Van Hollen: Gross 'Kept the Faith' While Imprisoned in Cuba

»PHOTO: From left: Congressman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Montgomery County resident Alan Gross, and Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont in the airport in Cuba Dec. 17 after Gross was freed from prison. Courtesy of Rep. Van Hollen’s office.

Having reached a point of despair after five years in a Cuban prison, Alan Gross of Montgomery County was skeptical when his lawyer said his release was in the works.

After all, pleas by members of Congress, Gross’ family and faith leaders had not moved Cuban leaders to free the aid worker they accused of spying. Even a hunger strike by Gross – and plans for another at year’s end – had no success. His request to see his dying mother this summer was rejected, even though he promised to return to Cuba after the visit.

Gross, who had lived in Potomac with his wife, Judy, spent more than five years in a Cuba prison. He was arrested in December 2009 for facilitating communications between Jewish communities in Cuba and the rest of the world. Gross was in Cuba working as a subcontractor for the United States Agency for International Development.

According to the White House website, Gross was released Wednesday by the Cuban government on humanitarian grounds and the agreement also included the release of three Cubans jailed in the United States.

When Judy Gross, accompanied by the family’s lawyer, Scott Gilbert, Congressman Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County and two U.S. Senators met Alan Gross at an airport Wednesday, the aid worker finally knew he was free.

“When he saw us, his whole face lit up,” Van Hollen told Patch in an interview Thursday. “He’s lost a lot of weight, he’s pretty frail looking, but he had a big smile. Of course, it was good to get on the plane and lift off.”

Negotiations to swap Gross for the three Cubans went on for about 18 months. As talks progressed, Van Hollen said Gross was given more access to call his family and others; gained Internet privileges; and had access to newspapers. Gross even called the Congressman in October to wish him good luck in the upcoming election.

“This is a guy with incredible resilience. His strength of character, willpower, helped push him through,” Van Hollen said. “He kept the faith. That’s what we needed him to do.”

At a news conference at his lawyers’ Washington office, Gross said Wednesday, “Today is the first day of Hanukkah, and so far it’s the best Hanukkah that I’ll be celebrating for a long time,” The Washington Post reported. “What a blessing it is to be a citizen of this country.”

Rep. Van Hollen of Kensington, who in the past met with Cuban President Raul Castro to urge the release of Gross, flew with Judy Gross, Sen. Patrick Leahy and Sen. Jeff Flake to bring Alan Gross home.

“I have had the good fortune of knowing Alan Gross since the early 2000s, and, ever since he was imprisoned in Cuba, his wife, Judy, has been tireless in seeking his release. It has been an honor to work with her and many of my colleagues in the Congress to set Alan free,” Van Hollen said Wednesday.

“Alan Gross did not ask to shape history. He was unjustly swept up in the conflict between the U.S. and Cuba. But, in the end, Alan Gross proved to be a catalyst for change. After five years in a Cuban prison, Alan Gross is not only thrilled to be free, but also welcomes the new approach to Cuba and its people,” the Congressman said.

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Jill Zuckman, the family’s spokeswoman, told the Post that Gross was notified of his release Tuesday morning in a phone call with his lawyer, Scott Gilbert. When Gross first heard the news, there was a long pause on the line, then Gross said to Gilbert: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Local Reaction to Homecoming

Gross’s former rabbi, Jack A. Luxemburg, at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, told the newspaper, “for many people of good faith, this is a season of miracles. It should touch everybody’s hearts.”

Gross’s high school friend David Goldberg, owner of Union Hardware in Bethesda, told Montgomery Community Media it was “just a great day.”

Goldberg said Gross has always been the type of person to want to help people. He hopes the community can do whatever they can to make him “feel so welcomed.”

“Whatever we can do as a community to show him that he was not abandoned as it appears,” Goldberg said.

Official Reaction

Elected officials from Montgomery County and Maryland all praised the release of Gross and the sweeping change in relations between the United States and Cuba that was announced later in the day.

A sampling of their comments:

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett said he was delighted by the release of Gross.

“As I and many others have said in the past, he should never have been arrested in the first place. His only ‘crime’ was lending a hand to the Cuban people. Today, his release has come. What a wonderful Hannukah present!”

Governor Martin O’Malley welcomed Gross to Maryland and wished him “joy with friends and family.”

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) thanked “all those who helped make this happen. During his long imprisonment, Alan’s health deteriorated. He suffered tremendously. His wife Judy and two daughters fought every single day for his release. Today that ends and Alan is free. I applaud his release and hope that he can finally get the care and assistance he so desperately needs.”

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