‘The time is now’: Parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin take stage at DNC, call for hostage-ceasefire deal, get standing ovation

CHICAGO — The parents of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin are greeted to a standing ovation and chants of “Bring them home” as they walk onto the stage on the third night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Teary-eyed, Rachel Goldberg-Polin begins sharing the story of her son with the tens of thousands in the packed United Center.

She notes that he is one of the eight American hostages, along with 101 others from ages 1 to 86 and of all different faiths. “Like Vice President Kamala Harris, Hersh was born in Oakland, California,” says an emotional but fully composed Rachel who speaks as photos of her son are shown on the jumbotron above her.

She notes that 45 Americans were killed on October 7, as she tailors a speech she has given countless times to the particular audience at the United Center.

Rachel recalls how Hersh was attending the Nova music festival “advertised as celebrating peace” on when Hamas’s 7 onslaught began.

Hersh’s left forearm was blown off by a grenade tossed into a roadside bomb shelter where he and 27 others were hiding after the attack began.

“He was loaded onto a pickup truck and stolen from his life, and me and Jon, into Gaza,” Rachel says.

“And that was 320 days ago. Since then, we live on another planet. Anyone who is a parent or has had a parent can try to imagine the anguish and misery that Jon and I and all the hostage families are enduring,” she continues.

After standing beside her, Jon Polin moves in front of the microphone.

“Rachel and I are comforted to be back in our Sweet Home, Chicago. We were both born and raised here, and our families still live here,” he says.

“This is a political convention, but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” Jon says to overwhelming cheers from the crowd.

He goes on to thank members of Congress from both parties and particularly the Biden administration for their efforts to secure a hostage deal.

“We are all deeply grateful to them. We’re also profoundly thankful to you — the millions of people in the United States and all over the world who have been sending love, support and strength to the hostage families. You’ve kept us breathing in a world without air,” says Jon, who has the number 320 written in black marker on a piece of masking tape stuck to his shirt, as does his wife, a number they have updated each day their 23-year-old son remains in captivity.

“There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners,” he continues.

“In our Jewish tradition, we say… Every person is an entire universe. We must save all these universes.”

“In an inflamed Middle East, we know the one thing that can most immediately release pressure and bring calm to the entire region is a deal that brings this diverse group of 109 hostages home and ends the suffering of the innocent civilians in Gaza,” Jon says — garnering a particularly large applause after recognizing the plight of those in the Strip.

“The time is now,” he says to more applause.

Rachel then addresses her son directly: “Hersh! Hersh!”

She then offers the message she has given repeatedly over the past ten and a half months, but does so with even more emotion.

“If you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive,” Rachel concludes.

The couple brings the entire stadium to its feet in applause as they walk off the stage.