he caller was angry and apprehensive at the same time. "Don't
use my name," he said. "If you do I'll never hear the end of it
I've never seen so much rage, so much bitterness between Jews
who presumably all want the same thing."
The caller a top executive of a major American Jewish organization — was
_ about the movement to free Jonathan Jay Pollard, the former naval in
talkin
analyst who since 1987 has been serving a life term for the confessed
crime of spying for Israel. His reluctance to be named is indicative of the skit-
tishness those on both sides of the Pollard question often
have over the issue.
Specifically, the caller was referring to the legacy of bit-
terness among Jews on both sides of the Pollard question.
Now, as President Clinton readies his response to requests
for a commutation of Mr. Pollard's sentence, there are in-
dications that differences within the free-Pollard movement
are hampering its effectiveness.
Some observers of the American Jewish scene say the dif-
ferences are so great that it may cause a movement some-
times characterized by angry rhetoric to implode.
Moreover, even if President Clinton decides in favor of
commutation, it seems clear that the divisions within Amer-
ican Jewish life prompted by the Pollard question will not
heal anytime soon.
In the view of some, the movement to free Mr. Pollard —
who is now at Butner Federal Correctional Institution out-
side Durham, N.C. — represents Jewish life at its com-
passionate best. His family has fought relentlessly to prevent
their imprisoned son from being forgotten and a diverse
community has drawn together to support their concern.
"Wherever the Pollard family has been, they have aroused
the sympathy and understanding of people and produced a
very warm response," said Baltimore's Hannah Storch, a
longtime Pollard supporter.
Dr. Sidney Leitson, president of the Michigan Commit-
tee for the Freedom of Jonathan Pollard, added, "Are we
(supporters) hurting or not hurting Pollard? We're just try-
ing to get him out of jail. Those who are indifferent would
let him rot They want us to keep quiet and hope it (the Pol-
lard situation) will go away. We need to let everyone know
how American justice took a holiday. This is no longer front-
page news; everything has come out. So why keep him in
jail? How could this be hurtful?"
However, others see it very differently. For them, the free-
Pollard movement is an angry, cynical attempt to use Mr.
Pollard to make the point that loyalty to Israel transcends
loyalty to this country or to slam the Jewish "establishment."
In truth, both positions are reflected in the pro-Pollard movement.
"It was not always
clear... how many
people really cared
about (Pollard),
how many used him
as a vehicle."
Abe Foxman
"It was a movement brought together by various ideolo-
gies and needs," said Abe Foxman, executive director of the
Anti-Defamation League. (While ADL has not come to Mr.
Pollard's support, Mr. Foxman has individually sent a let-
ter to President Clinton backing commutation.)
"It was not always clear what role Pollard himself played
in this — how many people really cared about him, how
many used him as a vehicle."
The combination of motives imparted a ferocious ener-
gy to the effort to win Mr. Pollard's release, leading some
106 Jewish federations and community relations councils
and most major national Jewish groups to join the call for
commutation — despite the initial distaste of most Jewish
leaders for the cause.
But it also has galvanized all-out opposition to the free-
ing of Mr. Pollard in the highest echelons of the American
government. In addition, it has created fault lines within
the Jewish community that may contain the seeds of the
movement's ultimate demise. These external and internal
pressures have roiled to the surface in recent weeks.
The external pressures have increased significantly as
the Justice Department finished its recommendations for a
White House that will make a decision on commutation —
which would amount to reducing Mr. Pollard's term to time
served — based on both legal and political considerations.
There is no telling when a decision will be announced.
Meanwhile, internal pressures have produced major new
tremors in recent weeks as two leading New York rabbis
have became embroiled in a damaging public controversy
over the key question of whether Mr. Pollard is, in fact, con-
trite over his admitted legal transgressions.
A Noisy Red Flag
A
s the Justice Department finished its report, ele-
ments of the defense and intelligence communities
launched an all-out attack on Mr. Pollard, leaking
information and skillfully orchestrating news stories and