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Last update - 22:33 05/08/2008
Pentagon: We thought engineer was Israeli spy because he's a Jew
By Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press
Tags: Jewish World, U.S., Israel 

The Pentagon has admitted in an internal report that it wrongly accused an army engineer from Michigan of spying for Israel because he was a Jew.

David Tenenbaum of Southfield is an Orthodox Jew and fluent in Hebrew. The Defense Department put him on paid leave in 1997 while it and the FBI investigated his ties to Israel.

He eventually was cleared of leaking military secrets, but says he has been vindicated by the report.
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Tenenbaum was hired as an engineer by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, Michigan. The Pentagon report said Tenenbaum's knowledge of Hebrew made him a more attractive candidate, since it would facilitate working with Israel on various joint military projects, the Free Press reported.

"It was well known that Mr. Tenenbaum was Jewish, lived his religious beliefs and by his actions appeared to have a close affinity for Israel," the Pentagon report, which was released three weeks ago, said. "We believe that Mr. Tenenbaum was subjected to unusual and unwelcome scrutiny because of his faith and ethnic background, a practice that would undoubtedly fit a definition of discrimination."

In 2000, Tenenbaum filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, accusing it of employing "Naziesque" surveillance methods against Jews, according to the Detroit Free Press. Tenenbaum, who had sought more than $20 million in damages, said he was the subject of a federal investigation that "literally terrorized" him and his family, according to the Free Press.

Tenenbaum's lawyer told the Free Press that the investigation led the Army to shelve his client's Humvee armor project in 1995, a move that he said cost the lives of ill-equipped American soldiers deployed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tenenbaum still works at the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command in Warren. He told the Detroit Free Press he wants an apology from the Army and his accusers punished.

Pollard sues State for non-support

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard filed a lawsuit on Monday in the Tel Aviv District Court against the State of Israel, asking the court to declare that he and his wife, Esther, have not received any financial aid from the state from the day he was arrested.

Pollard, who has been jailed in the United States since 1985 for spying on Israel's behalf, claims that Israel falsely maintains it has helped the couple financially from the day of Pollard's arrest until now.

Pollard stresses that he does not want financial support from Israel, but rather for the state to work for his release.

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      1.   Profiling is Flat Wrong 08:25  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/08/08
      2.   They didn`t investigate him well enough 08:28  |  Natallie Durson 05/08/08
      3.   David Tenebaum`s ties to Israel 08:45  |  Zev Davis 05/08/08
      4.   we thought 08:51  |  Shmuelshachor 05/08/08
      5.   Mr. Tannebaum should sue Pollard & Israeli Tannebaum 2! 08:58  |  an Israeli 05/08/08
      6.   It`s An Edgy Thing 09:04  |  Yosemite 05/08/08
      7.   Well, this was probably out of former experience 09:13  |  Goy 05/08/08
      8.   Nathalie, don`t talke about what you don`t know 09:35  |  Zev Davis 05/08/08
      9.   An isolated case ... 09:38  |  ArabAmerican 05/08/08
      10.   Goes to show 09:44  |  Observer 05/08/08
      11.   A PROPAGANDA FOR ISRAEL 10:09  |  indrajaya 05/08/08
      12.   defend to me sometime, your propensity to stereotype 10:39  |  eric 05/08/08
      13.   I would sue the US government for millions of $`s 13:01  |  Simcha 05/08/08
      14.   ArabAmerican the difference between Jews and Arabs 13:22  |  Simcha 05/08/08
      15.   Spying is a filthy business. 13:22  |  K 05/08/08
      16.   simcha 22 13:31  |  potobac 05/08/08
      17.   #14 Peter SM re Linthwaite 13:34  |  H 05/08/08
      18.   potobac the US is in Israel`s interest 13:58  |  Simcha 05/08/08
      19.   American Patriot. 14:30  |  Maerton 05/08/08
      20.   DURSON.Even when the Pentagon says it in plain English. 14:50  |  PETER SM 05/08/08
      21.   Simcha 15:03  |  Tareq 05/08/08
      22.   Sympathetic jury? 15:11  |  W 05/08/08
      23.   How about this 15:17  |  MR 05/08/08
      24.   #30 Peter SM 15:24  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/08/08
      25.   "AMERICAN PATRIOT"He admitted what? where? 15:25  |  PETER SM 05/08/08
      26.   Profiling of Jews in Pentagon is OLD story 15:30  |  Arie 05/08/08
      27.   To American Patriot - you of course have proof? 15:35  |  Arie 05/08/08
      28.   LINTHWAITE You made a claim,it is proven untrue 15:48  |  PETER SM 05/08/08
      29.   ArabAmerican 16:03  |  judith 05/08/08
      30.   #2 Nat the clown at work again 16:18  |  Rozz 05/08/08
      31.   ArabAmerican, I agree on victims, but RadMuslims are responsible 16:24  |  Simon 05/08/08
      32.   Ha`aretz is censoring people that expose their lies 16:43  |  Gee 05/08/08
      33.   #45 H 16:49  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/08/08
      34.   So all U.S. Jews are suspected Israeli spys by same logic 16:51  |  In Jews we suspect 05/08/08
      35.   To the "american patriot" on #14 16:52  |  Shmuelshachor 05/08/08
      36.   Hey Jews come back to Israel your only real home 16:54  |  prophet not profit 05/08/08
      37.   Linthwaite #44 _ To Answer Your Question 16:59  |  Eli 05/08/08
      38.   #56 Eli 17:16  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/08/08
      39.   ideals vs. reality 17:16  |  oh give me a home 05/08/08
      40.   American and Jewish 17:18  |  canni bal 05/08/08
      41.   Incoming! 17:19  |  utagawa 05/08/08
      42.   simcha 28 17:22  |  potobac 05/08/08
      43.   Normal: Israel does it with Israeli Arabs, duel loyalties 17:31  |  American GI 05/08/08
      44.   Oh THAT was farfetched... 17:36  |  Sam Stone 05/08/08
      45.   He wanted to add armor to Humvees in 95 and superiors said no? 17:40  |  David 05/08/08
      46.   Natalie 17:51  |  Marc 05/08/08
      47.   Yes Really! Chris Linthwaite # 58 18:13  |  Eli 05/08/08
      48.   Chris Linthwaite #58 I wish to visit but never was there 18:20  |  Robert/Montreal 05/08/08
      49.   "unusual and unwelcome scrutiny" 18:33  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/08/08
      50.   Natalie et al- the proof is in the pudding 18:33  |  Avrum 05/08/08
      51.   #18 Only 5% of Gazan are Hamasniks? 18:35  |  DesMnsDave 05/08/08
      52.   21 Simcha - Suing Rarely Works 18:42  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/08/08
      53.   #7, "goy" regarding former experience 18:45  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/08/08
      54.   #72 Eli 18:45  |  Chris Linthwaite 05/08/08
      55.   # 69, DAVID 18:47  |  indrajaya 05/08/08
      56.   #18, Durson, please explain 18:48  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/08/08
      57.   Natallie Durson#2 18:48  |  your past 05/08/08
      58.   Chris Linthwaite (#33) speaking 18:49  |  Gil 05/08/08
      59.   simcha 74 18:49  |  potobac 05/08/08
      60.   Chris Linthwaite (#33) speaking 18:50  |  Gil 05/08/08
      61.   #74 Potobac Jews Built an Oasis inIsrael 19:09  |  Big Sur 05/08/08
      62.   77 DesMnsDave - Way Off Subject, But 19:18  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/08/08
      63.   Chris Linthwaite 19:23  |  Elihu 05/08/08
      64.   63 19:32