Rachel Goldberg-Polin
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Goldberg-Polin, November 2023
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| Born | 1969 or 1970 |
| Nationality | American-Israeli |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Known for | Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis activism |
Rachel Goldberg-Polin (Hebrew: רייצ׳ל גולדברג-פולין; born 1969 or 1970) is an American-Israeli activist, primarily focused on resolving the hostage crisis which began with the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. She began her activism after her son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was abducted by Hamas while attending the Re’im Music Festival.
Goldberg-Polin's son, Hersh, was kidnapped and abducted to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.[1] Following her son's abduction, she quit her job[2] to focus full-time on working towards freeing the hostages, and has since spoken to both political authorities and media organizations, including the BBC,[3] CBS,[4] NBC,[5] and The Wall Street Journal.[6] Specifically, she has called for the Israeli government to negotiate a hostage deal, and has criticized leaders for "not doing enough" to bring the hostages home.[7][8] In daily life, she has attempted to draw attention to the hostage crisis by putting tape on her clothing, on which she writes the number of days since October 7.[9][2]
On November 14, 2023, she attended the March for Israel rally in Washington, D.C., and spoke about the plight of all the 240 hostages from countries all around the World Rachel Goldberg-Polin speaking November 14, 2023..[10]
In December 2023, she gave a seven-minute speech at the United Nations in Geneva.[11]
In February 2024, Goldberg-Polin and 11 other hostage families met with the Pope.[12]
In early April 2024, Goldberg-Polin, her husband, and other family members of hostages met with United States Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan, to urge action on a hostage deal.[13]
She was named as one of the Time 100 in April 2024.[1]
Rachel Goldberg was raised in Chicago.[1]
Goldberg-Polin, her husband, Jonathan, and their three children moved to Israel in the early 2000s.[9][2] They have lived in Jerusalem since 2008.[1] She is an observant Jew who keeps kosher.[1][12]
