Applause & chants of ‘Bring them home now’ as parents of kidnapped American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin take DNC stage

'There are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists' still in captivity, said Goldberg-Polin

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When Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday night, tens of thousands of delegates received them with loud applause and chants of “Bring them home now.”

The warm welcome wasn’t necessarily expected, as the DNC has been marred by anti-Israeli and partly antisemitic demonstrations outside the hall, along with the simmering protest of the “Uncommitted” movement, which seeks to shift the party platform, from within, to a more pro-Palestinian stance.

Full speech at DNC by Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Israeli - American young man, who is being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.pic.twitter.com/3yT4NJZw7d
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) August 22, 2024

While the Times of Israel reported that some of the attendees on Wednesday donned Palestinian keffiyehs, it also noted many others wore the yellow pins, indicating support for the Israeli hostages being held captive by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Despite fears that giving American hostage families a speaking slot at the DNC would expose the growing intra-party rift over the Gaza War, an “attentive and respectful silence” enveloped the hall during the speech, according to the Times of Israel.

“At this moment, 109 treasured human beings are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin began her speech.

“They are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists,” she said. “They are from 23 different countries. The youngest hostage is a 1-year-old redheaded baby boy, and the oldest is an 86-year-old mustachioed grandfather.”

“Like Kamala Harris, Hersh was born in Oakland, California,” Rachel noted. “Hersh is a happy-go-lucky, laid-back, good-humored, respectful, and curious person. He is a civilian.”

The family’s 23-year-old son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped on Oct. 7 while attending the Nova Music Festival close to the Gaza border. Infamous footage taken on that day showed him with one arm half blown off by a grenade lobbed into the bomb shelter, where he attempted to hide.

In April, Hamas released a propaganda video of Hersh, and in June, his family allowed the publication of another video that showed him being shoved onto a truck on Oct. 7.

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who is being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, speak on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar.

Aug 21, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin speak during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. The Polins’ son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 during the Nova Music Festival. Mandatory Credit: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY

“He was loaded onto a pickup truck and stolen from his life, and me and Jon, into Gaza,” said Rachel. “And that was 320 days ago. Since then, we live on another planet.”

During the speech, photos of Hersh and the seven other American hostages remaining in captivity were shown on the hall’s main screens.

“This is a political convention,” Jon said. “But needing our son and all the hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue.”

The speech came amid frantic negotiations led by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt to reach a hostage and truce deal, which the Biden administration has said it hopes will calm tensions with Hezbollah and Iran as well.

Jon thanked U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for working toward a truce deal that will “bring home our precious mothers, fathers, spouses and grandparents and grandchildren home and will stop the despair in Gaza.”

“In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring calm to the entire region is a deal that brings this diverse group of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza,” he emphasized.

During the speeches, Liz Hirsh Naftali, the great aunt of four-year-old released hostage Abigail Mor Edan, stood behind the stage.

“The entire arena was so beautiful and so taking in every word that they had crafted. It was heartwarming, and it reminded us all that this is a humanitarian crisis,” she told the Jerusalem Post.

“These are eight Americans and 111 people whose lives were just taken to Gaza. People understand the cruelty, and they understand they need to come home,” she added.

Jon closed his speech by quoting a Jewish proverb: “We say… Every person is an entire universe. We must save all these universes.”