The Chairman of Eretz Hakodesh at the World Zionist Congress, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, who served as the rabbi of the Pollards and accompanied them for thirty years, offered his condolences to Jonathan Pollard Monday morning, following the passing of his wife, Esther Pollard.
"The heart of us all is broken at the bitter news. Jonathan found a special woman. A woman who dedicated her life for Jonathan. She dedicated her life literally: her health, her career and her personal development for Jonathan.
“I can say with certainty that Jonathan is alive today only thanks to the love and support Esther has given him. Jonathan is free today thanks to the relentless efforts that Esther has devoted to him. This is a real soldier's wife.”
“She did this out of an unusual mission and faith in Gd. We pray to Hashem to give Jonathan strength to continue I call on the people of Israel to come and support him in this difficult time at the funeral and in comforting him.”
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett released a brief statement Monday eulogizing Esther Pollard.
"I was saddened to hear of the death of Esther Pollard, a woman whose sacrifice and love for Jonathan Pollard turned into a symbol of strength, determination, and faith. May her memory be blessed."
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked tweeted her condolences Monday morning, writing: "Dear Jonathan, I share your pain over Esther's death. She was so important to you, your entire world."
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, cofounders of the Sovereignty Movement, called Esther Pollard a "woman of steel".
"Our dear friend Esther Pollard, the woman of steel, has left us. Esther was an exemplary personality, who persisted to the end in achieving her goals."
"Nothing could divert her even one millimeter from the path of freeing Jonathan from prison for the “sin” of loving the Land of Israel."
"Despite the physical distance between them, Esther and Jonathan were one body and soul, joined by their great love for, and devotion to, the Land of Israel, without fear and without apprehension. Esther knocked on the doors of world leaders, never resting for a moment."
"When she was not traveling, she was organizing moving prayer vigils throughout the Land. With her devotion, Esther succeeded in gaining a free and happy Jonathan here in the land of his forefathers, on whose behalf he sacrificed for more than thirty years. They were together in this mission that united them, a mission that will remain in the nation’s memory forever. May her memory be inscribed forever in the annals of the Jewish people."