For many years, Jonathan Pollard's name was familiar to every boy and girl in Israel.
The public warmly embraced Pollard, and accompanied him in prayers and efforts for his release from American prison.
But this was not always the case: in the first years of the affair, the vast majority of Israeli society shunned it.
The unprecedented diplomatic rift, and the attempts to lower the flames in front of the administration in Washington at all costs, caused the heads of government and the intelligence community to disapprove of the spy they used.
With the exception of individual attempts by MKs such as Edna Soloder and Geula Cohen, who acted on their own behalf from the moment of his arrest, Jonathan Pollard was abandoned to his fate for many years.
Pollard also divorced his wife in those days after completing her sentence in the American prison.
Allegedly, he was supposed to sink into an abyss of oblivion like many prisoners in the American prison, but at this point a woman was injured in his life that led to a dramatic change in the attitude of the Israeli governments and the public in Israel towards him.
Eileen Zeitz, later Esther Pollard, his wife, who took on the slender shoulders of her life's mission to free her husband, who was sentenced to life in prison.
The beginning of Esther and Jonathan's acquaintance began with a long chain of correspondences.
In 1993, the two married, with Esther aware of the fact that she was discussing a challenging marriage, while questioning the release, if any, of her intended husband Lotte in a thick fog.
From the time she took on the task of her life, she met with senior rabbis, influencers and activists and became the army of one woman, who devoted her entire life to the liberation of her husband.
From the moment she entered the liberation campaign, Jonathan Pollard's name became known and familiar to every resident of Israel, and prayers for Pollard's liberation and well-being became a common practice in thousands of synagogues.
The issue of his release was also discussed at every meeting with US administration leaders.
During my life I have met many times with Jonathan and Esther.
I saw with his shining eyes his love and admiration for Esther, and the feelings of gratitude he felt for her.
The late Esther, whom I got to know closely, was a powerful woman with extraordinary mental powers, who took on a not at all simple life task - bringing Jonathan home.
According to the Israeli public, Esther's name took root as "Jonathan Pollard's wife." Came to diminish, but rather to empower, for without her there was a fear that her husband's story would disappear into the abyss of oblivion.
The late Esther took on one specific mitzvah, which she engraved on her banner - the mitzvah of redemption of captives. For her she paid unbearably hard prices, but stood behind it without fear or remorse. Esther was a woman of redemption of captives.
It is possible to tell many more hours about the many and courageous actions of the late Esther, but the sheet will be shortened.
Esther Pollard's description as "Jonathan Pollard's wife" is as much a sign of the national medal of heroism she deserved, and this will be proved by the thousands of all streams of society in Israel who came to accompany and honor her on her final journey.
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