Orthodox Group Uses Jonathan Pollard Case To Push For Criminal Justice Reform
Image by Getty Images
By Josh Nathan-Kazis December 7, 2018
An Orthodox group voiced support for a bipartisan prison reform bill which would ease prison sentencing, and tied the criminal justice reform effort to its ongoing advocacy for former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.
“As the White House seeks to improve the lives of so many through the advancement of comprehensive and compassionate criminal justice legislation, we urge President Trump to take steps to allow that benevolence to apply to Jonathan Pollard as well,” said Farley Weiss, president of the National Council of Young Israel. “After having served three decades in prison due to a highly disproportionate sentence, Jonathan Pollard deserves to have his outrageous parole provisions relaxed and be permitted to travel to Israel.”
Pollard pleaded guilty to spying for Israel in 1987. He was released in 2015, but is barred under the terms of his parole from traveling to Israel.
The National Council of Young Israel has long been one of the most vigorous voices in support of Pollard. Their press release praising President Trump for his support of the prison reform bill, called the First Step Act, mentioned Pollard in its headline.
“YOUNG ISRAEL: PRESIDENT’S SUPPORT FOR ‘FIRST STEP ACT’ IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION,” the headline read. “Reiterates Call for Jonathan Pollard to be Permitted to Travel to Israel.”
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
