Israeli-American hostage with Chicago ties is one of six killed in Gaza
CHICAGO (CBS) — Thousands of protesters filled the streets in Tel Aviv, Israel, demanding a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. After the deaths of six Israeli hostages, including one whose parents are originally from Chicago, they say it may be their only hope of finding the remaining captives alive.
Police used water cannons on demonstrators. The anger there is fierce and only growing. Israeli flags draped the caskets of the dead, as Israel's major trade union is threatening a massive strike.
The goal is to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal now.
One of the hostages found dead is Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
The president of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago calls the hostages' deaths devastating and heartbreaking. He says it was always a tragic possibility, but he prayed it would not come true.
"The prospect of what happened the last 48 hours is always front and center in our minds," said Lonnie Nasatir. "The harsh reality that his life was taken cruelly last night hits us as a community even more powerfully than maybe the others. The others are equally important, but this one with the Chicago connection hits really hard and hits our heart."
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was among the hundreds of young people attending the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked. Militants killed some 1,200 people, and took more than 250 people hostage. More than 100 were released during a cease-fire last year, and others have been released or rescued since then, but roughly 75 hostages are still believed to be held alive in Gaza.
Funeral held in Jerusalem for Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Many gathered Monday in Jerusalem for Goldberg-Polin's funeral. His death brought a crushing end to a high-profile international campaign by his parents to bring him home.
Nasatir says Goldberg-Polin's parents were Chicagoans and met in the city. He still has family in Chicago.
"Throughout this whole ordeal, we've been really connected to the family. He still has two grandmothers here, aunts and uncles. So the family is here, and we've been connecting with them all the time over the last 11 months or so."
Goldberg-Polin's parents have been among the highest-profile relatives of the hostages, as they have lobbied extensively for the release of all the hostages. His mother and father, Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin wore masking tape and changed it daily with the number of days their son was in captivity.
They spoke less than two weeks ago during an emotional speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, detailing life without their son.
"Since then, we live on another planet," his mother said.
At his funeral on Monday, both of his parents spoke about their son.
"I have had a lot of time during the past 332 days to think about my sweet boy, Hersh, and one think I keep thinking about is how out of all of the mothers in the whole entire world, God chose to give Hersh to me. What must I have done in the past life to deserve such a beautiful gift?" Rachel Goldberg-Polin said.
"Hersh, we failed you. We all failed you. You would not have failed you. You would have pushed harder for justice. You would have worked to understand the other, to bridge differences. You would have challenged more people to challenge their own thinking," Jon Polin said. "What you would be pushing for now is to ensure that your death, the deaths of all the soldiers and so many innocent civilians are … not in vain."
Several Chicago synagogues are among those uniting in the face of heartbreak, holding vigils and praying to show support for the families of those killed.
Mourners from across the Chicago area gathered virtually Sunday evening through Chicago's Anshe Emet Synagogue to honor the six hostages whose bodies were recovered from an underground tunnel in Rafah this weekend.
The victims were all shot in the head between 48 and 72 hours before they were found dead, according to Israel's Ministry of Health.
Other local groups are now doing what they can to comfort the hostages' families. The Chicago Jewish Alliance marched in Skokie, saying while they grieve, they will continue to raise their voices against violence and hatred.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris personally spoke to the grieving parents.
On social media, President Biden said, "I have worked tirelessly to bring their beloved Hersh safely to them and am heartbroken by the news of his death."
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin also expressed his condolences, saying, "A ceasefire must be reached immediately that allows all remaining hostages to be released, humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, and an elusive and neglected long-term vision for peace and stability to become reality."
Mayor Brandon Johnson also offered his condolences in a post on X, formerly Twitter:
"I am praying for every family whose loved one was murdered in Gaza, including that of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose family has roots in the Chicagoland area. No parent or family should ever have to experience such pain, and my deepest condolences to all suffering in this war," Johnson wrote.