LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW: RNS national reporter Yonat Shimron in conversation with Rachel Goldberg-Polin
(RNS) — Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old American-Israeli, became the public face for the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, largely because of his mother’s fevered efforts to win his release.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a native of Chicago who had moved to Jerusalem in 2008 with her family, made it her life’s mission to win Hersh’s release. Now, she’s written a book about her very private ordeal, “When We See You Again.”
In it, she describes not only the agonizing 11 months during which Hersh was held hostage in Gaza, and the immense grief she carries after his killing at the hands of Hamas on Aug. 31, 2024. She also explores the Jewish traditions her modern Orthodox family has leaned on in mourning their son, and she paints an endearing portrait of Hersh, a mystic of sorts who was forming his own spiritual journey.
RNS invited Goldberg-Polin to talk about her book. The following is a transcript of the conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Yonat Shimron: Thank you for joining us.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin: Thank you so much for having me.
I wanted first to offer my condolences to you on Hersh’s death. We had spoken before his killing. Your book is really a searing testament to the grief that a mother feels for her dearly beloved son. Did writing the book help you ease the pain? How are you holding up these days?
I wish I could say that it eases the pain. I wish that there was some sort of difference in the suffering. But I think what writing the book did was, first of all, I felt that my soul was buckling from the weight of the pain and that …