Hundreds of people in north suburban Skokie marched to remember and mourn the lives of the six hostages whose bodies were retrieved from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip.
American-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five others taken hostage during the October 7 terror attack on Israel were found dead on Saturday.
At a solidarity rally on Saturday, Kenneth Polin, Hersh’s first cousin, said his family was devastated.
“It’s terrible and tragic,” he said. “We were told by Israel that he was killed on the Sabbath, the Sabbath, and he was captured on the Sabbath, the Sabbath. A terrible end to a terrible beginning.”
Hersh, 23, was among those killed after being attacked and held captive for 11 months.
“Just rips the heart out of the family,” said Scott Rubenstein, a second cousin. “It’s one thing you want to attack soldiers and fight like that, but to come and attack people at a music festival, this was obviously planned well in advance.”
“Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you,” said Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.
Hersh’s body, along with the other hostages, was found by Israeli Defense Forces in Rafah. Hersh’s parents have campaigned for his release and appealed to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
On Sunday, mourners in Skokie lit candles and placed stones at the Holocaust Memorial to honor the victims.
“Nothing is going to stop us from coming together and supporting each other and making sure we’re out here loud and proud and supporting our community,” said Daniel Schwartz, Chicago Jewish Alliance co-founder.
As rally-goers pushed for the war to end, relatives spoke of Hersh, saying he had a big heart and wanted nothing more than peace for the world.
“He was put in very abnormal circumstances by people beyond his control,” she said. “…His legacy will be one of peace, Hamas will be one of terrorism and evil.”
Hersh will be buried on Monday in Jerusalem.