A Brief Report on Day Two of the Pollard Three-Day Vigil

Justice4JPnews - July 13, 2010

In a welcome development the Jerusalem municipality announced it will dim the lights that illuminate the walls surrounding the Old City tonight (Tuesday evening), as a gesture of solidarity towards Jonathan Pollard, who has been incarcerated in the United States for 9000 days for his activities on behalf of the security of the State of Israel. A message urging President Obama to free Jonathan Pollard will be projected onto Jerusalem city walls.

J4JP is glad to report that today, Day Two of the Three-Day Vigil for Jonathan Pollard there were even more people at the event than yesterday. Again, thousands of people came in from all over the country to show their support for Jonathan Pollard. Again, depending upon the time of day, the crowd ebbed and flowed and continuously renewed itself. While it was not as hot today as yesterday, the temperatures were far from balmy. The newly built Gesher HaMeitarim (Strings Bridge) which has been a controversial landmark until now, finally proved its worth by providing much needed shade and cool breezes for the participants!

Esther Pollard reports greeting people who came from from Kiryat Shemona, from the Negev and from Shderot, among others. She was deeply touched by the care and concern of those who came to participate in the vigil. So many of the youngsters that were there were not even born when Jonathan was arrested for his activities on behalf of the security of the State of Israel.

Esther was delighted to learn from visitors to the site today that organizers of a women's convention who heard her speak at the Gesher HaMeitarim Plaza yesterday took her message to their convention last night and opened the event by saying special prayers for Jonathan and reciting Tehillim. All the women, thousands of them, stood and together recited verse after verse of Tehillim in unison for Jonathan, just storming the Heavens! They reported that it was a very moving experience to be joined in prayer that way for Jonathan.

The best sign of how successful this Pollard event has been can be seen in the report of a major Israeli Daily (online) which declared that "dozens" of people showed up to demonstrate at the Gesher HaMeitarim Plaza. "Dozens"??? The Plaza is huge, but it is hard to mistake thousands of participants for "dozens" unless you have another agenda. Or perhaps the reporter arrived at the Pollard 3-Day Vigil in the middle of the night? We must be doing something right to be drawing the dirty rats out of the woodwork again.

Sincere thanks to Rabbi Shmuel Yaniv who acted as an MC yesterday. Kudos to Rabbi Asher Mivtzari who MCed for us today. Hats off to our speakers and entertainers today, which included public personalities among them.There were singers and speakers and even a a group with a huge portable prison cell and a resident Yosef HaTzadik to entertain the crowd. Songheets and lyrics were distributed so that the crowd could join in.

In the meantime, activity tables dotted the Plaza giving people the opportunity to write postcards to Jonathan, or to be photographed for Jonathan, or to sign in to a special guest book, or to sign up for special activities and programs of the The Committee to Bring Jonathan Pollard Home. These islands of activity are on-going throughout the day.

Tomorrow is Day Three and a wrap-up of the three day event. We hope that everyone who has not had a chance to join us yet will do so tomorrow.

Come to Gesher HaMeitarim Plaza - (you know the bridge at the entrance to Jerusalem that was built for the Pollard 3-Day Demo!)

Esther Pollard will speak at 6 PM tomorrow with a parting message.

Every friend bring a friend.