October 7 · Personal story
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Nova music festival near Re’im
Current outcome
Returned for burial · August 31, 2024
Hersh’s body was returned to Israel on 31 August 2024.
01
Berkeley, Jerusalem and maps
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was born in Berkeley, California, to Rachel and Jon. He was the eldest of their three children, with younger sisters Leebie and Orly. The family moved to Israel when he was seven and made Jerusalem home. As a child he studied maps and atlases, learning capitals and mountain ranges; later he was drawn to questions about religion, ethics, human rights and politics. His father remembered him as a careful listener who could talk across disagreements. Hersh loved Hapoel Jerusalem, music and travel. After nine weeks crossing six European countries for music festivals, he planned a longer journey through Asia and university after military service.
02
Nova, 7 October 2023
On Friday evening, 6 October 2023, Hersh went with his family to synagogue, then left for the Nova festival near Re’im with friends. When rockets and gunfire drove people from the party, Hersh and others took cover in a roadside shelter. His parents received two brief messages from him: “I love you” and then “I’m sorry.” Witnesses later told the Associated Press that grenades were thrown into the shelter and that Hersh lost his left arm below the elbow. He tied a tourniquet himself. He was taken from the shelter to Gaza with other festivalgoers. His family waited almost eleven months for news.
03
A sentence remembered by a fellow captive
In September 2025, former hostage Or Levy told the SA Jewish Report that he spent three days with Hersh in a tunnel, alongside Ori Danino and Almog Sarusi. They shared stories, cried and laughed. Levy said Hersh’s words became his mantra: “If you have the why, you’ll find the how.” In an interview published in September 2025, former hostage Eliya Cohen described a brief reunion with Hersh; they spent three days together. Hersh was killed in captivity on 29 August 2024.
04
Returned to Jerusalem
Hersh’s body was returned to Israel on 31 August 2024, two days after his death on 29 August. It was recovered from a tunnel in Rafah. His funeral took place in Jerusalem on 2 September, and he was buried at Har HaMenuchot. Relatives, friends and supporters of Hapoel Jerusalem gathered to say goodbye. The family had waited nearly eleven months for his return; the funeral brought them together to remember the life they had shared with him.
05
Family remembers Hersh
At Hersh’s funeral, his father Jon recalled a sentence from the family’s move to Israel: “I’m Hersh, and the Israelis will deal with it.” His mother Rachel spoke about the years she had been his mother, and his sisters Leebie and Orly remembered their brother. The family had spent months advocating for Hersh’s release and continued to speak publicly about the other hostages after his death. Friends remembered his curiosity, warmth and ability to listen across disagreement; his family asked that his life, as well as the circumstances of his death, remain in people’s memory.