Winter 2026

On the morning of October 7, 2023, Rachel Goldberg-Polin was torn from her comfortable “beige” life, as she describes it, and plunged into a world of anguish, fear and grief.

At 8:11 AM, she received two consecutive texts from her son, Hersh: “I love you” and “I’m sorry.”

She never heard from him again. Witnesses later told her that Hersh lost an arm to a Hamas grenade and was taken captive into Gaza.

Rachel’s new life unfolded in unfathomable waters. She marked each passing day since October 7 on masking tape worn over her heart. She traveled the world to ensure the hostages were not forgotten. She pleaded with global leaders, becoming the public face of the hostage crisis.

Even after Hersh was murdered and his body was recovered from a tunnel in Rafah on August 31, 2024, Day 330, Rachel did not stop. She and her husband, Jon, continued their advocacy until the final hostage was recovered on January 26, 2026, Day 843, the final day she wore her tape.

Through her raw eloquence, moral clarity and compassion, including for Palestinian mothers who have also lost children, Rachel embodies extraordinary courage. Yet behind the public figure is a woman grappling constantly with overwhelming suffering.

We are honored to welcome Rachel Goldberg-Polin back to The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center for the launch of her new book, When We See You Again, a powerful and universal story of grief and remembrance, perseverance and love.

She will be in conversation with Dan Senor, host of the Call Me Back podcast and coauthor of the New York Times bestsellers The Genius of Israel and Start-Up Nation.