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Rachel Goldberg-Polin

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Rachel Goldberg-Polin
רייצ׳ל גולדברג-פולין
Goldberg-Polin: the number taped to her shirt refers to the number of days her son was being held hostage, dating the photo to November 27, 2023.
Born
Rachel Goldberg

1969 (age 54–55) or 1970 (age 53–54)
Citizenship
  • American
  • Israeli
Alma materBrandeis University
OccupationActivist
Known forIsrael–Hamas war hostage crisis activism
SpouseJonathan Polin
Children3, including Hersh

Rachel Goldberg-Polin (Hebrew: רייצ׳ל גולדברג-פולין; born 1969 or 1970) is an American-Israeli activist. During the hostage crisis which began with the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023, Goldberg and her husband became two of the highest profile relatives of Israeli hostages advocating for their release on the world stage, meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Pope Francis, among other world leaders.

She began her activism after her son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was abducted by Hamas while attending the Re’im Music Festival. Hersh was murdered by Hamas in August 2024, and his body was recovered from Gaza on 31 August.[1]

Activism

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Goldberg-Polin's son, Hersh, was kidnapped and abducted to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.[2] Following her son's abduction, she quit her job[3] to focus full-time on working towards freeing the hostages. She spoke to both political authorities and media organizations, including the BBC,[4] CBS,[5] NBC,[6] and The Wall Street Journal.[7] Specifically, called for the Israeli government to negotiate a hostage deal and criticized leaders for "not doing enough" to bring the hostages home.[8][9] In daily life, she attempted to draw attention to the hostage crisis by putting tape on her clothing, on which she wrote the number of days since October 7.[10][3] According to the Associated Press, Goldberg and her husband became two of the highest profile relatives of Israeli hostages on the world stage, meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Pope Francis, among other world leaders.[11]

Goldberg-Polin in 2023 (with Elon Musk & Isaac Herzog)

On November 14, 2023, she attended the March for Israel rally in Washington, D.C., where she spoke about the plight of the 240 hostages.[12] In December 2023, she gave a seven-minute speech at the United Nations in Geneva.[13]

In February 2024, Goldberg-Polin and 11 other hostage families met with the Pope.[14] In early April 2024, Goldberg-Polin, her husband, and other family members of hostages met with United States Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan, to urge action on a hostage deal.[15] In August 2024, she and her husband spoke at the Democratic National Convention, again to urge action on a hostage deal. She received a standing ovation during her speech, during which the audience chanted "bring him home".[1] On 30 August, she joined a protest rally on the Gaza border, during which she broadcast her voice with messages for her son.[16]

Goldberg-Polin with Michal Herzog and Isaac Herzog at the funeral of Hersh, September 2024

Following the announcement of Hersh's death on 31 August, United States President Joe Biden spoke with Rachel and her husband.[17][18]

During Rachel's eulogy on 2 September, Rachel stated that:

I also pray that your death will be a turning point in this horrible situation in which we are all entangled. I take such comfort knowing you were with Carmel, Ori, Eden, Almog and Alex. From what I have been told, they each were delightful in different ways, and I think that is how the 6 of you managed to stay alive in unimaginable circumstances for so very long. You each did every single thing right to survive 329 days in what I can only call Hell.


I send each of the families my deepest sympathies for what we are all going through and for the sickening feeling that we all could not save them. I think we all did every single thing we could. The hope that perhaps a deal was near, was so authentic it was crunchy. It tasted CLOSE. But it was not to be so. Those beautiful 6 survived together and those beautiful 6 died together. And now they will be remembered together forever.

— Rachel Goldberg Polin, The full text of Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s eulogy for her son Hersh, at his funeral in Jerusalem, September 2, 2024., https://www.timesofisrael.com/my-sweet-boy-hersh-we-tried-so-desperately-to-save-you/

She was named as one of the Time 100 in April 2024.[2]

Personal life

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Rachel Goldberg was raised in Chicago[2] and graduated from Brandeis University in 1992.[19]

Goldberg-Polin, her husband, Jonathan, and their three children migrated to Israel in the early 2000s where they received Israeli citizenship on arrival.[10][3] They have lived in Jerusalem since 2008.[2] She is an observant Jew who keeps kosher.[2][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b Gan, Nectar (2024-09-01). "Hersh Goldberg-Polin: The 'happy-go-lucky' Israeli American who became a symbol of Israel's enduring hostage heartbreak". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e Vick, Karl (2024-04-18). "Counting the Days Since Oct. 7 With Rachel Goldberg-Polin". TIME. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  3. ^ a b c "'He will come back' - Israeli hostage families cling to hope, and demand a deal". BBC News. 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  4. ^ "'Hope is mandatory': Hostage's mother believes her son will return". BBC News. 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  5. ^ "Transcript: Rachel Goldberg-Polin on "Face the Nation," April 7, 2024". CBS News. 2024-04-07. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  6. ^ "Her son was last seen badly hurt, being loaded into a Hamas truck: One mother details her 6-month agony". NBC News. 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  7. ^ Bernstein, Elizabeth (2024-02-20). "'Stay Strong. Survive.' The Mother Who Became the Face of Hostage Advocacy". The Wall Street Journal. ProQuest 2928451886. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  8. ^ "Hostage mother calls on Diaspora Jews to pressure Israel for hostage deal". The Jerusalem Post. 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  9. ^ Czachor, Emily Mae (2024-04-07). ""All the parties at the table have failed" to free those held by Hamas, mother of hostage says". CBS News. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  10. ^ a b Kirka, Danica (2024-01-13). "Families of Hamas hostages mark loved ones' 100th day in captivity". AP News. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  11. ^ "'We all failed you.' Heartbreak at funeral for Israeli-American hostage in Jerusalem". Associated Press. 2024-09-02. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Tens of Thousands of Supporters of Israel Rally in Washington, Crying 'Never Again'". usnews.com. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  13. ^ "'One Tiny Seed' — A hostage's mother penned a poem for 'a woman in Gaza'". The Forward. 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  14. ^ a b Sudilovsky, Judith (2024-02-07). "Mother of Israeli hostage says pope gave her 'permission to not lose faith in humanity'". Detroit Catholic. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  15. ^ "'No choice but to stay hopeful,' father of US hostage says after meeting with vice president". Jewish News Syndicate. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  16. ^ Fruchter, Sruli (2024-09-01). "Thanks to his mother, we are all sitting shiva for Hersh Goldberg-Polin". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  17. ^ "Biden spoke with Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin after Hersh's death announced". The Jerusalem Post. 2024-09-01.
  18. ^ Magid, Jacob (2024-09-01). "Biden speaks with parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin to offer condolences". The Times of Israel.
  19. ^ "Time Magazine Honors Israeli-Hostage Advocate". www.brandeis.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
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