Watch: How Israeli-American hostage family Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin brought the DNC to tears
Their son Hersh was taken hostage on Oct. 7
Jon Polin comforts his wife Rachel Goldberg as she speaks about their son Hersh Goldberg Polin, who is being held hostage by Hamas, on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 21. Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin brought the Israel-Hamas war home at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, where they talked about their son Hersh and the other hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. Here’s what they said.
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 one-year-old red-headed baby boy and the oldest is an 86-year-old mustachioed grandpa. Among the hostages are 8 American citizens. One of those Americans is our only son. His name is Hersh.
He is 23 years old. Like Vice President Kamala Harris, he was born in Oakland, California. He is a happy-go-, 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 7, 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 Hersh’s 23rd birthday. As rockets began to fall, Hersh, Aner and 27 other festivalgoers took refuge in a bomb shelter. Aner stood in the doorway and repelled seven of those grenades before the eighth one killed him. Altogether at the music festival, 367 young music lovers were killed.
This is just one of 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 pickup truck and stolen from his life and me and Jon into gaza. And that was 320 days ago.
Since then, we have lived 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 of the hostage families are enduring.
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 the cherished hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue.
The families of the American hostages meet every few weeks in Washington. We are heartened both Democratic and Republican leaders demonstrate their bipartisan support for our hostages being released.
We have met with President Biden and Vice President Harris numerous times at the White House. They are both working tirelessly for a hostage and cease-fire 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 are 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 have 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 um lo’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 hope 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. he time is now.
Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong.
Bring them home.
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