Hundreds of people are flocking to the home of Jonathan Pollard to comfort him on the devastating loss of his wife Esther, z’l.
HaRav Shlomo Amar, the Rav of Yerushalayim, told Pollard: “Esther came to us again and again as Chief Rabbanim that we should call to the tzibur to daven for Yonatan and assist in freeing him. Her devotion was something that’s rarely seen.”
“There is no doubt that the zechus of the great mitzvah of fighting for your release over so many years is accompanying her now in Shamayim.”
Rav of Tzfas, HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu also came to be menachem avel. Rav Eliyahu’s father, HaRav Mordechai Eliyahu, was very devoted to Jonathan, visiting him in prison numerous times.
At the levaya, Pollard said that Esther was the one who taught him “to love Israel and the Jewish people. She’s the one that taught me everything I know about Torah and halacha.”
אין אישה מתה אלא לבעלה. לווית אסתר פולארד ז״ל בירושלים pic.twitter.com/PfI6uXg3qP
— יאיר שרקי (@yaircherki) January 31, 2022
כאלף מלווים את אסתר פולארד אשתו של המרגל הישראלי יונתן פולארד למנוחות בבית העלמין הר המנוחות בירושלים
יונתן פולארד הספיד את אשתו באנגלית, ״אסתר, כמה קיוויתי להגיע איתך אל במקום ואל האדמה אל ארץ ישראל. אבל האדמה הזו בלעדייך אינה אותה אדמה כמו שאת אהבת״ pic.twitter.com/SDWeqj8eOa
— Haim Goldich | חיים גולדיטש (@HGoldich) January 31, 2022
In an interview with Ynet, Pollard said that he will be indebted to Esther for the rest of his life. “I have no doubt that her long fight for my release came at the cost of her health,” he said.
Pollard added that Esther forced him to consider his past and his ancestors, many of them Rabbanim, and that’s how he turned to religion. He added that Esther not only fought for his release from prison but also from his perception as a diaspora Jew, which ultimately brought him to Israel “to live a life of truth according to Hashem’s will.”
חברי הכנסת מיכאל מלכיאלי ובצלאל סמוטריץ הגיעו כעת לניחום אבלים אצל יונתן פולארד. pic.twitter.com/Z1JlpyTmuw
— ישראל כהן (@Israelcohen911) February 2, 2022
המקובל הרב יעקב עדס בניחום אבלים אצל יהונתן פולארד. pic.twitter.com/0wIarOHa6Z
— ברל'ה קרומבי🇮🇱 (@berale_crombie) February 1, 2022
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Pretty sure Pollard was an actor. His role served an educational purpose and deterred Yiddin working in the Amerikan gov from acting in such a way. There were no secrets exchanged. Rule of thumb: if someone is a well-recognized public figure, chances are their persona has been scripted.
So sad! Very moving clips! Thank you YWN for posting!
May he be נתנחם from Shamayim.
Schmendrikel: Right…and as an Actor, he was paid to sit in jail for a gazillion years to educate yidden with high level security clearances not to betray their government and disclose highly sensitive information to a foreign entity.
I’m still waiting to find out her father’s Hebrew name to learn Mishnayos for her in the best fashion. Frustrating that it was probably on the sign lying on top of her in the picture but couldn’t be seen in the picture. Anyone who knows it please post it.
@schmendrick YOUR STUPID!