“I haven’t heard from Hersh since Hamas released a video of him fifty days ago,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of Hersh, 23, who has been held hostage in Gaza for 254 days, tells us. «L’Osservatore Romano» has been following the human story of Rachel and Hersh since last October, in Jerusalem, where she lives with her husband Jon and Hersh’s two younger sisters, but also in Rome, where last November Rachel was received by Pope Francis. «In that video – very critical of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government – they tell me that Hersh was actually reading a text prepared for him by Hamas, but I am sure that the words of love that he ultimately addressed to us, to his family, were authentically his. My heart sank when I saw him again. But at least I know he’s alive. Even if with an amputated arm.”
On October 7, Hersh, fleeing from the concert at the Supernova festival, had found shelter in a shelter together with about twenty young people. When the terrorists broke in, shooting and throwing grenades, 18 of them were killed; Hersh and 2 others were saved because they were protected by the bodies of those killed, but the explosion of a bomb severed their left arm. «And unfortunately – Rachel adds with a bitter smile – Hersh is left-handed like me».
In recent days, rumors had circulated that the United States had decided to undertake direct negotiations for the release of the 5 hostages with American passports, including Hersh. Have you had confirmation of this?
Yes, I heard it too last Monday but I didn’t have confirmation. I met with Secretary of State Blinken the next day and he told us that they are only focused on the global negotiation for the ceasefire and the release of all the hostages.
And how do you judge the progress of the global negotiations?
I see a problem upstream: there are many negotiators, but only two decision makers. The outcome depends only on them. There are, it is true, also many influential institutions pushing for a reasonable solution. Among these I point out first Pope Francis who last Sunday also implored Hamas to accept the agreement. The global vision of the Pope’s suffering is also mine. And I say this not only in reference to the 129 hostages, who are of different religions and come from 24 different countries, but I also say it thinking of the hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of Gaza, who innocently find themselves caught in the crossfire of this horrible conflict . Pope Francis is raising his voice, even beyond the billion and three hundred million Christians that he represents, so that there is an immediate ceasefire, and so that the necessary humanitarian aid can enter Gaza.
Don’t you think that this sensitivity to common suffering is not shared enough here in Israel, and also in Palestine?
God has gifted us with intellect and reason. If we use them appropriately we understand that suffering cannot be measured, it cannot be weighed. Mine, Hersh’s, that of the other 128 hostages and their families, but also that of the hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of Gaza, are equal. There cannot be a competition of suffering. There is no competition between tears, tears are all the same and they all weigh the same from whichever eye they come out of. If we create this competition, I believe we do a colossal injustice.
How do you imagine Hersh is relating to his kidnappers today?
Hersh is a very sociable and curious boy. He has no prejudice, neither ethnic nor religious. And above all he is very kind. He has several Palestinian and Muslim friends. One of them came to visit us. I understand that this story is difficult for them too, because we all live in the shadow of an absurd paradigm of opposition. Hersh does not speak Arabic, only Hebrew, although his native language is English. As a family we speak English. When we moved to Israel Hersh was 8 years old.
Furthermore, you are a religious family.
Yes, we are all religious. I am used to praying longer at least twice a day. But since October 7th we pray much more frequently. I confide to you that in recent months I have found great relief in particular in reading the Psalms, their distinctly human dimension generates continuous resonances for the time I am living in. Sometimes it happens that someone asks me: how can you be a believer after what happened to you? I reply that precisely because I am a believer I am able to withstand this difficult test. Without prayer I couldn’t do it.
If you could send a message to the powerful in the world, what would you like to tell them?
Put aside your policies, your interests, your ego, and put man, his dignity, life at the center of your service. I don’t know what it means to live in a condition of great power, I imagine that the responsibility you feel on your shoulders is very heavy. But I think that at the end of the day, when you stand in front of the mirror, and are forced to be honest with yourself, you can’t help but ask yourself if what you are doing has any effectiveness in alleviating the misery of the human condition of many. The effectiveness of your work to free these innocent hostages. But I will say more: to free us all. Because we are all hostages: hostages of this degeneration of living together.
Some of the released hostages reported that they had remained informed of the initiatives of the families’ forum, of the street demonstrations that take place incessantly for negotiations, for their release. So if Hersh could hear you, what would you want to tell him?
I would repeat to him the phrase that this morning, when I walked for more than an hour, I repeated continuously like a mantra: I love you. Stay strong. Survive. I love You.
from Jerusalem
Roberto Cetera
