BONUS - Rachel Goldberg-Polin: Mother of murdered hostage Hersh 'parcels out her pain' in book
From The Times of Israel Daily Briefing by The Times of Israel
April 22, 2026 · 52 min
About this episode
Rachel Goldberg-Polin discusses her book about coping with the loss of her son, who was murdered by Hamas.
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with author Rachel Goldberg-Polin. Rachel Goldberg-Polin began writing her new book, "When We See You Again ," as a way of finding some relief from her pain after she buried her son, 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was executed by his Hamas captors in August 2024, after being held captive for 330 days in a Gaza tunnel. Goldberg-Polin speaks about the process of writing the book, urged by her husband, Jon Polin, and how the book became a kind of answer to people asking her how she was. The bulk of the book takes place after the Goldberg-Polins buried Hersh on August 31, 2024, and is an accounting of their lives in what Goldberg-Polin terms the Before and After. What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube , or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: Author Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins host Jessica Steinberg for an episode of What Matters Now See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Jessica Steinberg
Guest: Rachel Goldberg-Polin
Topics covered
- grief
- writing
- hostage
- Hamas
- Israel
- Jewish World
Keywords
- Rachel Goldberg-Polin
- Hersh Goldberg-Polin
- grief
- Hamas
- book
- writing
- Israel
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: What Matters Now, The Times of Israel
Books & works: When We See You Again
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