Hersch Goldberg-Polin’s parents and sisters attend his one year memorial service. Hersch was one of 6 Israeli hostages murdered in Hamas captivity in August 2024, in Jerusalem, August 19, 2025. (Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Families and friends held memorial ceremonies in Jerusalem and Ashkelon for Israeli hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Alex Lubanov, who were murdered by Hamas in captivity a year ago.
The participants called on Israeli and international leaders to secure the urgent release of the remaining 50 hostages, including 20 who are believed to be still alive but at risk due to being subjected to deliberate starvation by Hamas.
On Sept. 1, 2024, the Israeli military confirmed it had recovered the bodies of Goldberg-Polin, Lubanov and four other murdered Israeli hostages in a Hamas tunnel in Rafah in southern Gaza.
“It was simply easy to love you. You were, and always will be, my big brother—but now you belong to everyone,” Goldberg-Polin’s younger sister said. “That makes me happy, because everyone needs Hersh in their lives.”
Goldberg-Polin’s father, Jon, recounted that his son “prioritized things that can’t be quantified, smiling and making other people smile, knowledge, experiences, relationships, justice, and a legacy you have already left in your 23 years, and 11 months is already greater than any of those legacies that can be quantified.”
The mourning father revealed that he recently met a man in Jerusalem who showed him an image of Hersh on his mobile phone.
“He said that every morning he looks at the photo and asks himself what he can do today to make the world a better place. That’s the legacy you left, Hersh,” Jon said.
People walk next to a mural of slain Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg Polin in central Jerusalem, August 18, 2025. (Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Goldberg-Polin’s mother, Rachel, reflected on the meaning of life and the endurance of memory.
“We are born, we live and we leave. We love, we learn, we grow, we create. Some are here for a moment, others for a lifetime – but the ending is always the same. What remains can be a legacy, a lesson, a breeze or nothing at all. Usually, only love remains,” Rachel stated.
“Sometimes I look deep into my own eyes, I unzip them – my eyes – and I can hear you, and I know you are here inside, even though I can’t see you with my eyes that are your eyes, that are my eyes, like the two big oceans that I can’t always see but there is no doubt that it is there,” she said.
Goldberg-Polin’s parents became prominent global voices for the release of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. In April 2024, TIME Magazine included Rachel on its annual “100 Most Influential People in the World” list.
In the Israeli coastal city Ashkelon, family and friends attended a memorial ceremony for the murdered hostage Lubanov.
“I’m very moved and want to thank everyone who came today,” Lubanov’s widow Michal said.
“It’s been a year – a hard year. Who would have believed it would pass so quickly? I believe Alex is watching us from above and laughing. We are here to honor him, and we will continue to carry his voice and that of the five other hostages murdered with him. Thank you for standing with us. Thanks to you, I am standing here on my feet. Alex will always remain in our hearts. Most importantly, there are still 50 hostages in Gaza, and we must fight until they all come home – every single one,” Michal urged.
Anton praised his late brother.
“After seven years away, I returned to Israel and truly discovered who Alex was and what he did. Our people know how to strengthen and support one another,” he said.
“This is not an easy day,” he continued. I want to wish that the hostages return home as soon as possible, because there is no more time. You cannot live in this reality. I lived it for 11 months, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” he added.
