Grieving Mother Rachel Goldberg-Polin Reflects on Israeli Hostage Return Efforts
Rachel Goldberg-Polin has kept her son’s bedroom frozen in time. A single exception sits on a shelf: a ball of tape pieces, each marked with a day count. She wore one daily after her son’s abduction and placed them on the wall each night.
Attack and abduction
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was seized during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. He had been attending the Nova Music Festival near the Gaza border. The assault left 378 people dead and hundreds injured.
The shelter where Hersh hid held more than two dozen people. Survivors say attackers repeatedly tossed hand grenades into the space. Aner Shapira threw back multiple grenades before he was killed.
What happened to Hersh
After a grenade explosion, Hersh was badly wounded. Witnesses reported a severe injury to his left arm. He and three other captives were put into a pickup truck and driven into Gaza.
Campaign for the hostages
Rachel and her husband Jon moved to Jerusalem about 18 years ago. They immediately pressed for answers after the kidnapping. The couple joined global advocacy efforts for the 251 hostages taken that day.
They spoke widely in the media and traveled to meet world leaders, including the pope. On Oct. 16, 2023, they appeared live on CNN with Anderson Cooper. After the interview, Cooper notified them about a video he had seen showing Hersh alive but gravely injured.
Daily rituals and small symbols
Rachel marked each day of captivity on a strip of tape. She wore one strip daily and then placed it on her apartment wall. She removed the pieces after the last hostages’ bodies returned to Israel in January 2025.
The ball of tape now rests in Hersh’s room. Looking at it, Rachel called those strips painful reminders of what she could not prevent.
Discovery and later testimony
On Aug. 31, 2024, several bodies were recovered in a tunnel in Rafah. Authorities later found Hersh among them. He had been shot multiple times at close range.
In February 2025, Israeli hostage Or Levy was released. Levy had been held in the same tunnel and met with Rachel and Jon days after his return. He told them Hersh had not been broken in captivity. He said Hersh smiled, laughed and repeated a line from Viktor Frankl: “He who has a why can bear any how.”
Comfort from a fellow captive
Levy said the mantra helped him survive. He tattooed the phrase and called his young son his reason to live. Levy also told the Goldberg-Polins that Hersh had heard Rachel’s voice while in captivity.
Hearing that provided the parents some small consolation. They believed Hersh knew they had been fighting for him.
Aftermath and reckoning
Rachel continued public advocacy after learning of her son’s death. She described the months of campaigning as both relentless and necessary. On day 328 of captivity, she joined other families in shouting loved ones’ names toward Gaza.
She has written a new book, When We See You Again, published this week. In it, she explores ongoing pain and the evolving nature of grief. She now seeks a new purpose after losing her child.
- Abduction date: Oct. 7, 2023
- Festival: Nova Music Festival, near Gaza border
- People killed in attack: 378
- Hostages taken: 251
- Bodies found: Aug. 31, 2024, Rafah tunnel
- Last bodies returned to Israel: January 2025
Grieving Mother Rachel Goldberg-Polin reflects on Israeli hostage return efforts in interviews and public appearances. Filmogaz.com will continue to follow developments and report updates on the families’ quests for answers.
