‘Our 23 years with you were a blessing’ – thousands at Hersh Goldberg-Polin funeral
Israeli president makes an impassioned plea for forgiveness at Jerusalem graveside
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
The grief-stricken family of the 23-year-old Hamas hostage, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were joined by thousands of mourners at his funeral at the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem on Monday.
The American-Israeli Goldberg-Polin had been captured by Hamas terrorists at the Nova music festival on October 7 2023. He and more than 250 other hostages had been held in Gaza over many months, although some captives were released in November.
But, on Sunday, the tragic news broke that Goldberg-Polin and five other captives had been murdered as IDF forces sought to rescue them in the Gaza city of Rafah. Forensic tests carried out on the six dead showed that they had been shot in the head, within a couple of hours of the Israeli army presence becoming known in the area.
Nearly 8,000 people worldwide watched the funeral online, with the comments boxes filling up with broken-heart emoji symbols, while at the cemetery the blue and white Israeli flags were accompanied by the red and black banners of the Hapoel Jerusalem football and basketball clubs, where Goldberg-Polin had been a keen supporter.
The crowd watched in tearful silence as Jon Polin, Hersh’s father, made a fervent plea, addressing his beloved son: “For 330 days, Mama and I have searched for the proverbial stone that would bring you home. Maybe your death will be the stone that will bring the other hostages home”.
And he added: “Hersh, you have become a global symbol for bringing good to the world. The 23 years we had with you were a blessing. We will work to make your memory a blessing”.
But, both Jon Polin and President Isaac Herzog, who gave the main eulogy at the graveside, spoke of failure, saying that despite best efforts, “we all failed you”.
The president went further, in an emotional address buttressed by the close personal relationship that had evolved between him, his wife Michal, and Jon and Rachel Goldberg-Polin and their daughters Libby and Orli.
President Herzog, clearly devastated by the deaths of the six captives when they were so close to being rescued alive, addressed Goldberg-Polin as “beloved”, and said he was speaking with “a torn and broken heart… as a human being and a father”
Speaking in both Hebrew and English, he asked for Goldberg-Polin’s forgiveness, saying: “I apologise on behalf of the state of Israel, that we failed to protect you in the terrible disaster of October 7, that we failed to bring you home safely.
“I apologise that the country you immigrated to at the age of seven, wrapped in the Israeli flag, could not keep you safe.
“Rachel, Jon, dear Libby, and Orly, grandparents, and the whole family —I ask for your forgiveness, forgiveness that we could not bring Hersh back home alive”.
Those who had held him and others were “cursed, monstrous murderers”, the president said, adding that “there is no door in the world on which your beloved family did not knock for you, for your rescue and well-being. There is no stone they left unturned, no prayer or plea they did not cry out – from one end of the world to the other – in the ears of God and man”.
In a pointed message to the government, President Herzog said: “Now – the state of Israel has an urgent and immediate task. Decision-makers must do everything possible, with determination and courage, to save those who can still be saved, and to bring back all our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters”.
He made clear: “This is not a political goal, and it must not become a political dispute. It is a supreme moral, Jewish, and human duty of the state of Israel to its citizens.
“We did not fulfil this duty. And now – we have a sacred and shared obligation, to stand up and bring them all back to their homeland. For the spirit, resilience, and unity of Israel.
“Of course, we do not forget for a moment our obligation to hold accountable the despicable murderers who butchered you, Hersh, your friends, our sisters, and our brothers.
“Here too, the mission is clear and binding: To continue fighting relentlessly against the murderous terrorist organisation Hamas, which has once again proven that there is no end to its savagery and the crimes against humanity it is willing to commit.
President Herzog concluded: “In his life and in his death Hersh has touched all of humanity deeply. He has changed our world. And woven his essence of light and love into the story of the Jewish people and into our human story, forever.”
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