As the potential increases for another release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, the Atlanta Jewish community is holding its collective breath. Hamas is responsible for attacking Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 and capturing about 250 people. More than 100 Israelis remain in captivity, including a child who turned one last week.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken hostage 119 days ago, but the Atlanta Jewish community has known Hersh for a long time. Hersh, as he’s often referred, has two sisters and two affecting and effective parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin. They have traveled the world meeting with religious, political, and business leaders seeking influence to free Hersh and the remaining hostages.
Hersh, now 23, moved from Virginia to Israel with his family in 2008. Because so many of their far-flung family lived across the United States, they made an annual trek to Ramah Darom in north Georgia for Passover to see each other in one place.
More than a dozen members of the family, from cities such as Boston, Chicago, and Asheville congregated at the camp and retreat center starting in 2010, according to Eliana Leader, director of the Kaplan Mitchell Retreat Center at Ramah Darom. The annual 11-day Passover program was canceled due to the pandemic in 2020.
With some 400 attendees at the annual event, the family, led by the late patriarch and Hersh’s grandfather Stan Polin and then his widow Leah, made a lot of friends.
“People would come year after year,” said Fred Levick, former Ramah CEO. “You develop a relationship and get to know all the kids. You see them develop and blossom.”
Levick described Hersh as respectful, sweet, and “a really great kid.”
Leader also referred to Hersh as playful and “so fantastic with kids.” After attending the Passover program with his family for years, Hersh became a counselor the following year.
“He was a favorite counselor,” said Leader. “We look forward to him being a counselor again.”
A “second cousin twice removed” of Hersh’s is Bob Deutsch, who has homes in both Atlanta and Asheville. His adult children, Andy Deutsch and Robin Deutsch Edwards, and his grandchildren live in Atlanta. Robin installed an exhibit Dec. 1 at Congregation Shearith Israel in honor of Hersh and a couple of other hostages.
“There are ripples of Hersh through many ponds. He had a huge community who knew him,” said Bob Deutsch.
Levick said he last saw Hersh last May when the young man’s aunt married in Israel.
“We had become dear friends with them,” Levick said.
Since Oct. 7, Levick wonders what he can do besides spread the word about the plight of the hostages.
“It’s incomprehensible. [Hersh’s father] Jon is smart and entrepreneurial and likes to measure progress. He has said that’s one thing that is so frustrating; there are no metrics.”
Rachel Goldberg recently met with Dr. Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, at the Davos World Economic Forum to talk about the hostages. Before that, she met with the Pope at the Vatican.
“Rachel is very impressive,” said Bob Deutsch. Referring to her and her husband Jon, he described the couple as “two of the most unassuming people before this happened. They were low-profile people who now have the highest profile.”
Levick said the “fact that they have to wake up every day,” and work to free their son who had part of his left arm blown off by Hamas before he was captured, “it just really breaks my heart in so many ways.”
According to Leader, Ramah Darom isn’t the same without the Goldberg and Polin family. “Their absence is palpable,” she said.
Atlantan Shai Robkin recalled speaking briefly at the end of Kabbalat Shabbat at the Ramah Darom Family Retreat during the last week of December.
“During the service, I looked around the sanctuary and noticed that there was a whole section of seats along the wall under the windows that were unoccupied,” Robkin said. It was exactly where the Goldberg-Polin family would always sit during Shabbat and Chag services.
Thinking about the upcoming Passover retreat, Leader said, “If Hersh is home and the family wants to be here, we will find room” for them. Their seats are waiting.
