A contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development, Gross was prosecuted by Cuba in 2011 for “crimes against the independence and territorial integrity of the state” by bringing satellite phones and computer equipment to members of Cuba’s Jewish community without the required permit. He is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence in the Caribbean nation. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other American officials have publicly decried Gross’ detention and lobbied to obtain his release.
Holding up signs that asked the Cuban government to set Gross free, at one point the students focused on the plight of the prisoner’s mother, who is 90 years old and suffering from inoperable lung cancer. “Let Alan see his mom,” they chanted loudly, in acknowledgment of the fact that his mother wishes to meet with her son at least once before it is too late. Some of the students also noted that Gross himself has lost 100 pounds since first being imprisoned and is in poor health. “Social activism for Torah-based causes is a mitzvah and an effective tool in terms of teaching students today to be the leaders of tomorrow,” Rabbi Friedman stated.