Micky Wasserteil, chairman and founder of Yad Tamar, which provides assistance to families of cancer patients and who was part of the team of lobbyists set up by former Minister Uri Ariel who volunteered over the years to work for the release of Jonathan Pollard, responded to reports about the possibility of Pollard joining politics after he arrived in Israel early this morning.
"Jonathan and Esther by his side went through 30 years of hell in which Jonathan spent time in the toughest prisons in the United States with inmates from the bottom of the human sewer, which included many years in complete isolation and then another five years under very rigid restrictions. Nevertheless, there are still opposing factors in the US administration and certainly in the CIA. There is a strong opposition to Pollard's release, and worse, there are very many Jews in the United States who emphasize that he should not have been released," said Wasserteil.
"All these years we acted behind the scenes because the issue was handled with silk gloves with the US administration and Jonathan and Esther have not yet entered their home and there are already rumors of his emergence as a public figure. This will be perceived as the icing on the cake among US Congress officials and there is little chance Jonathan will respond to such requests. And dear Esther also suffers from cancer and the only thing they need at this time is healing for the body and soul.
Wasserteil, who visited Pollard in his cell several times over the years, noted that "the State Department's conduct was cruel and this was reflected in the decision to put him in a 're-education' prison alongside rapists and murderers. At every meeting he had to be careful with the CIA man who was sitting with us listening to every word. Jonathan would beg the government in Israel to help him out. During one of the visits, when I was accompanied by a haredi journalist he asked him: 'Are there times for Torah learning? Jonathan replied cynically:' Yes, in a cell next to me sits a Jew who murdered his daughter and Madoff is in the other cell. So who do you suggest I study with?"
"It is only right to mention my friend Dr. Larry Korb, deputy minister on defense at the time", Wasserteil added, "surely, he was put Johnathan in prison (Dr. Korb estimated that Johnathan would be sentenced for 5-8 years as most of spy as most of the spies do) but eight years ago he expressed an interest to assist the campaign for Johnathan freedom. We have brought him to Israel and at his visit in the Knesset his voice thunder, as he expressed his criticism against the state department, saying enough is enough.
His words made an impression in the state department and from then on things started moving forward in a positive direction and for that president trump is commendable as well'.
"As I spoke today with Dr. Korb on the phone to celebrate the end of the affair, he seemed to be the happiest man alive for the correction of injustice that was done to Johnathan".