Frustrations from a Distantly Close Friend

A view of a banner depicting Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American seized during the October 7 attack on Israel and taken hostage into Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

I was at my college’s late-night diner preparing to order food when out of boredom, I checked my phone for the first time in a few hours. When I opened Instagram, the sight I had been dreading for months appeared right before my eyes. The Israeli Hostage whose family I knew, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was murdered in cold blood by Hamas terrorists, and his body recovered by the IDF. Since October 7, I have lived in fear for my friends and family in Israel, and in sadness for all who perished, but nothing hit closer to home than Hersh’s story.

Hersh spent many years attending the Jewish camp I attended (albeit for Passover whereas I attended summer). Hersh’s mother, Rachel, worked at the school I studied at when I did my semester in Jerusalem. Many of his closest family and friends are close mentors of mine, and people whose homes and Shabbat tables I have been invited to and present in. Hersh and I cheered for the same basketball team, Hapoel Yerushalayim. Hersh loved to travel, as do I. Hersh had a poster in his room proclaiming “Jerusalem is everyone’s”, a belief I not only agree with, but attempt to embody. Hersh’s story, more than any story in the past several months, resonated with me, and his name was the first that came to mind whenever I would Daven for the hostages, or even mention them. Despite never meeting, I felt so close to Hersh, and in reality I was.

Hersh’s death did not allow me to sleep for a night. I was angry. Angry at Hamas, for their evil barbarity and grotesque terrorism. Angry at western protestors who flooded streets and set up encampments demanding a ceasefire without mentioning the hostages, often even defending Hamas. Angry at the media, for using language saying Hersh was “found dead”, not murdered at point-blank. Angry at Benjamin Netanyahu, in my opinion the most evil man in Israel’s history, who is not only responsible for October 7 and for strengthening Hamas, but who is actively delaying a hostage deal to save his political career, something that directly caused the deaths of these hostages, including Hersh, who was on a list to be released in a deal in July. 

One source of my anger, though, was unexpected. When Jews I know from all around the world began posting pictures of Hersh, sharing infographics about the hostages, and flooding social media, most were doing so out of genuine heartbreak. But my friends in Israel were flooding the streets, striking, and fighting with all their will to save the hostages and demand Netanyahu act now to strike a deal. The hypocrites on my side of the Atlantic, however, would post and message me about how holding Netanyahu responsible was “wrong” and “divisive”, and how by blaming Netanyahu I was empowering Hamas. 

The hostage families have demanded a deal, and have even disavowed Netanyahu, going. as far as asking him to remove a hostage solidarity pin. Millions of Israelis have protested demanding a deal. Benjamin Netanyahu has willingly delayed a deal, and even though Hamas is at fault for this situation, he still holds significant blame. Hamas is raw evil. Netanyahu is the leader of the State of Israel. He is supposed to represent a country I consider to be one of the best in the world. Instead, he is promising this utopia of “total victory” which is obviously not feasible, as seen with Hersh’s story, the hostages cannot be rescued by military action. By delaying a deal, he is stooping below the level of a leader of a moral country, and thus, becoming worthy of criticism. 

One particular person I follow posted a 30-second rant about how tragic Hersh’s death was, and how urgent it was to bring them home, and then dedicated the last 5 seconds of the video to say “but not through a deal as that would favor Hamas”.  Yes, a deal would favor Hamas. Yes, it would be an unfair deal. But, it would bring our friends and family members home. It will let the hostage families feel their loved ones’ embrace once again. Israel can regroup and defend itself, but the 100 hostages are in a life or death situation. The Torah teaches us that one life is a whole universe. Currently, tens of thousands of innocent universes, Israeli and Palestinian, have perished, and 100 universes remain in Gaza, held hostage, being abused and suffering horrors beyond comprehension daily. 

You cannot wear the hostage tag, post about bringing them home, and advocate for the hostages without pushing for a deal. It is the only way to bring them home. Over 100 hostages have been freed by deals, and more hostages have been killed by Israel than rescued. The only way to bring them home alive is a deal, and not “total victory”. If your care for the hostages is out of a genuine pain in your heart like it is in mine, you would take a step back and listen to the hostage families and security experts.

Hypocrisy is deadly, and the lives of hostages are on the line. We failed Hersh and dozens of others. It is not too late to save the rest of them, but we have to act now before it is. As much as it is a difficult truth, a deal is the only realistic solution to bring them home, alive, and thus is the only thing we should support. Life is the most precious thing. We must stop the bloodshed, save innocent Palestinian civilians, bring our soldiers home safely, and return every single hostage to their family’s open arms. It is not only the moral thing to do, it is the right thing to do. 

Hersh Goldberg-Polin Z’’L was an incredible human being, a true light upon the nations as the Torah commands Jews to be. It is our duty to act in his memory to stop the bloodshed, and most of all, save the other hostages who still have a chance to come home. It is the best way to honor those who have fallen.

I may have never met Hersh, but my personal connections to his family, my connections to his personality, and my connections to his story made it feel over the past few months as if we were lifelong friends. While I will not have the honor of meeting Hersh, I will fight with all my will to make sure his memory is a blessing as well as a revolution, and that it helps bring the hostages home and end the suffering. All Jews around the world should feel compelled to do the same. 

Baruch Dayan Haemet. Bring them all home NOW.