Rachel and Jon Goldberg-Polin told Vice President Kamala Harris in no uncertain terms do they want their son Hersh’s death to be in vain, Doug Emhoff said from the Bimah during a prayer vigil for the six hostages killed by Hamas at Adas Israel, a Washington synagogue.
Emhoff said he was “gutted” and unable to stop thinking about Hersh and his parents, as well as Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, Ori Danino and their families.
Emhoff and Harris spoke with the Goldberg-Polins after learning the news over the weekend.
“Their souls were torn apart, just like the garments we tear in mourning. And yet, with this unspeakable tragedy that they were going through, they were actually comforting us on the call,” Emhoff said. “They were comforting us, but also asking about the latest in the negotiations. They were asking how we can use this terrible moment to make progress on the deal.”
Emhoff said Rachel and Jon spoke with grace, compassion, and strength.
Emhoff noted how Rachel and Jon wore the tape over their hearts the day of Hersh’s funeral, marking 332 days since October 7.
“I saw that and thought, it was never about their son, alone. As you can see, as the world could see, Jon and Rachel’s hearts have room to hold everyone,” Emhoff said. “They are not giving up, and neither can we. Not on this 333rd day, not ever, not until every hostage is reunited with their family.”
Hamas’ cold-blooded execution of six hostages, including an American citizen who could have been so close to coming home, reminds us that the trauma of October 7 has still not gone away, Emhoff said.
“The time to bring them home is now. This is why the president and vice president, the administration, are working around the clock to get the deal done,” he said.
“Thank you for the opportunity to share this experience with you, to mourn with you, to pray alongside you for the return of the hostages, and to honor all of those that we’ve lost,” Emhoff said. “May their memories be a blessing, may their deaths never be in vain, may we all know peace.”
Carmel Gat
The six should be more than a memory, LeElle Slifer, cousin of Carmel Gat said through tears during the prayer vigil.
“Their names should be etched deep into the very fabric of your souls,” Slifer said. “Shout their stories to the world and demand that Hamas release them.”
Slifer, who lives in Texas, was unable to travel to Israel for Carmel’s funeral.
She began her remarks by recounting her idyllic childhood spent in Israel with Carmel, picking grapes and eating popsicles.
“You could not imagine a more kind and peaceful family,” Slifer said. “Our peace was shattered on October 7.”
Carmel had just returned from her travels in India to spend Sukkot with her parents in her childhood home at Kibbutz Be’eri. The family, including one of her brothers, Alon, his wife, Yarden, and their three-year-old daughter, Geffen, ate Shabbat dinner together and went to bed under the same roof, Slifer said.
Alon, Yarden, and Geffen were abducted by Hamas militants before Alon was able to escape with Geffen. Alon and Carmel’s mother Kinneret was killed in the street, and Yarden and Carmel were taken to Gaza.
“The next year was a fight to bring Carmel home, the one we fought. True to her selfless spirit, Carmel fought for others,” Slifer said.
Slifer said some teenagers who’d been held hostage with Carmel and were released in November told Carmel’s family that while in captivity, Carmel practiced yoga with them, one of her favorite pastimes.
“She taught them how to do guided meditations, and helped keep them sane,” she said. “They called Carmel their guardian angel.”
Slifer said she was so hopeful that one day she would introduce her daughter, born on November 7 and named after Camel’s mother, to Carmel.
“I would get to tell Carmel that her mother was sending us a sign from heaven to have hope. Hope that Carmel would return, and hope that life and goodness would prevail,” Slifer said. “The entire world warned Israel to stay out of Rafah. ‘All eyes on Rafah,’ they said, but could no one see the hostages in Rafah? Could no one see our Carmel?”
Like the guardian angel she always was, Carmel wouldn’t want to fail the others, Slifer said.
“We have to call out to all of our leaders to stand side-by-side with Israel to help bring the hostages home,” Slifer said. “Now.”