Pollard to Sderot: Praying for your success
Yaara Maitliss - Arutz7 Hebrew News - February 15, 2008
[Translated to English by J4JP]
Esther Pollard, wife of Jonathan Pollard, the longest-held Israeli captive languishing in an American prison, published an inspiring letter about two years ago from her husband to the beleaguered people of Sderot under bombardment, in which he calls upon the Government of Israel to stop the abandonment before there are casualties. What is most amazing, his words are so prescient that it seems as if the letter had been written today.
Pollard opens his letter with these words, "To the Dear People of Sderot, HaShalom v'habracha! Although it is no simple matter for me in my current circumstances, I feel compelled to get a message of encouragement and support out to you. Five years ago, (YM: that is now 7 years ago) I concluded a letter to former Prime Minster Ariel Sharon with the following statement: "Recent events in Israel demonstrate that you have an uncanny ability to tolerate the agony of our people at this excruciating time in our history. Be aware that this ability to block out their cries and ignore their suffering is no more than an extension of your ability to tolerate the agony of one Israeli agent. After all, 5 million is just 5 million multiplied by one."
"In truth, when I wrote these words I would never have imagined how absolutely accurate they would be today. At that time, absolutely no one ever imagined, even in their worst nightmares, that the situation of Am Yisrael would degenerate to the extent that it has. Please know, Dear People of Sderot, that in your determination to put an end to the abandonment of your city to terror, you are fighting not only for the people of Sderot, but also for the State and for the Nation at large," Pollard adds in his letter.
Pollard continues his message to the residents and writes, "A government which allows your lives to be jeopardized daily by on-going missile attacks is a government which is capable of abandoning every single citizen without exception. If at one time there were those who believed that the victims of government abandonment were limited to certain select individuals or groups that could be ignored, such as: the MIAs, Mudhat Yosef, the SLA army, the collaborators, or old folks and sick people, today it is clear that the policy of government abandonment puts every Israeli citizen at risk! We must restore the ideal of "Arevut Hadadit" (mutual responsibility) to our national consciousness! All for one and one for all!"
Pollard concludes with a request, "I wish I could be with you in person at this time to demonstrate with you in Sderot. Since I am prevented from doing so, I am sending my dear wife, Esther, to you to bring you this letter and this message. I call upon all The People of Israel: Stand up for your bothers, the People of Sderot! If not for their sake, then for your own!"
Pollard signs off with the words, "Much the same way that no one could imagine just a few short years ago that cities in Israel would be blowing up and the world would not come to a stand-still over it, today no one can imagine just how bad things may get if we do not wake up, and do what needs to be done now. I pray for your success and for a speedy recovery for those who have been injured. I urge you not to despair, for ultimately justice and truth must prevail! With love of Israel, Jonathan Pollard."