SKOKIE, Ill. — Dozens of people gathered at Or Torah Congregation on Monday morning to watch the livestream of the funeral of Hersh Goldberg Pollin, 23, an Israeli-American who was killed by Hamas along with six other hostages last week.
Hirsch was born in California but has roots in the Chicago area and his grandmother still lives in Skokie, and his parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month, calling for his release.
Hirsch has been held captive for the past 11 months after his left hand was blown off in a Hamas terror attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, leaving him with no dominant hand.
Terrorists executed him and the others as Israeli forces closed in on where he and other hostages were being held in Hamas tunnels beneath the Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
The horror of the atrocities shocked people around the world, especially the American Jewish community, where Hirsch was one of the symbolic hostages. Graffiti reading “Free Hirsch” appeared throughout Jerusalem, especially in areas with many American immigrants.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke at the funeral.
Herzog said that in the face of “pure, savage evil,” Hirsch taught the world a lesson in humanity.
“I'm sorry I couldn't bring him home.”
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump's presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
