Text: Letter by 19 Former Prisoners of Zion to Obama: Free Pollard!

Justice4JPnews - February 20, 2011

February 16, 2011

To the Honorable President of the United States

Dear President Obama:

We, former Soviet Prisoners of Zion, spent many long years in Russian prisons because we fought for the right of Jews to live in their own Jewish Land.

We appeal to you on behalf of a Prisoner of Zion who has been imprisoned in your country for 26 years - Jonathan Pollard. Several top U.S. Government officials who served office during the initial years of Mr. Pollard's arrest and imprisonment have written to you, asking you to grant clemency to Mr. Pollard. They emphasize that Mr. Pollard's prison sentence was unwarranted in its severity, and that he is wasting away in a United States penitentiary without just cause.

The Prime Minister of Israel and the members of the Knesset also appealed to you to grant clemency to Mr. Pollard, who has already suffered greatly for his deeds. All of the people of Israel look to you in the hopeful expectation that you will act in the best tradition of American justice and free Jonathan.

Your silence worries us. We, former Prisoners of Zion in Soviet Russia, know the danger of silence. We know the terrible suffering that comes with each passing day in prison. Therefore, we appeal to you with a heartfelt cry - end this Jewish prisoner's prolonged and terrible ordeal!

You are the only one who can do so. Please, Mr. President, free Pollard now!

May God bless you from Zion.

Respectfully yours,

Former Soviet Prisoners of Zion:

Yosef Mendelevich

Ida Nudel

Yosef Begun

Silva Zalmanson

Dov Shperling

Felix Kochubivsky

Anatoly Altman

Aaron Spilberg

Alex Kholmiansky

David Maayan

Lassal Kaminsky

Lazar Lubarsky

David Mazur

Roald Zelichonok

Alex Halperin

Shimon Shirman

Vladimir Kislik

Shimon Levit

Areje Khanoch