From Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington A weekly vigil in support of Alan Gross, in front of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C.

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From Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington A weekly vigil in support of Alan Gross, in front of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C.
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From Sharon J. Castillo/Chlopak Leonard Schechter and Associates Alan Gross and wife Judy in Israel.

From Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington A weekly vigil in support of Alan Gross, in front of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C.

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Alan Gross used to bring a mandolin to services at Am Kolel. Today he has a couple of harmonicas in prison.

Since his incarceration in Cuba two years ago, organizations have rallied around Gross, a former Potomac resident who was sentenced to 15 years for helping a small Jewish community improve Internet access. After 14 months in custody, he was charged with “acts to undermine the integrity and independence” of Cuba.

“It’s tragic that he’s tied up in that system,” said the Rev. Clark Lobenstine, executive director of the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, a group of religious communities dedicated to social and economic justice. The conference has been working to free Gross for about a year and has sponsored vigils in Washington, D.C.

At the time of his arrest, Gross was working on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development program, a federal agency that offers economic and humanitarian assistance. After a two-day trial, he was found guilty of crimes against the Cuban government.

“We don’t think that Alan Gross deserves to be in prison, and we press the Cuban government at every opportunity to encourage them to release him,” State Department spokesman William Ostick said. “Alan Gross’ arrest is a major impediment to any progress in our relationship. We have a difficulty understanding why they did this.”

Gross receives regular visits from the U.S. Consulate, Ostick said. His last visit was Jan. 10.

IncarcerationRabbi David Shneyer has been to Cuba several times in the past decade, most recently in October to see Gross.

Their relationship stretches 30 years, even before Gross joined his Jewish congregation, Am Kolel in Kensington.

The visit was easy to arrange, but he did not get to see his friend’s accommodations. All he knows is that Gross was kept in a small room with two roommates, and has regular access to fresh air and medical attention, he said.

They talked over tea, coffee and pastries in a doctor’s office prepared for the meeting. The emotional visit lasted for about an hour and a half.

“I think everyone has a right to be concerned about his health and well-being,” Shneyer said. “That’s clear.”

Shneyer arrived at the prison complex with gifts, books from the congregation, homemade brittle and bags of fresh fruit from a nearby market. He said he thinks Gross, who lost about 100 pounds since the arrest, received it all.

Who is Alan Gross?

Nothing has been easy since Gross was incarcerated.

He is allowed to speak to his wife, Judy Gross, occasionally. His mother and adult daughter were diagnosed with cancer. With Judy as the sole breadwinner, the family also has faced financial difficulties, Shneyer said.

Judy Gross declined to comment through her spokeswoman, Sharon Castillo.

His former employer, Ted Farber, described Gross as a “bear of a guy” who always is “imposing in some respects, but soft and loving in every respect.”

When Farber started working at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington in 1984, Gross worked under him, raising money for humanitarian causes such as rescuing Jews from the former Soviet Union. He said Gross’ work in Cuba was an extension of his humanitarian interests.

Americans enjoy fast Internet connections, but technology in Cuba is rudimentary at best, said Farber, who has visited the country. He said Cuba is 50 years behind the U.S., except the mail is not as reliable and the telephone service is less dependable.

He is certain Gross’ intent was to give Jews in Cuba the same ability to connect with the world that Americans enjoy.

“The Jewish community,” Farber said, “always needs to be able to communicate with each other.”

Community action His supporters say he is nothing more than a pawn being used by the Cuban government to try and extract concessions from the U.S., such as freeing the “Cuban Five.” Five Cuban agents were convicted in 2001 for spying in the U.S. The first from the group to be released was Rene Gonzalez in October.

“JCRC has drawn an emphatic line in the sand,” said Ronald Halber, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. “We are not going to stop agitating, stop pushing for Alan’s release, until he is on the next plane out of Atlanta. It’s only going to get more and more intense.”

To help further the cause, the council has sent letters to Congress and sponsored weekly vigils in front of the Cuban Interests Section in the District. They are encouraging Pope Benedict XVI to place Gross high on his agenda during a visit to Cuba next month, Halber said.

They also are holding a teach-in on U.S.-Cuban relations today, in cooperation with the Center for Democracy in the Americas. Gross was the stimulus, but Shneyer has been involved in U.S.-Cuban relations for 20 years.

If more Americans understood the complicated history between the U.S. and Cuba, Shneyer believes there would be a better relationship.

He said the U.S. has not respected Cuban sovereignty, pointing to the Bay of Pigs — a failed CIA invasion of Cuba under President John F. Kennedy in 1961. But he said there are serious grievances on both sides, like the 50-year-old Cuban embargo, which is hurting the Cuban people.

“It’s insane that this country, which is 90 miles from Florida, doesn’t have a normal relationship with the United States,” he said. “It is wrong to deny Americans the right to travel freely to Cuba. It’s not right to think that Cuba is a threat to America.”

The teach-in will be held at 7:30 p.m. today at Temple Emanuel in Kensington. There is no charge. Speakers include professor Saul Landau, a documentary filmmaker and fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies, and Phil Brenner, chairman of Latin American affairs at American University. RSVP to info@am-kolel.org or call 301-349-2799.

jablamsky@gazette.net