Goldberg-Polin's son,
Hersh, was
kidnapped and abducted to the Gaza Strip during the
Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Following her son's abduction, she quit her job to focus full-time on working towards
freeing the hostages. She spoke to both political authorities and media organizations, including the
BBC,
CBS,
NBC, and
The Wall Street Journal. Specifically, called for the Israeli government to negotiate a hostage deal and criticized leaders for "not doing enough" to bring the hostages home. In daily life, she attempted to draw attention to the hostage crisis by putting tape on her clothing, on which she wrote the number of days since October 7. &
Isaac Herzog) On November 14, 2023, she attended the
March for Israel rally in
Washington, D.C., where she spoke about the plight of the 240 hostages. In December 2023, she gave a seven-minute speech at the
United Nations in Geneva. In February 2024, Goldberg-Polin and 11 other hostage families met with the
Pope. In early April 2024, Goldberg-Polin, her husband, and other family members of hostages met with United States Vice President
Kamala Harris and U.S. national security advisor
Jake Sullivan, to urge action on a hostage deal. In August 2024, she and her husband spoke at the
Democratic National Convention, again to urge action on a hostage deal. She received a standing ovation during her speech, during which the audience chanted "bring him home". and Isaac Herzog at the funeral of Hersh, September 2024 Following the announcement of Hersh's death on 31 August, United States President Joe Biden spoke with Rachel and her husband. During Rachel's eulogy on 2 September, Rachel stated that: She was named as one of the
Time 100 in April 2024. == Personal life ==