FULL TEXT: Returning hostages is not a political goal, rather 'supreme moral, Jewish, and human duty' of Israel to all its citizens, says President Herzog

Herzog delivers eulogy at funeral of murdered American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin

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Israeli President Isaac Herzog delivered an eulogy at the funeral of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin in Jerusalem on Monday.

Below is the full text as provided by the President's Spokesperson.

Beloved Hersh, with a torn and broken heart, I stand here today as the President of the State of Israel, bidding you farewell and asking for your forgiveness, from you, and from Carmel, from Eden, from Almog, from Alex, and Ori, and from all your loved ones.

I apologize on behalf of the State of Israel, that we failed to protect you in the terrible disaster of October 7, that we failed to bring you home safely.

I apologize that the country you immigrated to at the age of 7, wrapped in the Israeli flag, could not keep you safe.

Rachel, Jon, dear Libby, and Orly, grandparents, and the whole family – I ask for your forgiveness, forgiveness that we could not bring Hersh back home alive.

Your special light, Hersh, captivated all of us from the first glance, even through the posters crying out for his return.

Most of us did not have the privilege of knowing you in life, but you have been so alive in us for eleven months now; together with many other brothers and sisters, held captive by cursed, monstrous murderers – since Simchat Torah – which turned into the day of our disaster.

Know this: We are witnesses, and we will never forget. There is no door in the world on which your beloved family did not knock for you, for your rescue and well-being.

There is no stone they left unturned, no prayer or plea they did not cry out – from one end of the world to the other – in the ears of God and man.

Michal and I met with your parents and family dozens of times in the past year, and we had the privilege of getting to know up close people of exceptional stature and to learn from them a lesson we will never forget – about a mother's and father's limitless love.

Only recently, on the evening of Tisha B'Av, together with your parents, we prayed at the President's Residence for your return, together with all the hostages. And now, our heart, already broken, is shattered into pieces. In one night, we were informed of the murder of six innocent and pure souls, each of them a whole world, with loved ones who have not slept a single full night, nor taken a full breath, for eleven months now.

Now – the State of Israel has an urgent and immediate task.

Decision-makers must do everything possible, with determination and courage, to save those who can still be saved, and to bring back all our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters.

This is not a political goal, and it must not become a political dispute. It is a supreme moral, Jewish, and human duty of the State of Israel to its citizens.

We did not fulfill this duty. And now – we have a sacred and shared obligation, to stand up and bring them all back to their homeland. For the spirit, resilience, and unity of Israel.

Of course, we do not forget for a moment our obligation to hold accountable the despicable murderers who butchered you – Hersh – your friends, our sisters, and our brothers.

Here, too, the mission is clear and binding: To continue fighting relentlessly against the murderous terrorist organization Hamas, which has once again proven that there is no end to its savagery and the crimes against humanity it is willing to commit.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the funeral of slain hostage Hersch Goldberg Polin at Har haMenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem, September 2, 2024. (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Thousands attend the funeral of slain hostage Hersch Goldberg Polin at Har HaMenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem, September 2, 2024. (Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

(IN ENGLISH)

Dear Jon and Rachel, Libby and Orly, Michal and I have come to know you very well over these past 11 months.

Like millions, we, too, have watched you travel around the world and watched you speak from your own 'private planet' of terror and anguish with a courage and a clarity that moved mountains.

As you told millions just a few days ago, Jon – the hostages being held by Hamas are not a political issue. They are a humanitarian issue. And that is why it is the duty of every single one of us across the globe to ensure that every last one comes home immediately. Jon and Rachel, against the senseless hatred, and unthinkable brutality of Hamas terror, pure barbaric evil, you have taught the world about human dignity.

As a human being, as a father, and as the President of the State of Israel, I want to say how sorry I am. How sorry I am that we didn’t protect Hersh on that dark day. How sorry I am that we failed to bring him home.

In his life and in his death Hersh has touched all of humanity deeply. He has changed our world. And woven his essence of light and love into the story of the Jewish people and into our human story, forever.

From here, I call upon the international community: The time to act is now: Bring them home.

(IN HEBREW)

May it be God’s will, that the soul of beloved Hersh, and the souls of all the murdered, the fallen, and the deceased, be bound in the bonds of life, and engraved on our hearts for all generations.