The air in Chicago's United Center crackled with tension as Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin stepped onto the Democratic National Convention stage. For 320 agonizing days, their son Hersh had been a hostage in Gaza. Now, under the glare of stadium lights, they stood before America's political elite, their pain laid bare.
Rachel's voice, thick with emotion, cut through the silence. "Hersh! Hersh!" she called out, as if her words could bridge the vast distance to her captive son. "If you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive." The crowd, moved by her raw anguish, erupted into chants of "Bring them home!"
As Jon spoke of their "world without air," the political divide that had threatened to overshadow the convention seemed to melt away.
The couple's plea transcended party lines. "This is a political convention," Jon acknowledged, "but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue." The applause that followed was deafening, a catharsis for a party struggling with its stance on the Gaza conflict.
Their words painted a vivid picture of Hersh – born in Oakland like Vice President Harris, a young man at a music festival "celebrating peace" when violence shattered his world. As photos of their son flashed on the jumbotron, the enormity of one family's loss became a symbol for all the suffering in this intractable conflict.
In nine minutes, the Goldberg-Polins had done what seemed impossible: they had united a fractured party, if only for a moment, in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
As they left the stage, the echo of Rachel's plea to her son hung in the air – a stark reminder that beyond the political maneuvering, real lives hang in the balance.
* The Times of Israel contributed to this article.