/demonstration on behalf of Pollard and against the lack of action by American Jewry and the Israeli government for his release will be held in Jerusalem this Sunday. It will begin with public prayers at 4:00 PM at the Western Wall, led by Rishon LeTzion Rabbi Mordecai Eliyahu, on behalf of Pollard and all of Israel's MIAs and captives. At 5:45 PM, the participants are scheduled to march from the Wall to Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center, if the police allow. The demonstration will begin at 7:00 outside Binyanei HaUmah (across from the bus station), where the General Assembly of the United Jewish Congress will be meeting. "We will let the American Jews of Silence know that enough is enough," organizers say. "It is time to end their service of the Mafkir Assurim [the betrayer of captives] and to start to serve the Matir Assurim [He Who releases captives]."