Daily Briefing Nov. 16: Day 407 - Guest conversation: 'Rachel weeping for her children'

A deep discussion by ToI blogger Rachel Sharansky Danziger, war widow Rachel Goldberg, and bereaved mother Rachel Goldberg-Polin for the anniversary of the biblical matriarch’s death

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Today, we bring you a special conversation held this week between three women bearing the name Rachel in honor of the traditional annual observance of the death of the biblical Rachel: ToI blogger Rachel Sharansky Danziger, war widow Rachel Goldberg and bereaved mother Rachel Goldberg-Polin.

Rachel Goldberg and Rachel Goldberg-Polin share a name, a neighborhood, and a history. Rachel Goldberg’s father was Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s teacher at one time, and her husband, Rav Avi Goldberg, taught Rachel’s son Hersh. Tragically, they now share the intolerable pain of loss.

Rachel’s son, Hersh Goldberg Polin, was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, from the Nova music festival. Rachel and her husband Jon advocated relentlessly for his release and continue to ask the world to push for the release of the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza. Hersh was murdered in Gaza in late August with five other hostages. Rachel’s husband, Rav Avi Goldberg, served in the reserves for over 250 days since October 7, before falling in battle in Lebanon three weeks ago.

As part of the ongoing efforts to continue Rav Avi’s legacy and efforts (including his dream of building a shul for his community, Beorcha), Rabbi David Ansbacher, Rav Avi’s brother-in-law, invited Rachel and Rachel to come together in honor of the anniversary of the death of Rachel the matriarch and share their experiences and insights.

This conversation was facilitated by a third Rachel – Beorcha member and Times of Israel blogger Rachel Sharansky Danziger. The conversation, titled “Rachel weeping for her children,” is available on video online and is now generously shared by Beorcha here in podcast form.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Rachel Goldberg-Polin — Limping toward the light: A letter from me in this moment

Rachel Sharansky Danziger — Rabbi Avi Goldberg: A man who lit up the world

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.