An Open Plea To The Jewish Nation: A National Call To Action

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An Open Plea To The Jewish Nation: A National Call To Action

February 11, 2010

As you may know, a Jewish man is slated for execution – in Florida this coming Tuesday.

Martin Grossman was convicted of killing Margaret Parks, a Florida Wildlife Officer, in 1984, when he was 19 years old.

He did so while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and in an act of panic, not premeditation.

He has conducted himself as a model prisoner since his incarceration some 25 years ago and has shown profound remorse and regret for his actions.

A united coalition of Jewish groups and non- Jewish groups including: Agudath Israel, Young Israel, Orthodox Union, Chabad/Lubavitch, Satmar, RCA, Aleph Institute, and many others are asking Florida Governor Charlie Crist to grant clemency to Mr. Grossman, and have also requested a meeting in person with Governor Crist to discuss the matter.

It is urgently important that the Governor hear from the grassroots as well – certainly from people who live or spend significant time in Florida, but even from non-Floridians.

His e-mail address is
Charlie.Crist@eog.myflorida.com ,
Or
Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com
Phone- (850) 488-7146 (850) 488-7146
Fax -850-487-0801.

Letters and calls should be polite pleas to the Governor to take into account Mr. Grossman’s youth and impairment at the time of the crime and his good behavior and remorse in the years since.

And the request should be that Mr. Grossman be permitted to serve his debt to society by serving the rest of his life in prison.

May we have happier occasions to demonstrate our achdus and ahavas Yisroel.

And may our action here merit us such times.

Please pray for Martin Grossman, Michoel Yechiel ben Miriam Sorah.

Rabbi Pesach Lerner- Young Israel
Rabbi David Zwiebel- Agudath Israel
Rabbi Steven Weil- OU
Rabbi Dovid Niederman- UJO
Rabbi Moshe Visel- UJ Care
Rabbi Basil Herring- RCA
Rabbi Aaron Lipskar- Aleph Institute

Sign the petition to Governor Crist http://www.thepetitionsite.com/m/sign/584394380

Quote from attorney Alan M. Dershowitz:

“Even those who strongly support capital punishment would limit it to recidivists or people who ‎commit the most heinous of crimes. Martin Grossman fits neither of those categories. He does ‎not belong on death row. His crime, committed when he was a teenager, was unplanned, ‎unpremeditated and impulsive—the product of a serious mental illness, that can now be proved ‎by medical technology that was unavailable at the time of his sentencing. He has been in prison ‎for more than a quarter of a century, during which time he has been a model prisoner who has ‎shown great remorse for what he did. All that he is seeking now is a 60 day postponement of his ‎execution, so that his supporters can martial the evidence and present his case for clemency. No ‎one should be rushed to execution while doubts remain unresolved. Justice demands that he be ‎given the 60 days to prove that he does not deserve to die at the hands of the state.” ‎

Alan M. Dershowitz

NOTE: YWN has learned from sources inside the Gov. Office that the Governor is “feeling the heat”. We have also learned that it will take an overwhelming about of pressure from constituents to get the 60 day stay.

(YWN Desk – NYC)