96 Jetta not getting fuel

I've got a 96 Jetta that I've confirmed gets spark, cranks strongly when being jumped, but the fuel pump is not pumping. It worked fine before I disconnected the battery. The Mutli-Disc changer is missing from the trunk as well. The radio also says "Safe" now. Is there something that prevents the car from starting when you disconnect then reconnect the battery? What's going on?

I actually got it started by spraying some starter fluid in the intake. Once it got running a little, it started using fuel and I even drove it around the block. I've never driven it before, but it didn't seem to have much power. Also, the speedometer didn't work at all and the tachometer needle just jittered rapidly. Any ideas what's up with those gauges?