Text: Gush Etzion Rabbi's New Year Greetings to Jonathan Pollard

J4JPnews - October 24, 2007

Rabbi Gideon Perl
Regional Rabbi & Chief Rabbi
of the Rabbinical Court Gush Etzion
Alon Shvut

Eve of Rosh Hashanah (New Year) 5768

To: Our dear Prisoner of Zion,
Jonathan Pollard
USA

To our dear brother Jonathan, held under lock and key in a foreign country, we extend our blessings from Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion in the land of Judea - on the eve of the upcoming Rosh Hashanah (New Year) of 5768.

We bless you with the strength to endure, and to believe that your sacrifice is a public sacrifice that will atone for the sins of the entire Nation of Israel in our generation. As I have written you in the past, tzadikim (righteous men) who gave their lives on behalf of the Jewish people, merit special honor and holiness, thus they have the strength to atone for and save the Nation of Israel from terrible calamities. That is how I view you and your heroism Jonathan - as one of those special wholly righteous men.

As the High Holidays approach, the days of repentance and mercy, we continue to pray for your speedy release, and that G-d should strengthen you and your heroic spirit. We direct our prayers to G-d in Heaven to rescue you, together with all of the House of Israel.

Unfortunately, there is great evil in our midst and this ordeal is formidable, yet we believe that the People of Israel are strong enough to weather this trial. We hope that our prayers will be accepted by the Lord of the Universe, and that we will see you very soon among us, in our holy land, safe and sound, in body and soul.

We pray that you will be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life, in the special section reserved for the wholly righteous.

On behalf of our community in Gush Etzion,

Gideon Perl
Regional Rabbi of Alon Shvut
Gush Etzion
POB 123
Alon Shvut 94033