Over the past many months--following October 7th--I watched television interviews with the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23 year-old Israeli-American hostage. Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin spoke movingly, painfully, about their son, and the other hostages taken captive by the terrorist group Hamas in October.
It was evident they did not relish the role they had taken on, yet it seemed clear they did so to insure that the plight of their son, and the many other hostages, would not in any sense become an afterthought--that the hostages would, as the months of captivity continued, remain firmly in mind, concerning national and international support, diplomacy, and negotiations. I am sure, too, that during the interviews they were hopeful there was the chance, somehow, that their son would hear their words.
They also gave a very moving speech at the Democratic National Convention in August. Their message was not about American politics. They delivered, rather, this central message concerning the hostages: Bring them home.
Their son Hersh was perhaps the most prominent of the hostages, in that he had been so grievously injured on October 7th, before he was taken captive.
That day, he was in a bunker, with others, after Hamas and other militants invaded Israel. He had been at the Nova music festival, where hundreds of others were murdered that day.
While he was in the bunker, Hamas invaders threw grenades into it. Goldberg-Polin's best friend, Aner Shapira, repeatedly threw the grenades back out of the shelter. Yet in the end a grenade killed him.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin's arm, below the elbow, was torn off by a grenade. He was later seen in a video with two other captives, his terrible injury visible; the three were in the back of a truck, being driven away, into Gaza.
Another video from October 7th, of Goldberg-Polin and the other captives in the bed of the truck, was seen months later. In the video, as a June report on the CBS News website said, "the militant holding the camera celebrates the capture and thanks and praises God. 'Here are the dogs,' he says, scanning to show the hostages."
On August 31st, the bodies of six hostages--including that of Goldberg-Polin, were found by Israeli soldiers in a Hamas tunnel. They had all been shot--executed--by Hamas in the preceding two to three days. At the time, it has been reported, Israeli forces were in the vicinity of the tunnel where the captives were being held.
On September 4th, a spokesman for Hamas--a monstrous, cruel, sadistic group--said that following the June military operation in Gaza during which four October 7th hostages were rescued by Israeli forces, orders had been given to those guarding the various captives in Gaza.
The spokesman said that "new instructions were issued to the mujahideen assigned to guard the prisoners regarding dealing with them if the occupation army approached their place of detention." (Italics added.) His meaning, if not explicit, was clear.
And so, the six hostages were murdered.
The Hamas spokesman, on September 4th, suggested that if future IDF hostage rescue attempts were made, hostages would be returned to Israel in "coffins."
Let me return, however, to Hersh Goldberg-Polin's parents, and their speech at the Democratic convention in August. Here is what they said, in full, on August 21st--less than ten days before their son, and the other five hostages with him, were murdered
Rachel Goldberg-Polin: At this moment, 109 treasured human beings are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. They are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.
They are from 23 different countries. The youngest hostage is a 1-year-old, red-headed baby boy, and the oldest is an 86-year-old mustachioed grandpa.
Among the hostages are eight American citizens. One of those Americans is our only son. His name is Hersh. He’s 23 years old, and like Vice President Kamala Harris, Hersh was born in Oakland, California.
Hersh is a happy-go-lucky, laid-back, good-humored, respectful and curious person. He is a civilian. He loves soccer, is wild about music and music festivals, and he has been obsessed with geography and travel since he was a little boy. His bedroom overflows with atlases, globes, maps and National Geographic magazines.
On October 7th, Hersh and his best friend, Aner, went to a music festival in the south of Israel. It was advertised as celebrating peace, love and unity. They also went to celebrate Hersch’s 23rd birthday. As rockets began to fall, Hersh, Aner and 27 other young festival-goers took refuge in a 5-foot by 8-foot bomb shelter. Terrorists began to throw grenades into the shelter.
Aner stood in the doorway and repelled seven of those grenades before the eighth one killed him. All together at the Nova music festival, 367 young music lovers were killed. This was just one of the many attacks on neighborhoods and communities in southern Israel on that terrible day. In total, 1,200 were killed, including 45 Americans.
Hersh’s left forearm—his dominant arm—was blown off before he was loaded onto a pick-up truck and stolen from his life, and me, and Jon, into Gaza. And that was 320 days ago.
Since then, we live on another planet. Anyone who is a parent, or has had a parent, can try to imagine the anguish and misery that Jon and I, and all the hostage families, are enduring.
Jonathan Polin: Rachel and I are comforted to be back in our sweet home, Chicago. We were both born and raised here, and our families still live here.
This is a political convention. But needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue.
The families of the American eight hostages meet every few weeks in Washington. We’re heartened that both Democratic and Republican leaders demonstrate their bipartisan support for our hostages being released.
We’ve met with President Biden and Vice President Harris numerous times at the White House. They’re both working tirelessly for a hostage and ceasefire deal that will bring our precious children, mothers, fathers, spouses, grandparents and grandchildren home and will stop the despair in Gaza.
We are all deeply grateful to them. We’re also profoundly thankful to you—the millions of people in the United States and all over the world who have been sending love, support and strength to the hostage families. You’ve kept us breathing in a world without air.
There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners.
In our Jewish tradition, we say: Kol adam olam umlo’o; every person is an entire universe. We must save all these universes.
In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring calm to the entire region--a deal that brings this diverse group of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza.
The time is now.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin: Hersh, Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive.
Jonathan Polin: Bring them home!
