On Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the emotional parents of US hostage Hersh Goldberg Polin moved the audience to tears with their heart-wrenching speech urging their son to “stay strong” and “survive.” Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin took the stage amidst loud applause and chants of “Bring them home.” Wearing yellow ribbons and tape with the number 320, signifying the number of days their son has been held hostage, Hersh’s parents addressed the audience about their desperate plea for his safe return.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin began her speech in tears, saying “At this moment, 109 treasured human beings are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. They are Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists. They are from 23 different countries. The youngest hostage is a one-year-old red-headed baby boy … among the hostages are eight American citizens – one of those Americans is our only son.
Hersh’s mother Rachel Goldberg-Polin described her son as a “happy-go-lucky boy” who loved geography and music festivals. She went on to describe the horrific Hamas October 7 attacks where Hersh had his left arm blown off before being loaded onto a pickup truck and stolen from his life.
Since her son’s kidnapping, Goldberg-Polin and her husband John have lived “on another planet.” Audience members held up yellow “bring them home” bracelets as they listened to the distressed family’s plea for their son’s return.
Hersh’s father said that needing their only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue, but rather a humanitarian one. He commended Democrats and Republicans for their bipartisan support and expressed deep gratitude to the Biden-Harris administration for their work towards securing a hostage deal and a ceasefire to “end the despair in Gaza.
John Polin emphasized the importance of saving every person involved in this tragic conflict, stating that in the Jewish tradition, “every person is an entire universe. We must save all these universes.
In a heart-wrenching conclusion, Rachel Goldberg-Polin called out to her son directly: “Hersh, Hersh, if you can hear us we love you. Stay strong, survive.
