The Interview with Jonathan Pollard - The Exciting Moment in Journalist's Life Israel today

Israel Kahana, the political correspondent of "Israel Today" conducted an interview with the Jewish spy who marks five years since his release • The two talked about Pollard's abandonment by the Israeli establishment, his years in prison and of course his life today in Israel

I experienced many dramatic moments in my journalistic life.

But such a moment, when in my private and small Subaru, traveling Jonathan and Esther Pollard, the Israeli spy who ran 30 years in prison, and his wife who dedicated her life to him, I could never imagine.

"If it's not a miracle, I do not know what miracles are": Jonathan and Esther Pollard speak (Hebrew) // Photo: Ariel Kahana

On Monday, two weeks ago, for the purpose of filming the article with the couple, we climbed Mount Scopus in Jerusalem.

We were looking for a place with a view, meaning and movement sparse enough, to photograph the two without interruption.

Thus we ascended to the summit overlooking the Judean Desert on one side, and Jerusalem on the other, and the Temple Mount in the center.

Our super-professional Eric Sultan set up the set and captured the images that commemorate Pollard's freedom.

Rose Bedosa, the makeup artist, took care of the perfect look of the Pollards, and also wiped away the tears when they were - and were.

One bus driver recognized the situation and honked for encouragement.

A freezing wind began to blow and urged us all to hurry.

We knew we were taking pictures that would remember the pages of history and we were excited.

The pictures of Jonathan Pollard, as a free man in his country, with his wife, 37 years after he began spying for Israel, 35 years after he was arrested, 5 years after his release, three months after he immigrated to Israel with his wife - all on the eve of Passover, penetrated the press .

When we finished and descended the mountain, I asked Jonathan to say something to the people who would read the interview with him and the surfers of the "Israel Today" website.

And so, with the Temple Mount on his back and his beloved wife by his side, Jonathan chose to talk about the miracle and the faith that had brought him down.

Today, I know that these things reflect the depth of his feelings.

Over the past month, in which Boaz Bismuth, Carolyn Glick and I worked on the interview about Pollard, I got to know him.

He was and remains an extreme patriot of the Jewish people.

Some will say too extreme, for it has crossed the limits of what is permissible.

But this idealism, and only he, was the motive for his actions.

Pollard did not ask for money or other financial consideration for the information he provided.

He did not spy for other countries - if that were the case, we can be sure that the Americans would have blamed him for it.

And in contrast to the fictional stories that were also circulated against him from Israel, it is clear that he was not a drug dealer.

The evidence that in 30 years of imprisonment did not stick to him and did not touch drugs.

In the four encounters with Pollard, and in the countless correspondences with him, he told stories that at first glance seemed detached and illogical.

Not all the stories I could check.

But the ones I did check out over and over again turned out to be correct and authoritative.

For example, who would believe that he was able to fool American intelligence, sell his investigators the cover story that he was a Pakistani spy, thus save his operative Aviam Sela, and do all this without ever being trained as a spy.

Still, both the CIA documents and its chief investigator, Lawrence Korb, confirmed many years after his arrest that this was exactly the case.

Moreover, as far as I know, since the outbreak of the affair 35 years ago Pollard has not been caught lying.

On the contrary.

Many of the things attributed to him by Israeli and American elements over the years have turned out to be plots.

With the publication of Abba Even's report in 2001, it became clear beyond any doubt that the Israeli establishment, from the level of prime ministers and below, had indeed knowingly abandoned Pollard in order to clear himself in front of the Americans. This was also a version of Pollard that was later proven correct. That the report was written in 1987 but the security establishment tried to hide it.

It was the late Rehavam Zeevi (Gandhi) who forced the publication of the report.

"If it's not a miracle, I do not know what miracles are": Jonathan and Esther Pollard speak (English) // Photo: Ariel Kahana

Incidentally, even in the process of preparing for an interview with Pollard, we encountered censorship deletions designed to protect the country and Rafi Eitan, the result of which was damage to Pollard's own good name.

We did not agree to this, and censorship finally got our minds.

When he is 66 years old and a free man, Pollard is determined to start a new life and contribute to society and the people of Israel.

It is to be hoped that from now on, the State of Israel will stop the alienation from it, and will provide it from now on with all the necessary assistance.