Dec 16, 2014

Statement from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation on the Release of American Alan Gross from Cuba

The Officers, Board of Directors and Staff of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and our Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) applaud the release of Alan Gross and welcome him home after more than five years of imprisonment in Cuba.

Alan Gross, a resident of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, was arrested in Cuba in December 2009 while working as a subcontractor with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to help the small Jewish community there to improve its access to the Internet. Convicted two years later, Alan was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on charges that his work undermined the Cuban government.

We are grateful to all those in our community and across the country who advocated with us for the release of Alan Gross by signing petitions, writing letters to elected officials and working with our JCRC to keep Mr. Gross’ story front and center. We are certain that all of these efforts played an important part in obtaining his freedom.

We wish Alan Gross a full recovery from the ill health that resulted from his unjust and inhumane incarceration, and we send our warmest wishes to his family, who has suffered such great distress during this terrible ordeal. We pray that he will thrive as he is reunited with his wife, Judy, and his entire family.

Last night, Jews around the world kindled the first light of Chanukah, celebrating a historical victory. Tonight, as we kindle the second Chanukah candle, we know it will burn that much brighter for us in gratitude for the release of Alan Gross and for all those who championed his cause for so long.