'We all failed you': Parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin pay tribute to their son at his funeral
Mourners lined the streets of Jerusalem near the Har Hamenuchot cemetery on Monday for the funeral of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose body was among the six recovered by the Israeli military from a tunnel in southern Gaza.
Goldberg-Polin, 23, was one of 40 people taken hostage at an outdoor dance festival - the Nova festival in southern Israel - where thousands of people were partying in the dawn hours of Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked.
His body was among six Israeli hostages recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza on Saturday. They were killed 48-72 hours before they were found, according to the health ministry.
Isaac Herzog, president of Israel, mourned Goldberg-Polin’s death and the circumstances surrounding his kidnapping, “On behalf of the state of Israel, that we failed to protect you in the terrible disaster of October 7.”
“Know this: We are witnesses, and we will never forget,” said Herzog. “There is no door in the world on which your beloved family did not knock for you, for your rescue and well-being.”
At the funeral, the late 23-year-old’s parents delivered eulogies. Jon Polin, Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s father, donned a navy blue shirt, and his mother and two siblings wore white shirts, each emblazoned with 332, symbolizing the days Hersh was held captive. He shared recollections of his son, noting that Hersh consistently “employed his intellect to enhance the bonds of friendship.”
“Just a few of the topics that Hersh has challenged us on in recent years include the ethics of eating animals, the pros and cons of nation-states, Israeli settlement policy, Halichos observance, the value of a university degree, consumer consumption, and so much more, - always seeking to understand the other and always with dignity and respect,” said Jon Polin.
One of Polin’s most poignant messages at his son’s funeral was, “May his memory be a revolution.”
“Hersh, we failed you. We all failed you. You would not have failed you. You would have pushed harder for justice. You would have worked to understand the other, to bridge differences. You would have challenged more people to challenge their own thinking. And what you would be pushing for now is to ensure that your death, the deaths of all the soldiers and so many innocent civilians are…not in vain,” Polin said.
“Maybe, just maybe, Your death is the stone, the fuel, that will bring home the remaining 101 hostages,” he later added.
Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, also reflected on her son’s life, saying, “Hersh was not perfect, but he was the perfect son for me.”
“We became absolutely certain that you were coming home to us alive, but it was not to be. Now I no longer have to worry about you. I know you are no longer in danger. You are with beautiful Aner,” she said.
She added that the hope that perhaps a deal to free her son and other hostages was “so authentic, it was crunchy.”
Israel’s military identified the other five hostages as Carmel Gat, 40, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Almog Sarusi, 27 and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25.
“It tasted close, but it was not to be so. Those beautiful six survived together, and those beautiful six died together, and now they will be remembered together forever,” she said.
“Okay, sweet boy, go now on your journey," said Goldberg. "I hope it’s as good as the trips you dreamed about, because finally, my sweet boy, finally, finally, finally, finally, you’re free,”
In a press conference Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked for forgiveness for failing to bring the hostages back alive and said Hamas will “pay a heavy price.”
Later on Monday, the Hamas armed wing admitted to killing the hostages and published a pre-recorded video of one of the six dead Israelis on their Telegram account, according to the Jerusalem Post. The message was from slain hostage Eden Yerushalmi before her death, but it is unclear when the video was made.
Hamas militants seized 253 hostages in the Oct. 7 rampage through Israeli communities that killed 1,200 Israelis and foreigners and triggered a relentless Israeli assault that has laid waste to Gaza and killed more than 40,600 Palestinians.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, Susan Miller, John Bacon and Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Finally you're free': Parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin speak out