1954

Spy

While working in Navy intelligence in the 1980s, Jonathan Jay Pollard copied thousands of pages of highly sensitive defense documents for the Israelis. Charged and convicted of espionage, or spying, he is now serving a life sentence.

An aspiring spy

Born in 1954, Pollard was the youngest of three children. His father was a microbiologist at the prestigious Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. His parents, Jewish-Americans and Zionists (supporters of Israel as a homeland for Jews), taught their children to love Israel, which they considered a Jewish holy land.

A bright student, Pollard was a member of the National Honor Society. After graduating from high school, he attended California’s prestigious Stanford University, where he majored in political science. As a college student, Pollard dreamed of becoming a Jewish citizen and joining the Israeli army. He even made up stories about...