Or Levy asks to meet families of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Aner Shapira – Israel
When Or Levy returned from Hamas captivity in Gaza on Saturday, 491 days after being abducted from the “death shelter” at the Nova festival, he learned the devastating news: his wife, Einav, who had hidden with him in the shelter, had been murdered.
One of his first questions upon his return was about the fate of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had been taken hostage with him. Unaware that Goldberg-Polin had been killed in captivity, Levy also asked to meet the family of Aner Shapira, the man who had saved his life and those of others in the shelter before being killed.
“When we heard that Or asked about Hersh, it felt like a punch to the gut,” said Jon Polin, Hersh’s father. “First and foremost, my wife Rachel and I celebrate every hostage’s release. We fully understand the importance of every person returning home to their family. My wife and I feel like part of several circles: the circle of hostage families, the circle of families with American citizenship, the circle of the six hostages murdered at the end of August, and the fourth circle—those who were taken hostage together in the same truck: Hersh, Or Levy, Elia Cohen, and Alon Ahel.
“Finally, one of the four has returned home alive, and that is a reason for celebration. It moved and strengthened us greatly to receive a call on Saturday night from Michael Levy, Or’s brother, who told us that one of Or’s first questions was, ‘What about Hersh?’”
“Or was completely disconnected from the outside world, and for a long time, he believed that Hersh had been released and was alive.”
Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s story
Goldberg-Polin, 23 at the time of his murder, was born in California and moved to Israel with his parents and younger sisters in 2008. He attended the Nova festival with his childhood friend Aner Shapira. When the Hamas attack began, he sought shelter in a reinforced structure at the festival grounds, where he met Or Levy and his wife, Einav, among others.
“Hersh and Or didn’t know each other before October 7,” Jon explained. “They met in the ‘death shelter’ and went through that traumatic experience together. Thanks to Aner Shapira’s heroism, they survived that terrible morning and were kidnapped together to Gaza. I don’t know if Or and Hersh were held together in captivity at any point, but somehow, Or immediately thought to ask about Hersh in his first moments of freedom.”
On April 24, 2024, Hamas released a video of Goldberg-Polin in captivity, showing his left arm amputated. By September 1, his family received confirmation of his death after his body was found in Gaza alongside the remains of five other hostages: Eden Yerushalmi, Uri Danino, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Carmel Gat. It was determined that they had been executed by Hamas just days earlier.
“There’s no need to explain how challenging this time is,” said Jon Polin. “All the hostage families—not just my wife and me—have been running around the world since October 7, speaking to every global leader, and we are deeply disappointed that no one in the world could help us free the hostages. We were sure that in the first week of the war, we would hear from world leaders that all the hostages must be released. That didn’t happen then, and it’s not happening now either.
“We now know that the only person in the world who can make a difference in the Middle East is President Donald Trump. We have a clear and strong demand for President Trump: we will not accept a phased deal. We demand that everything be resolved at once—this week. Bring all 76 hostages home, end the war, and then, as a nation, we can begin the difficult process of national recovery.”
As the second hostage release deal was finalized last month, it was impossible not to think about the fact that if Hersh had still been alive, he would have been among those freed.
“It’s a colossal missed opportunity. We all know this deal could have been made in the summer. Even before May 2024, it was possible. In August, we heard from the defense minister, the IDF chief of staff, and other security officials that we must seize this deal, but it didn’t happen. We know what happened after that failure—Hersh and five other hostages were murdered.”
“Throughout the entire period of captivity, month after month, we told decision-makers that as leaders, they must understand that as long as the hostages are held, they are at risk of being executed at any moment. They didn’t listen to us and dismissed our concerns. Tragically, that is exactly what happened to Hersh. We view…
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