The parents of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Jon and Rachel, spoke Wednesday night from the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The couple, who received thunderous applause, called for a deal that "will return the hostages and end the suffering of innocents in Gaza," and conveyed a message to their son: "We love you, stay strong and survive." Watch:
The two went up to the podium wearing stickers with the number 320 on their shirts, which is the number of days the hostages have been held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as the crowd in the hall shouted: "Bring them home." Rachel opened her words by talking about the 109 people still held hostage in Gaza - "Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus from 23 different countries. The youngest of them is a one-year-old red-haired baby. Among them are eight American citizens, one of whom is our only son Hersh. He is 23 years old and, like Kamala Harris, he was born in Oakland."
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Jon and Rachel, the parents of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, onstage at the Democratic National Convention
(AP)
Rachel talked about her son, while pictures of Hersh were shown behind the parents, describing him as full of joy of life, curious and respectful, who loves football, music, geography and travel. He went with his best friend to the Nova music festival to celebrate his 23rd birthday when Hamas attacked on October 7.
"He was loaded onto a pickup truck and stolen from his life, and me and Jon into Gaza,” Rachel said, noting that Hersh lost part of his left arm in the attack. "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,” she added.
She noted that 1,200 people were killed on October 7, including 45 Americans.
Jon, Hersh's father, said: “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.”
He said that the families of the eight American hostages meet every few weeks in Washington, and have met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris several times. "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,” he said.
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Jon and Rachel Goldberg-Polin speak at the Democratic National Convention in their hometown of Chicago
(AP)
“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,” he added. “In our Jewish tradition, we say 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 is a deal that brings this diverse group of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza.”
Finally, Rachel sent a message to her son, addressing him directly: "Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you, stay strong, survive." Many of those present in the hall cried with excitement, as did Rachel herself.
About two months ago, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum published the video of the kidnapping of Goldberg-Polin, Or Levy and Eliya Cohen on October 7. The forum emphasized that the video was published at the request of the three families, whose loved ones were kidnapped from the Nova music festival in Re'im and are still in the captivity of Hamas. The video, taken by body cameras of Hamas terrorists, lasted 1:37 minutes, and was edited and partially blurred at the request of the families. In the video, the terrorists can be heard saying "These are the dogs" and "Al-Qassam has taken over them", and also said they want to take a selfie. They slapped one of them, saying, "You dog with blond hair," and that they were taking them into Gaza.
video of the kidnapping of Hersch Goldberg-Polin, Or Levy and Alia Cohen on October 7.
(Video: Courtesy of Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
The “shelter of death” was the roadside bomb shelter where many young revelers fleeing the Nova music festival sought refuge, only for it to become one of the most notorious scenes of the Oct. 7 massacre.
Cohen and Goldberg-Polin were apparently wounded when Hamas terrorists threw a grenade into the shelter. In the video later released, Goldberg-Polin is seen with a severe arm injury as he is forced into a Hamas vehicle.
Months later, the family of Or Levy learned that he too had been abducted alongside the two men. In footage that reached the IDF in January, he is seen being taken into the Gaza Strip together with Goldberg-Polin and Cohen.
In April, Hamas released a video of Hersh, the first and only sign of life from his captivity. It is unclear when the footage was recorded, though his remarks appeared to suggest it was filmed around that time. The video clearly showed that his left arm had been amputated.
At the request of the Goldberg-Polin family, Ynet took the unusual step of publishing part of the footage and some of his remarks. It is believed that the statements he made in the video were dictated by his captors as part of Hamas’ psychological warfare.
First published: 08:19, 08.22.24