Friday, March 29, 2024 -
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Check your bags

Last Thursday, WNBA player — and American citizen — Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison — in Russia — for drug possession and smuggling. Griner does not dispute the possession, but says that the cannabis was for rehabilitative purposes and that in rushing to pack, she included it by accident.

That could very well be, but it’s an object lesson in the importance of being fully aware of what items are in one’s possession when travelling internationally.

There has been more than one case over the years of naïve yeshiva students getting caught transporting drugs. In one widely publicized case, a drug runner told three students that their baggage contained Judaica. They wound up being arrested and two served time in a Japanese prison.

It’s extremely common among Jews traveling to Israel to ask for someone to transport something, which isn’t inherently dangerous. But my word of caution: Even if it’s your closest friend, inspect the item before you pack it.

First, so that you can honestly answer the question “Did you pack your bag yourself?”; second, to protect yourself from transporting potential contraband.

There are some stateside who aren’t bothered (or worse, even relish) that Griner was arrested, since Griner has supported kneeling for the national anthem. For some, this seems to mean that Griner doesn’t deserve empathy.

That’s a perspective that baffles me. I may not support kneeling for the national anthem, but I do support a person’s right to self-expression. In my book, when it comes to Griner being detained in Russia, it’s totally unimportant what her stance is on kneeling. She’s an American citizen and every American should care about her fate.

I can imagine that being in a foreign prison is always terrifying, but with a war going on, and when Russia — while not technically an enemy state of the US — is the foe, it must be even scarier to be detained in that country.

After years of tireless efforts, the yeshiva students in Japan were released early. I pray that the State Dept.’s negotiations with Russia’s foreign ministry will return Griner home to these shores and to her family.

Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]

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