Pollard Case Same As Dreyfus One

Dr. Oscar Fleishaker - The Jewish Post and Opinion - September 28, 1988

The only thing correct about the Jewish Post editorial (09/14/88) was the title, "Not Helpful to Pollards." The Post and Opinion is certainly are not helpful to them, and as the old saying goes, "if you can't say anything good, why don't you keep quiet?" The fear of American Jewry as expressed in your editorial is a disgrace. The "Pollard affair" is revealing how insecure our American Jews feel in this "free land of America."

It has been said again and again, but no one will listen. Jonathan Pollard did what the United States was supposed to do - keep Israel informed about what the Arab states were up to. The traditional anti-Jewish sentiment in the State Department did not keep its part of the treaty. Jonathan Pollard was in a position to realize that Israel's security was being compromised by virulent Jew haters, Weinberger and Meese. Pollard's actions about poison gas in the Middle East (now well documented by he Iran-Iraq fiasco) and Arab-Soviet plans against Israel, has been vitally important to Israel's security and after Pollard's arrest, the information was finally sent to Israel. In no way was Pollard's actions a threat to the United States and as for Anne Pollard, she was not a spy but an accessory; and your accusation about the Pollards continues the lie.

Weinberger was furious that Israel had been helped and his fury focused in punishing the Pollards, both f them, the confessed spy and his sick wife. Meese helped Weinberger's hatred of Jews in actions against Jonathan Pollard and in separate punishment for Anne that had nothing to do with the conviction.

As the Jewish chaplain in the federal prison where Jonathan Pollard was kept for more than a year prior to his sentencing, I was astounded at the cruelty and hatred expressed to this Jewish prisoner while a few yards away the Walker spy principals were treated as though they were heroes! My testimony is in an affidavit filed with the Justice Department and ignored, but I knew full well from other authorities that the anti-Semitism against Pollard was from Weinberger in Washington through Meese at the Justice Department.

I am ashamed at the responses I received from "leaders" of the American Jewish community when I informed them of what was going on. For more than a year Jonathan Pollard was subjected to pressure to name "other Jewish conspirators" and the pressure has not ceased to date. If Jonathan Pollard would name other Jews "involved", his sentence and treatment would be considerably lighter. I was there.*

*Justice4JP Note: Although Pollard's lawyers brought this particular matter to the attention of the ADL, the organization adamantly refused to investigate it. Even to this date, ADL officials won't go anywhere near the issue.

I know of the hatred and shortly after Pollard was taken from Petersburg, I resigned my position as chaplain in disgust and frustration. The Jewish community and the Jewish press should have screamed aloud at the duplicity of the State Department and the Arab company's employee, Weinberger, at his anti-Israel and anti-Jewish machinations. Instead, they joined him, along with the Jewish Post and Opinion! What is it you're all afraid of? Where is your feeling of outrage at the vicious treatment of a Jewish prisoner that is completely different from how others charged with the same crime and worse are treated?

The American Jewish leaders have failed to ask: Why wasn't the vital information that the United States was required to give Israel made available to Israel? Just what danger did Jonathan Pollard subject the United States to when he gave Israel the information that should have come from the United States? Why was a Jewish spy subjected to far worse punishment than other spies who worked for Russia? Why wasn't Anne Pollard treated as other woman prisoners who need medical care, and why has she been denied the medicines she needs?

Mr. Editor, the Dreyfus case was out-and-out anti-Semitism and you'll realize soon enough that the Pollard case is as violently anti-Jewish as the Dreyfus case was.

In closing, let me state what I told Jonathan Pollard many times: If I was in his place and knew that I could save Israel and the lives of thousands of Jews there, I would have done the same thing he did.

What would you have done?

The writer, Dr. Oscar Fleishaker, is Rabbi of Brith Achim Congregation, Petersburg.