Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of six hostages killed by Hamas whose bodies were recovered by Israeli forces on Saturday, will be buried Monday afternoon at Har Hamenuchot in Jerusalem. The service is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. local time — 9 a.m. ET — and will be live streamed on You Tube.
Goldberg-Polin, 23, was born in Oakland, California, and moved to Israel as a childhood. He is survived by two younger sisters, Orly and Libby, and his parents, Jon and Rachel, who have become the leading spokespeople for the plight of the 240-some hostages abducted during the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. About 100 of them are believed still in Gaza, many presumed dead.
Israeli officials say Goldberg-Polin and five others were found in a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Rafah with gunshot wounds to the head and neck, and that they were killed within the prior 72 hours after having survived nearly 11 months in captivity. Four of the five, including Goldberg-Polin, had attended the Nova music festival near Gaza the night before the attack.
Goldberg-Polin, a soccer fan, music lover and geography buff, had become well known around the world, especially among American Jews. Banners and fliers with his friendly bearded face have been ubiquitous in the Angl0-heavy Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Thousands turned out there Sunday evening for a vigil in the courtyard of the community center where the synagogue the Goldberg-Polins attend often holds services. Friends are expected to also line the streets of the neighborhood as the family departs for the funeral this afternoon.
This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.