Miami Beach Joins LA and NY City Resolution for Pollard

Pollard Marchers Hailed in N. Y. Parade for Israel

The Jewish Western Bulletin [Vancouver BC] - May 20, 1993

Prominent among thousands of marchers in the Salute to Israel parade along New York's Fifth Avenue on Lag B'Omer were contingents from the city's Jewish schools bearing aloft placards urging freedom for Jonathan Pollard.

Wherever the banner-bearing groups of youth doing precision marching were sighted all along the route, people spontaneously singled them out with clapping. Ramaz High School's placard was chanted aloud by those lining the route: "Free Jonathan Pollard Now".

At the-same time the city commission of Miami Beach joined the city councils of Los Angeles and New York (See JWB May 13) in voting a unanimous resolution urging President Clinton to review Pollard's sentence and to consider commuting it to time served.

"Any government purpose for incarcerating Pollard has already been served by his past seven years in prison," the motion stated.

Meanwhile, New York State assemblyman Sam Colman has requested a meeting with U.S. President Bill Clinton to hand-deliver a letter signed by over 50 N.Y. state legislators urging commutation of Pollard's life sentence.

"Members of the New York State Legislature feel that Mr. Pollard's sentence was unduly harsh and severe when compared to others convicted of the same or similar crimes," Colman, a Democrat, said in a letter to the White House. "I believe that President Clinton's compassion and concern for fairness will ensure that he will listen to our request and weigh the evidence and information fairly."

Colman said other Legislatures and other county leaders have expressed interest in joining him to meet the president on behalf of Pollard


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