Freed Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard to make first public address since release

Jonathan Pollard – the spy who served 30 years in a U.S. prison after admitting providing classified information to the Israeli government – will address Jewish leaders in New York next week in his first public speech since his release. 

Pollard – a former U.S. Navy analyst – was freed last November, having been sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 and is still subject to stringent parole conditions.

The naturalised Israeli citizen, 61, will speak to the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organisations about his ongoing legal battle.

Pollard’s lawyers have asked authorities in New York to relax the terms of the Orthodox Jew’s parole in order to improve his chances of securing employment and allow him to properly keep shabbat.

Currently, Pollard must wear a GPS tracking device and is not permitted to leave U.S. soil, must remain in New York, is banned from entering airports and is subject to a strict curfew and controls on his internet use.

His lawyers scored a small victory against probation officers after they complained his GPS bracelet required charging too frequently – forcing Pollard to use electricity during shabbat.

A parole report from July states Pollard, whose wife Anne served three and half years behind bars for her role in concealing his crimes, “has learned his lesson and does not want to return to prison”.