Slain US-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s grief-stricken mother begged for his forgiveness Monday for not being able to secure his rescue from Hamas captivity, as thousands packed his funeral in Jerusalem.
“If there was something we could have done to save you, and we didn’t think of it, I beg your forgiveness. We tried so very hard, so deeply and desperately. I’m sorry,” Rachel Goldberg told her late son during the emotional ceremony at the Givat Shaul cemetery.
Goldberg gave a tearful but emphatic tribute to her “sweet boy,” who was found dead alongside five other hostages Saturday in a tunnel beneath Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
“Now my Hersh, I ask for your help, as we transform our hope into grief in this new, unknown brand of pain. I beg of you, Hersh, please do what you can do to have your life shine down” she said.
Goldberg added that she was heartened to know that Hersh, 23, was held alongside five other hostages, whom she had learned about from their families during the past 11 months.
“Those beautiful six survived together, and those beautiful six died together,” she said.
Goldberg described the family’s mourning in the days since Hersh’s body was found as a “new, unknown brand of pain.”
Goldberg became tearful near the end of her address, before telling her late son “finally, you’re free!”
“I will love you, and I will miss you every single day for the rest of my life,” she said.
Hersh’s father, Jon Polin, asked mourners to reflect on a Torah verse that encouraged people to find a close teacher and counselor and to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
“This verse is Hersh,” the grieving dad told the crowd.
From a young age, Hersh “had a wisdom that always expanded my own thinking,” Polin said.
The dad recalled moments of Hersh growing up, including the time he charged passers-by $1 per presidential trivia question during a family vacation in Florida.
Polin also used the platform to issue a rallying cry for the return of the remaining 101 hostages.
“The 23 years of life that we had with you were a blessing,” he told Hersh. “You were a really great guy. I love you.”
Hersh’s two younger sisters, Leebie and Orly Goldberg-Polin, gave an address in Hebrew.
All four family members appeared with their shirts torn at the chest, a traditional Jewish expression of grief that symbolizes the heartbreak of profound loss.
The soccer-loving music enthusiast was also eulogized by his friends from school and members of the Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog opened the ceremony with a speech he delivered in both Hebrew and English.
He asked for the Goldberg-Polin family’s forgiveness for the government’s failure to bring Hersh home alive after nearly 11 months in captivity.
Hersh’s funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners, while thousands of others lined the streets of Jerusalem to observe the procession to the cemetery.
The discovery of Hersh’s body on Saturday sparked a massive outpouring of grief and outrage across Israel.
The IDF identified the other five victims as Ori Danino, 25; Eden Yerushalmi, 24; Almog Sarusi, 27; Alexander Lobanov, 33; and Carmel Gat, 40.
Autopsies revealed that all six had been alive as recently as 72 to 48 hours before they were found.
They were all shot multiple times at close range.
“The tragic murder of Hersh, just months after we all saw his face in a hostage video released by Hamas, is nothing short of vicious and senseless,” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a joint statement.
“It is more proof that Hamas is killing hostages in captivity. And it is a cruel reminder that with each passing day, the chances of bringing anyone home alive are at grave risk.
“For the last 331 days, we warned that this could happen. Enough is enough,” they said.
Hersh’s killing also came shortly after his parents made an emotional appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
