ByHALLEL SILVERMAN

JULY 30, 2026 10:30

For two years, the Jewish community has united around a clear principle: every Jewish life holds value.

We have demonstrated for those held captive, offered prayers, appealed to officials, and rejoiced with each reunion. We have highlighted that freeing captives ranks as one of the highest duties in Jewish law. The Talmud describes it as a major commandment. Maimonides explains its importance since captives endure hunger, terror, and peril simultaneously. The Shulchan Aruch adds that any avoidable delay in release equates to bloodshed.

This ethical stance should extend beyond Israel's boundaries.

Now, I call on Dr. Miriam Adelson to apply similar urgency to another form of captivity: a legal framework where, backers claim, obtaining mercy has grown costly and unfair.

No one has worked harder lately to support Jewish captives than Dr. Adelson. Her work for the October 7 hostages has preserved lives and motivated Jews globally. She knows that when Jewish lives hang in balance, power brings duty.

I hope she applies that power again.

The situation involves Ari Teman.

The case of Ari Teman

Whether one has tracked his court fight is not essential. The key is that a strong group of legal experts and lawyers from various political sides, including Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig, Alan Dershowitz, Ron Coleman, Mike Yoder, and Molly McCann Saunders, have stated openly that his case had serious issues and that he merits a presidential pardon. Before his role as US pardon attorney, Ed Martin supported pardon requests.

Still, Ari Teman has finished his term yet remains without a pardon.

Backers also reference reported messages about large fees requested to seek presidential mercy. Regardless of their suitability, they prompt a serious issue:

Must justice hinge on financial means?

This concern goes well beyond one individual.

For years, Jews have recognized that unfair justice often starts subtly, through uneven rules, excessive penalties, and barriers that limit ordinary citizens.

Advocates have suggested that in multiple notable federal matters, Jewish defendants got tougher sentences than comparable non-Jewish ones. Such assertions merit thorough, unbiased review, not rejection due to discomfort.

If imbalances are present, all Jews must pay attention.

Because when liberty relies on wealth, ties, or vast funds, equality under law ends.

Ari's tale also counts due to his actions beyond court.

Before his legal issues, he started JCorps, creating one of North America's biggest Jewish volunteer groups. Jewish Federations named him a North American Jewish Community Hero, civic figures praised him, and he spent years aiding Jewish communities via service.

Currently, he works on Sunflower Centers, a facility for trauma and addiction care aimed at Israeli veterans and October 7 survivors. The initiative has united experts from Israel's medical field to improve mental health support in Israel.

It is hard to overlook the larger point: if esteemed legal minds think a conviction calls for clemency, should fairness rely on navigating a pricey insider system?

Jewish heritage shows that freeing captives is essential.

So is seeking fairness.

That is why I urge Dr. Miriam Adelson to press President Trump to give Ari Teman a complete pardon, instruct the Attorney General to examine the claims about his prosecution, and make sure serious concerns about his handling get proper attention.

I also wish she would promote an independent review looking into whether Jewish defendants have faced tougher federal penalties than similar non-Jewish defendants. If gaps appear, they must be fixed with the same dedication to fairness that has shaped much of the Jewish community's efforts.

Dr. Adelson has shown what strong leadership achieves when Jews face captivity.

Now I hope she aids in making sure justice never belongs only to those who pay the entry fee.

Because no Jew's liberty should carry a cost.

The writer is an activist and content creator. Raised in Jerusalem and living in Tel Aviv, she has become a leading voice on and offline for liberal Zionism. A third-generation IDF veteran with over a decade in Israel advocacy, Hallel has created and executed content for dozens of major organizations. She is an associate at the Tel Aviv Institute.

This op-ed was adapted from an open letter, cosigned by the author as well as Israellycool founder David Lange, author Benji Lovitt, Israel in the UAE founder Charles Ashkenazi, Darkenu director Rabbi Avi Ganz, comedians Yohay Sponder and Avi Liberman, Jewish Justice Reform Project director David Biren, Stardust Ventures managing partner Gil Eyal, and Coalition for Jewish Values regional vice president and senior rabbinic fellow Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, among others.