Who Was Esther Pollard? Wife Of Convicted Spy Dies After COVID-19 Hospitalization

Esther Pollard, the wife of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, died Sunday night after being hospitalized for COVID-19.

Jonathan had spent 30 years in a U.S. prison for spying for Israel, before being released in 2015.

Esther, who was battling cancer, moved to Israel in December 2020 with her husband after his parole restrictions were lifted, Haaretz reported. The family issued a statement Sunday saying Esther was hospitalized “following a deterioration in her condition” after contracting the coronavirus two weeks ago.

Esther was suffering from a case of sepsis brought on by her infection, a spokesman for the family confirmed. She was admitted to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital’s COVID-19 intensive care unit Saturday. Esther died at the age of 68 with her husband by her side.

Her funeral is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. [Israel time] Monday at Har Hamenuchot Cemetery in Jerusalem, according to The Jerusalem Post.

"She was an amazing fighter," Jonathan told The Jerusalem Post shortly after she died.

Esther was born in Toronto as Elaine Zeitz. She met Jonathan on an Israel trip when they were teenagers. They were married in 1993, but never permitted more than visits in the prison until his release in 2015.

Jonathan, a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy, sold military secrets to Israel, while working at the Pentagon in the 1980s. He was arrested in 1985 after his attempts to gain asylum at the Israeli Embassy in Washington failed, according to the Associated Press. He later pleaded guilty to charges placed against him.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he was sad to hear about the passing of Esther, who he called a "dedicated and loving wife to Jonathan."

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife Sara were grieving the loss.

"Esther displayed unending determination over many long years to bring about Jonathan's release," Netanyahu said. "I promised her in our meetings that I would bring Jonathan home. Even when her health was suffering she continued her relentless fight for her husband, did not concede and did not stop dreaming."

According to the World Health Organization, Israel reported 57,563 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Twelve deaths were also reported in the country.