Great Neck community activist Dr. Paul Brody spent 14 continuous years advocating for the release of Jonathan Pollard, an American former intelligence analyst jailed for spying for Israel. The bulk of these efforts stemmed from Dr. Brody’s work as Chairperson of the Israel Day Concert in Central Park annually each June, where together with his wife Drora they made tremendous impact. Dr. Brody had a long-overdue sit-down with former inmate number 09185-016 who was incarcerated on November 21, 1985, and sentenced to life in prison on March 4, 1987.
In 2004, Dr. Brody was the first Anglo to visit Ateret Cohanim’s “Beit Yonatan” near Yerushalayim in the Silwan (Yemenite Village), dedicated to Pollard’s heroism and selflessness for the Jewish People, in the capacity of an Executive Council Member.
“It is clear that the galut is closing down,” stated Pollard at the emotional January 18 meeting held at Yerushalayim’s Inbal Hotel. Originally scheduled as a 15-minute chat, the encounter lasted two solid hours! “It is time for the Jewish people to return to their Homeland before it is too late!” concluded Pollard, who was released on November 20, 2015, per the federal guidelines that existed at the time of his sentencing.
On December 30, 2020, Pollard and his second wife Esther, who subsequently passed away from cancer, made aliyah. In 2022, Pollard wed Rivka Abrahams-Donin, a shidduch of his ailing wife as she aimed to ensure a lifetime of happiness for her husband.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
Photo credits Daniel Luria, Executive Director, Ateret Cohanim
