WASHINGTON — Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish person married to a nationally elected U.S. leader, expressed profound sadness on Tuesday following the execution of American Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other Israeli hostages by Hamas.
Addressing a vigil for the hostages at his synagogue in Washington, Emhoff shared, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Hersh and his parents, or about the five others and their families.” He added, “This is hard. I feel raw. I’m gutted.”
Emhoff, who is poised to become the nation’s “first gentleman” should Harris win the presidency in November, has emerged as a prominent administration liaison to the Jewish community and a vocal advocate in combating antisemitism, particularly in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The assault claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 individuals, including at least 40 Americans, and resulted in the abduction of roughly 250 more.
“How you feel right now is how I feel,” Emhoff stated at the event hosted by the Adas Israel Congregation and organized by local and national Jewish groups. “And how we all feel is something Kamala hears directly from me.”
He continued, “Hersh’s loss feels personal to the two of us. We’re both grieving.”
Emhoff recounted his and Harris’ conversation with Goldberg-Polin’s parents on Sunday, a day after Israeli forces discovered their bodies in a tunnel under Gaza. He shared that despite their profound grief over the loss of their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Rachel and Jonathan Polin, were actively inquiring with Harris about the latest developments in negotiations for a cease-fire deal that would secure the release of other hostages.
“Part of Rachel and Jon’s world had just ended, and they somehow are still looking forward and looking out for others,” Emhoff remarked.
He further stated, “Jon and Rachel’s hearts have room to hold everyone. They are not giving up, and neither can we. Not on this 333rd day. Not ever. Not until every hostage is reunited with their family.”
Emhoff emphasized that Harris and President Joe Biden are tirelessly working “around the clock to get a hostage and cease-fire deal done.” He declared, “The time to bring them home is now.”
Goldberg-Polin and Polin addressed last month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago as part of their family’s global campaign to raise awareness about the plight of the hostages. Emhoff noted that they understood “that unless we tell the story again and again, we have no hope of ‘never again,’” and asserted that the Jewish community must continue to share the narratives of the hostages.