Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American who was found dead in Gaza nearly 11 months after his abduction from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, shared her reflections on grief. Speaking to NBC News, she expressed that grief does not improve over time, stating, “It might get different. I’m hopeful that it will get different.” She noted that time only intensifies the longing and desire to be with her son. “The reality is that time makes you more hungry or more thirsty for your person,” she explained.
Hersh was one of six hostages held by Hamas whose remains were discovered in a tunnel under the southern city of Rafah in Gaza in September 2024. Originally from the United States, he and his family relocated to Israel when he was seven. Rachel Goldberg-Polin worried that her grief might worsen because the yearning and longing never fade. She recounted a moment when her daughter found her in tears, explaining, “I just looked up and I said, ‘I haven’t seen my son in three years.'”
As the third anniversary of the attacks approached, Israel’s National Security Council advised Israelis living abroad to maintain “heightened vigilance” due to an “increased risk of attempted attacks against Israelis and Jews abroad.” A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office encouraged the public to avoid sharing travel plans on social media in advance, and to refrain from posting content that indicates involvement with security forces. Travelers were also advised to avoid trips to Jordan, Qatar, Somaliland, and Egypt, and to minimize speaking Hebrew in crowded areas.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin further reflected on her son, describing him as “totally ordinary,” despite the temptation to mythologize or lionize young people who die tragically. “What’s extraordinary about Hersh is that he is totally ordinary,” she said. “He was filled with beauty and filled with flaws.” Hersh moved to Israel from the U.S. with his family at the age of seven and was one of the hostages whose bodies were found in Rafah.
Israel began commemorations of the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks with a nationwide moment of silence at 6:29 a.m. local time, marking the exact time the Hamas assault began in 2023. At the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog lit a memorial candle to commence the day’s commemorative events, honoring the memory of those who were lost.