Jonathan Pollard, 71, used to carry a knife with him when he was 11 years old as he was subjected to intense bullying at his school in Galveston, Texas, where he was the only Jew, he told Maariv in segments of an interview published on Thursday.
Pollard explained his father advised him, "If many are against you, kick one so hard that the rest will not return to you."
"I learned to be tough, alert, ready to meet the worst of all," he explained, speaking on the impact the frequent bullying would have on him.
Much of Pollard’s upbringing and family dynamic was shaped by antisemitism, he said. He shared that his father had been rejected from Yale medical school after it was learned he was Jewish, despite his extensive military accomplishments.
As he grew up, Pollard said he dreamed of joining the IDF but was advised by his father to join the US military. Years later, he would interview for the CIA but was rejected over his use of cannabis.
“In California in the 1970s, everyone smoked marijuana, including me and his college friends. I admitted it, I had nothing to hide. And the polygraph man said, 'You should have come a year ago. The new director is very strict about drugs and alcohol,’" he recounted.
In 1979, he joined the Navy's intelligence branch, but kept his Jewish identity a secret. Two years later, he met Anne Henderson. They married three months before he was arrested.
Jonathan Pollard's response to US restricting information to Israel
At work, he was exposed to more and more raw intelligence material. He was assigned to the intelligence exchange team between the United States and Israel. But defense secretary Caspar Weinberger, he claims, instructed the Americans to pull the plug: “Don’t give them anything, and whatever you do give, make sure it isn’t complete.” He was shocked and went to find out what was going on.
The United States, which supported Iraq against Iran, was furious that Israel had bombed Saddam's reactor, he explained. In response, the US cut off Israel's share of intelligence.
Realizing this, Israeli intelligence began to prompt Pollard to share information, he said. They accused him of lying to them.
Eventually, he asked his commander for an explanation on why he was being barred from sharing information and demanded technical information on a Soviet facility in Syria.
Sitting in front of an ashtray with ‘Auschwitz’ written on the front, Pollard described how his former commander told him, “Let the Jews lose a few planes and they'll figure out for themselves how this facility works."
"I left with the feeling that I was lying to my people. I couldn't stand it anymore,” Pollard said, explaining why he shifted to Israeli intelligence.
Pollard connected with Israeli intelligence through intermediaries whom he could not identify. His first meeting was at the Washington Hilton. He was confronted by Colonel (Col.) Aviam Sela (his rank at the time). Col. Sela, a daring pilot who planned the destruction of the reactor in Iraq, was on a study leave in the United States.
Pollard said he made it clear to Sela that he was exposed to information concerning Israel's security but would not spy on the Americans. The pilot sent the message to Israel. It was decided that the Bureau of Scientific Relations (BSR), which is responsible for collecting information in friendly countries, would operate between them.
Despite questioning, Pollard said he refused to provide the names of American spies in Israel, and he began working under the name ‘Danny Cohen.’ When he asked why he was given the name, he was told, "We had Eli Cohen in Damascus, now we will have Danny Cohen in Washington."
Knowing the fate of Eli Cohen, Pollard said he expressed the fear that the name would bring “bad Karma.” Still, he was told, "Don't worry, we'll get you out, we know what will happen to you if you get caught."
"The right side of my brain understood that [I was crossing a red line], but I also remembered my Uncle Alfred's words that I had to sacrifice my life for Israel. The left side of my brain told me: 'Trust Rafi, he promised to rescue you,'" he explained.