Our Responsibility to Rachel

On October 6, 2023, Rachel Goldberg-Polin was not a household name. Raised in Chicago, she graduated from Brandeis University in 1992 and became a teacher. She and her husband Jonathan moved to Israel with their three children in the early 2000s.

On October 7th, Rachel’s 23-year-old Israeli American son, Hersh, was kidnapped by Hamas while attending the Nova Music Festival. Since then, Rachel has become recognized for roles she never wanted yet so bravely undertook: advocate, activist and face of the movement to bring all the hostages home safely. She met with politicians, religious leaders and international diplomats to share the story of her son, raise awareness of those who were being held captive by a terrorist organization, and urge the world not to remain silent, but instead to do whatever possible to BRING THEM ALL HOME.

On August 31, 2024, Rachel became the symbol of heartbreak and loss, as news broke that Hersh Goldberg-Polin was among the six murdered hostages recovered by IDF soldiers, executed by Hamas days before they would have been rescued. Everyone who had followed Rachel’s plight, who had watched her tirelessly plead for the safe return of her son, who witnessed her bravely serve as the spokesperson for all the parents, children, siblings, friends and loved ones of the hostages, felt a sense of profound sadness and grief for this boy we had come to know as if he were a part of our extended family. We mourned along with Rachel and Jonathan and the families of Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi.

Jewish tradition teaches that just as one who saves a life is said to have saved an entire universe, one who destroys a life is thought to have destroyed an entire universe. This is because each human being has limitless potential- we cannot know what their future will hold. Certainly, each of the families who lost a loved one on August 31st would agree that their individual universes are no longer the same. A vital piece was taken from them in the most brutal way, and nothing will ever make their universe whole again.

The global Jewish community is grieving this tremendous loss as well. As the calendar turns to September, and the days continue to pass for the 101 hostages still being held captive, we are holding our collective breath, waiting to see what will happen next. For many of us, Rachel Goldberg-Polin was the face of hope, a reminder for all of us to keep fighting. We think back to her impassioned speech just a couple of weeks ago at the Democratic National Convention, her visits with the Pope and President Biden and we wonder how she will go on and how we will go on.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin never asked to be a source of light in these dark times. She did what was needed for her son, for the hostages and for a world who needed an advocate, an activist and a leader. Our universe has been shattered by the deaths of Hersh, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi. This is a time to grieve. Not just for the families, but for all of us. However, it is also a time to come together and lift each other up. It is a time to become what Rachel and the other hostage families need us to be.

In her speech to the United Nations on December 12, 2023, Rachel Goldberg-Polin said, “In our world right now, there is nothing more frightening than choosing life. It’s an idea that will require the most brave, creative, heroic efforts and strengths imaginable for those who are willing amidst ongoing trauma, angst and suspicion to build an idea of a future. In most conflicts, there are two sides and neither side is going anywhere. So all over the world, we have got to learn to live together or all over the world we are going to die together.”

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi were not given a choice when they were kidnapped and brutally murdered by Hamas. Their families became activists and advocates out of necessity. However, as a community we do have a choice. More than that, we have a responsibility to repair our broken world, to put our shattered universe back together and to learn to live in peace together, all over the world. Now more than ever, before another life is lost and another universe destroyed, we must do whatever we can to choose light, choose life and BRING THEM ALL HOME.