“It was simply easy to love you. You were, and always will be, my big brother—but now you belong to everyone,” his sister Orly said. “That makes me happy, because everyone needs Hersh in their lives.”
Memorial service for Hersh Goldberg-Polin
(Video: Alex Gamburg)
Hersh’s father, Jon, told mourners that, in his 23 years, his son always “prioritized things that can’t be quantified, smiling and making other people smile, knowledge, experiences, relationships, justice, and a legacy you have already left in your 23 years and 11 months is already greater than any of those legacies that can be quantified.”
Jon recalled a recent encounter in Jerusalem, where a man approached him and showed him a picture of Hersh on his phone: “He said that every morning he looks at the photo and asks himself what he can do today to make the world a better place. That’s the legacy you left, Hersh.”
His mother, Rachel, reflected on life and memory. “We are born, we live and we leave. We love, we learn, we grow, we create. Some are here for a moment, others for a lifetime—but the ending is always the same. What remains can be a legacy, a lesson, a breeze or nothing at all. Usually, only love remains,” she said.
“Sometimes I look deep into my own eyes, I unzip them – my eyes – and I can hear you, and I know you are here inside, even though I can’t see you with my eyes that are your eyes, that are my eyes, like the two big oceans that I can’t always see but there is no doubt that it is there.”
“I’m very moved and want to thank everyone who came today,” said his widow, Michal. “It’s been a year—a hard year. Who would have believed it would pass so quickly? I believe Alex is watching us from above and laughing. We are here to honor him, and we will continue to carry his voice and that of the five other hostages murdered with him. Thank you for standing with us. Thanks to you, I am standing here on my feet. Alex will always remain in our hearts. Most importantly, there are still 50 hostages in Gaza, and we must fight until they all come home—every single one.”
Alex’s brother, Anton, expressed gratitude for the support the family has received. “After seven years away, I returned to Israel and truly discovered who Alex was and what he did. Our people know how to strengthen and support one another,” he said.
“This is not an easy day,” he added. I want to wish that the hostages return home as soon as possible, because there is no more time. You cannot live in this reality. I lived it for 11 months, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
