Chicago area mourns death of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin

SKOKIE, Ill. (WLS) -- People in Illinois are mourning Sunday after the family of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin announced the young man's death.

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His parents are originally from the Chicago area.

For the congregation of a Skokie synagogue, word of the death of Goldberg-Polin was personal and painful. For almost a year, they've supported his family through the agonizing ordeal.

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Goldberg-Polin, 23, was seized by militants at a music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

"We believed that this would end differently," said Rabbi Zvi Engel of the Congregation Or Torah in Skokie. "We hoped. In this very hall, we prayed."

Rabbi Engel is among many mourning the death Goldberg-Polin. The 23-year-old's paternal grandmother is a member of his synagogue.

"She said that she was really focused on trying to make sure that they could make it to Jerusalem, to pay their respects, to be together as a family," Engle said. "We know his whole family. We know the cousins. We know everybody. We're all very close with each other."

Goldberg-Polin was an American among six hostages that Israeli officials say were murdered by Hamas, shot in the head at close range. Their bodies were discovered in tunnels beneath the city of Rafah... in Gaza...

The tragic news has sparked protests across Israel, with many blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the lack of a ceasefire deal.

"So now you killed them. You killed them," a protester could be heard saying at one protest. "It might not have been you who pulled the trigger, but you placed the gun over their heads."

Netanyahu says whoever murders hostages does not want a ceasefire.

Goldber-Polin, a native of Berkeley, California, lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the Oct. 7 attack. In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him, his left hand missing and clearly speaking under duress, sparking new protests in Israel at the time, urging the government to do more to secure his and others' freedom.

His parents are from the Chicago area and spoke at the Democratic National Convention a week and a half ago.

"There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East," Hersh's father Jon Polin said. "In a competition of pain, there are no winners."

Members of Congregation Or Torah traveled to Israel last February to support Goldberg-Polin's parents.

"When a Jewish person is injured somewhere in the world, we feel it viscerally," Engel said. "It's our family, and it literally is our family, our congregational family, that was impacted."

In a statement, President Joe Biden said he was "devastated and outraged" by the deaths of those hostages. Seven Americans are among 101 hostages that are believed to still be in Gaza.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin released the following statement:

"Hersh Goldberg-Polin was a young man with his entire life ahead of him when he attended a music festival on October 7. When Hamas viciously attacked the Nova music festival, Hersh was horribly injured attempting to help his fellow music festival attendees and subsequently taken hostage. I'm heartbroken and devastated to learn of Hersh's murder in captivity and will be keeping the entire Goldberg-Polin family in my thoughts, especially Hersh's parents, Jon and Rachel, during this unimaginable time. A ceasefire must be reached immediately that allows all remaining hostages to be released, humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, and an elusive and neglected long-term vision for peace and stability to become a reality."

Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth released the following statement:

"My heart is broken by this gut-wrenching news. My deepest condolences are with Hersh's family and friends, including those throughout the Chicagoland area, and his parents, Rachel and Jon, who have been staunch advocates for the hostages and their families-their bravery, strength and steadfast love for their son has been awe-inspiring. The capture and subsequent killing of hostages by Hamas is unconscionable and unacceptable. Full stop. It is imperative for a permanent ceasefire to be negotiated and upheld by all parties that releases the remaining hostages, and I will keep doing everything I can to push for a deal. May Hersh's memory be a blessing."

Goldberg-Polin's funeral will take place on Monday at 9 a.m. E.T. in the Beit Ha Hespedim, Kehit Yerushalayim, Givat Shaul, Jerusalem.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.