close
close

Semainede4jours

Real-time news, timeless knowledge

    • Rachel Goldberg-Polin talks grief surviving with IDF widow
    bigrus

    Rachel Goldberg-Polin talks grief surviving with IDF widow

    Harry Posted on

    “We have no choice but to be hopeful” Rachel Goldberg-Polinhis mother hostage killed Hersh She shares how she is coping with her son’s death in a discussion posted on YouTube by Kehilat B’Orcha Yerushalayim (Light in Your Community) on Sunday.

    In the episode titled “Rachel cries for her children,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin spoke with Rachel Goldberg, the widow of Hersh’s teacher, the late substitute Rabbi Avi Goldberg. They discussed together the pain of losses in the Israel-Hamas War.

    Goldberg-Polin explained where she found the strength to continue when asked by the episode’s host, Rachel Sharansky Danziger. He said he did not believe it was a choice and that his advocacy was “the basic instinct of every mother, every parent, every father.” He also commented, “It was a reflex.”

    Goldberg-Polin advocates for the hostages to be released, tour around the world, express their pain, and share on social media and other platforms.

    Goldberg-Polin stated that the journey was a mixture of emotions, saying, “Every second I fought for Hersh, I was terrified because I knew he was suffering.” His experience came together with his positive experience and the support he received from the worldwide community. He commented: “The Jewish community rose up like warriors. To greet us and help us.”

    Hersh Goldberg-Polin is 23 years old. (Source: Himmelfarb School, Jerusalem)

    Rachel Goldberg spoke about her husband’s death and her connection to Hersh as her teacher. Avi Goldberg He was Hersh’s 7th and 8th grade Jewish studies teacher at Himmelfarb High School, a National-Religious community affiliated with the Bayit Vagan neighborhood in Jerusalem. He served as a reserve officer in the 8207th battalion, 228th brigade for approximately 250 days since October 7, and was martyred in the conflict in Southern Lebanon on October 26.

    In the episode, Rachel mentioned that she wasn’t required to serve as a reserve duty due to her late husband’s age and having eight children (anyone with six or more children is automatically exempt). But according to Goldberg, it was an active choice on his part: “It wasn’t a question that was in his mind or in my mind.” He also said, “When the Israeli people are in danger, there is no doubt that you are there to defend.”

    Goldberg shared the difficulties she faced with the start of the war due to her husband’s absence. “It was very challenging,” he said. She also noted how community support helped her despite the pressure of raising eight children, especially as she had limited contact with him during wartime conditions.

    He loved his students very much

    Goldberg evaluated Avi’s relationship with his students, still struggling with the new shift in using past tense when talking about himself, and shared that “he loves his students, he loves Hersh.” He also shared that “the loss he feels as a teacher of these wonderful children is immense.”

    After the death of one of his students, Dvir Barazani, late last year, he wrote a letter expressing his sorrow and addressed to his colleagues at Himmelfarb. “We make ourselves stronger. If we should. We bite our lips and continue ‘asiya’ (doing).”

    Stay up to date with the latest news!

    Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter

    The presenter directed the question to women, “How will we continue?” he asked.

    “We should be hopeful,” Goldberg-Polin said. “It’s a very unstable distinction between being hopeful and falling into despair,” and “standing back and respecting, I think that’s our biggest problem.” “As a nation, as a nation.”

    He concluded his speech with the following words: “We have no choice.”

    The underlying theme of the episode was a connection to Judaism and a reference to Mother Mother Rachel. Coincidentally, the names of all three women in the episode published in the original figure’s yahrzeit, published on the 11th day of the month of Heshvan, are Rachel. They share their stories in connection with the mother.

    Danziger referenced the biblical figure Rachel Imenu (our mother Rachel) in a quote from Jeremiah: “She refuses to be comforted for her departed children,” drawing on the similarities between the biblical mother Rachel and Rachel Goldberg-Polin. Even after the murder of his son and five others by Hamas, he remains a strong advocate for his son and all hostages and continues to fight for the return of all remaining hostages. Goldberg-Polin is seen as a unifying figure in the media.



    Harry
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like