Yes and no. I understand this is a sensitive issue because he’s a Jew and Israel is involved, but you have to examine the issue here. He was a spy caught committing a crime against the country of his citizenship. Perhaps there’s more to the story than we know. The nature of the information he obtained is apparently what contributed to his receiving a life sentence.
– David Stern, student
No. Bigger spies got a lesser sentence. I believe that because he’s a Jew he was singled out. Caspar Weinberger, the secretary of defense at the time, was anti-Israel and pushed for a life sentence because he had his own agenda. In order for Pollard to be released, we need to elect a president with guts.
– Chaim Klein, retired
No. There’s a double standard. America was trying to set an example with his life sentence. Definitely Pollard’s being Jewish and the country being Israel were factors for his harsh sentence. They should let him out, but they won’t.
– Rubin Elnatanov, barber
No. He spied for Israel, an ally of the U.S. Nobody ever served such a long sentence for giving information to a friendly country. The Israeli media are not focused on his cause, which is perhaps another reason why no matter how many petitions we sign, he will never get out.
Yes. He is an American citizen who betrayed his country. I admit he’s probably serving more than he should because he’s Jewish. As Jews, we obviously want to see one of our own released, but can we ignore the fact that he wasn’t loyal to America, his country of birth?
– Baruch Tolmasov, barber