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 55–56) |
| Citizenship |
|
| Alma mater | Brandeis University |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Known for | Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis activism |
| Spouse | Jonathan Polin |
| Children | 3, includingHersh |
Rachel Goldberg-Polin (Hebrew:רייצ׳ל גולדברג-פולין; born 1969) is anAmerican-Israeli activist. During thehostage crisis which began with theOctober 7 attacks 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. PresidentJoe Biden andPope Francis, among other world leaders.
She began her activism after her sonHersh Goldberg-Polin was abducted by Hamas while attending theRe’im Music Festival. Hersh was murdered by Hamas in August 2024, and his body was recovered from Gaza on 31 August.[1]
Goldberg-Polin's son,Hersh, waskidnapped and abducted to the Gaza Strip during theHamas-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 towardsfreeing the hostages. She spoke to both political authorities and media organizations, including theBBC,[4]CBS,[5]NBC,[6] andThe 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 theAssociated Press, Goldberg and her husband became two of the highest profile relatives of Israeli hostages on the world stage, meeting with U.S. PresidentJoe Biden andPope Francis, among other world leaders.[11]
.jpg)
On November 14, 2023, she attended theMarch for Israel rally inWashington, D.C., where she spoke about the plight of the 240 hostages.[12] In December 2023, she gave a seven-minute speech at theUnited Nations in Geneva.[13]
In February 2024, Goldberg-Polin and 11 other hostage families met with thePope.[14] In early April 2024, Goldberg-Polin, her husband, and other family members of hostages met with United States Vice PresidentKamala Harris and U.S. national security advisorJake Sullivan, to urge action on a hostage deal.[15] In August 2024, she and her husband spoke at theDemocratic 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]
.jpg)
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 theTime 100 in April 2024.[2]
Rachel Goldberg was raised in Chicago[2] and graduated fromBrandeis University in 1992.[19]
Goldberg-Polin, her husband, Jonathan, and their three children migrated to Israel in the early 2000s.[10][3] They have lived inJerusalem since 2008.[2] She is an observant Jew who keeps kosher.[2][14]
