American Jewish Leaders Visit Pollard in Prison

American Jewish leaders  visited convicted spy Jonathan Pollard in jail, and pledged to redouble their efforts to secure clemency for him.

Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Richard Stone and Executive Vice Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein recently visited convicted spy Jonathan Pollard in the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina.

The two American Jewish leaders pledged to redouble their efforts to secure clemency for Pollard. "He has served 27 years, seven of them in solitary confinement," they said in a statement after the visit. "He suffers from multiple serious medical challenges, which we  believe add urgency to the timeliness of his release."

"Mr. Pollard made clear that he does not seek a pardon, recognizing that he committed a crime, but seeks a commutation of his sentence," the statement continues. "Mr. Pollard wants only to be able to build a family and to be a contributing citizen . . . We believe it is overdue that he be allowed to join his wife, who was present at our visit, so that they can live out their lives together."