The funeral of Esther Pollard, wife of Jonathan Pollard, began at 4 PM Monday afternoon, woith thousands of people from all over Israel in attendance.

She will be buried at the Har HaMenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem.

"I was with Esther in the last days of her life," her husband Jonathan said in his eulogy. ""At the end, I was given two choices, let her die naturally, or let her fight. I looked at the doctors and I said, 'you know, this woman fought for me for thirty years. I'm not giving up on her. I'm gonna give her the opportunity to do what she does best, which is to fight."

"This is the loyalty a husband owes a wife. And she sure demonstrated loyalty to her husband over so many years," Pollard continued. "I told her, when you reach the gates of shamayim (heaven), embrace my parents, embrace your parents, and embrace Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, and wait for me. Because, in G-d's good time, we'll be together. I will love you forever."

Esther Pollard was hospitalized with COVID-19, after her condition deteriorated on Saturday night She had contracted the virus two weeks prior, during her prolonged battle with cancer.

On Sunday morning, Jonathan asked the public to pray for the recovery of his wife, Esther Yocheved Bat Reisel Bracha. It was announced Monday morning that she had passed.

Speaking to Israel National News - Arutz Sheva, Jonathan Pollard said, "I never imagined in my worst nightmare that this could happen to Esther. After decades of her fighting for my release, I felt so powerless to help her."

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said upon hearing the news, "I was saddened to hear of the passing of Esther Pollard, a woman whose devotion to and love for Jonathan Pollard became a symbol of strength, determination, and faith. May her memory be blessed."

Jonathan and Esther Pollard moved to Israel on December 30, 2020 fulfilling a decades-long dream for the couple. Esther, who was already ill at the time, was able to spend the last year of her life in the Jewish homeland.