Alan Gross, known as “Cuba’s Jewish-American Hostage” was set free from a Cuban prison on December 17, the first day of Chanukah. Many are calling the action a modern-day Chanukah miracle. It certainly was a welcome ending to a horrific ordeal.
Gross, who spent the last five years of his life behind bars in Cuba, appeared frail and almost toothless but happy and upbeat as he spoke at a news conference after his release. Gross began his speech with the holiday greeting “chag sameach” and then offered words of gratitude to all those who were involved in helping him win his newfound freedom.
Gross had been hired by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2009. He was working to improve Internet service to the island with priority to Cuba’s Jewish community when he was arrested.
Apparently, his frequent trips attracted attention and created suspicion in the regime. Cuban officials suspected Gross of being part of a plot to overthrow the government. He was convicted of espionage in 2011 and sentenced to 15 years in prison for “acts against the independence or territorial integrity of the State.”
The results of five years in a Cuban prison were devastating both physically and mentally. Gross lost 100 pounds and the vision in one eye. He developed degenerative arthritis and could barely get around. He is also reported to have suffered from terrible depression.
He went on a hunger strike. He refused visitors. He seemed to have given up.
We go on. We struggle, sometimes for years, sometimes for decades, sometimes longer. We feel we are treading water or even drowning. We lose our faith. We lose our trust. We lose our hope.
How many desperate prisoners of concentration camps threw themselves on the electrified barbed wire a day before the camps were liberated? It seemed there was no end to the misery of their existence. They did not know it was right around the corner.
On the Tuesday night before his release Alan Gross was told in a telephone conversation that he was going home the next day. Gross replied, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” On Wednesday he was on a plane headed for America. He munched on his favorite foods: a bowl of popcorn, a corned beef sandwich, and potato latkes as the aircraft took off. The nightmare was finally was over.
We are told that God’s salvation can come in the blink of an eye. Hang in there. Never give up.