Alan Gross a Prisoner in Cuba (Part II)
‘Give Us a Reason to Hope’
With Passover about to begin, when we sit around our festive tables to re-experience the first Passover and when we are reminded that Pharaoh hardened his heart before he relented, we will be thinking of Alan Gross and praying for his release.
Alan Gross is incarcerated in a prison Hospital in Cuba, and has been jailed now for a total of twenty eight months. Anyone who has seen his ‘before and after’ photographs experiences the shock of seeing a man who is suffering from this terrible ordeal. Yet, Cuba says ‘we are treating him well.’ Cuba needs to release him now, both for the humanitarian concern we have for him and for the members of his family, and for the reason that his prison sentence makes no sense even for the alleged crimes which Cuba has accused him of committing.
In fact he has not committed any crime at all. Alan Gross went to Cuba to assist the Jewish Community, as part of his work, yes, bringing in some electronic equipment which was never used for anything. The only thing he has done was to bring the electronic devices into the country, and no crime was committed in the use or suggested use of the communication equipment. To those who falsely say that this was not his purpose, we say look at his history. His life has been dedicated to Jewish causes, institutions, and humanitarian concerns here and around the world.
It’s not enough to say he ‘intended’ to use these phones to do some harm to the Cuban Government. Nothing was done to Cuba, yet his sentence is one we would expect for a hardened criminal. Even in Cuban law he received harsh sentencing that the law recommended for an act of ‘subversion of the government.’ In spite of this President Raul Castro told two visiting American Senators recently, ‘Alan Gross is no spy!’
His situation and the situation of his family is serious with regard to family illness, while placing his family in jeopardy as well as their welfare and future security in jeopardy. In spite of this his wife, Judy Gross, continues to be a tireless fighter for the release of her husband. She has met with Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, representatives of Congress, religious leaders, she approved this vigil, and made numerous speeches and appearances in order to bring this injustice to the public’s attention.
Alan was arrested during a period of tension between the United States Government and Cuba. In addition during this time, Israel was in the process of negotiating the release of Gilad Shalit, an Israel soldier kidnapped and held incommunicado since 2006. Israel negotiated a prisoner exchange of 1027 prisoners for the one solder. Alan Gross was not an American soldier or a direct employee of the US Government even though the company he worked for had a contract with the USAID. Is it possible that Cuba thought ‘let’s just pick up this man and we’ll use him to exchange him for Cubans in American jails?’
The following is from a Responsa by Reform
Rabbis:
Both Maimonides and the Shulchan Arukh indicate that we must negotiate with those who take hostages. What can we learn from these teachings that might help us shape an appropriate response to those who would kidnap Jews for any purpose?
The Talmud refers to the redemption of captives (pidyon shevuyim) as a high obligation, greater even than that of tzedakah. Maimonides, expresses the Talmudic law as follows: “The redemption of captives takes precedence over supporting the poor…One who ignores the responsibility to redeem the captive violates the following negative commandments:
`do not harden your heart and do not shut your hand (from your brother in need)’ (Deut. 15:7);
`do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor’ (Lev. 19:16);
`he (the master) shall not rule rigorously over him (the indentured servant)’ (Lev. 25:33).
He similarly annuls a number of positive commandments: `you shall surely open your hand to him’ (Deut. 15:8);
`your brother shall live with you’ (Lev. 25:36); `you shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Lev. 19:18)…
There is no mitzvah as great as the redemption of captives.” The Shulchan Arukh notes: “each instant that one fails to redeem captives when it is possible to do so, it is as though one has shed blood.”
Clearly, we have to do everything in our power to bring Alan Gross home now.
We see that the NY Times got it right when their main editorial said Alan Gross should be released now, and that his sentence is ludicrous in relation to the petty accusations against him. Normally, in almost any country a fine would have been imposed and he would have been released. Approximately 3000 Cuban prisoners are being released in honor of Pope Benedict’s visit to Cuba. Hello! Alan Gross should be released as well. There is a campaign to have Pope Benedict bring this matter to the Castros as well.
Both Rep. Chris Van Hollen and Senator Ben Cardin crafted a letter demanding the release of Alan Gross.
“Alan’s work in Cuba on behalf of USAID was with a peaceful, non-dissident, Jewish community. His work was Humanitarian.” He is not a threat to anyone! He has worked in Asia, Africa, Israel, and the West Bank to develop trade and agriculture.
Alan Gross has a beautiful history of family and humanitarian work. He would continue to be an advocate for good in the world. Let him go now!
Cuba has a good man, a Jewish man in jail. This is a mistake. We will not stop until he is back! Our prayers are with his family, that they be reunited soon, and on the way to healing – physically, emotionally, and spiritually from this nightmare of the last two years.
Let our vigil be a heard as ‘Shlach Et Achi – Let Our Brother Go’ – so that he can continue his work in the world, help his family to heal and to be whole, and so that he can celebrate the Passover with us this year. Give us a reason to hope that he will be home soon so that we can sing as Moses, Miriam and the Children of Israel sang at the Sea – Az Yashir Moshe – “This is my God, and I will Glorify God.”