‘Don’t ask for my forgiveness when you knowingly sinned’: Goldberg-Polins reveal PM reached out after Hersh was killed
Asked if Israel’s leaders chose not to save the hostages, Jon Polin says there were various moments throughout the past year where the government missed opportunities to bring about their release.
“The rationale for not doing it changed every time, whether that be something about the Netzarim Corridor or Philadelphi, or how to move Gazan citizens back from the south to the north [of Gaza], or the length of a pause,” Jon says.
While he notes that Israel’s entire security establishment backed the compromises necessary for making a deal, there was also “political pressure” in the other direction. Jon cites a letter signed by prominent national religious rabbis “who I think never even understood the content of a deal that could be done, and in principle, were rejecting a deal.”
“There were political decision-makers who, for whatever reasons, did not seize that opportunity, and we missed it,” Jon laments.
He reveals that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did reach out to them after Hersh’s funeral asking to speak but that they declined. “We elected at the time not to [speak with him]. I don’t really know what we would say to political decision-makers, to certain rabbis, to other people in positions of leadership who we think failed us,” Jon says.
“I found it very interesting that people of power tried to come to us during shiva. We actually said, ‘Please, we don’t want those people here’ — in a kind way,” Rachel shares.
“When you make a choice to do something that you know is wrong, you can’t — at least according to Jewish law. Leviticus talks about when you do a sin intentionally, you bear the punishment for that sin,” she continues. “Don’t come and ask me to forgive you for that sin. I’m not the right address. Real repentance is when you find yourself in the exact same situation where you did the thing that you know was wrong, and you choose differently.”
“What I would challenge those people who wanted to come to us after they chose not to save the six: You have 101 chances now do it, and that’s the repentance. You don’t have to come to me and ask for forgiveness,” Rachel says.