Hersh Goldberg, Israeli hostage, killed in Gaza

By Roberto Cetera

I met Rachel a few days after 7 October. An Israeli friend had put us in touch. I phoned her and suggested we meet at a café in the Old City or at a hotel. But she insisted that I meet her at her home, along with her husband Jon and Hersh's two younger sisters. It makes a big difference when an interview takes place in the interviewee's home. You are able to understand so much more and be closer to their situations.

The first interview after 7 October

On that still summer morning at the end of October, I learned of their sorrow, their religious sensitivity, their delicate yet powerful strength, and their empathy for the suffering. And I never let go of the encounter. Because we continued to see each other on other occasions during these eleven months of struggle and pain. I like to say that we became friends. We did not talk about the kidnapping, nor about war or politics.

Rachel and Hersh's lives and dreams

Rachel told me all about Hersh. About his 23 years. Of when he was eight and they had moved from the US to Israel. Of his curiosity about the world and the human condition. Of his hitch-hiking trips around Europe. Of his love for Italy. Of the tickets he had already bought to travel around the world for a year. Of his passion for music, which later proved fatal to him at that infamous Supernova concert. Of his studies as a paramedic ("but don't say that because it could be dangerous for him if the kidnappers know"). Of his marked sociability, which earned him many friends, "even Arabs." In short, a simple and sharp portrait of a good person with a strong will to live.

Words of love and hope, not anger

I was struck by the serenity of this woman, an expression of deep inner spirituality. And I was struck by her extraordinary ability to combine strength and gentleness. Not a word of anger, despair or resentment came out of her mouth. But only words of love: "in Gaza there are mothers who are suffering like me, and many even more than me because they no longer even have hope" and "I am convinced that Hersh is now also being cared for in Gaza by a mother, and this comforts me because mothers do not know how to hate." Her story moved me. She noticed. We shared a strong embrace. A hug that was the sign of a pact. It seemed a bit paradoxical that she was the one consoling me.

A video message and meeting the Pope

Before leaving she said to me: "Could you get a message to Pope Francis?" "I don't know, we'll try." We recorded a short video in which Rachel did not ask anything, but thanked the Pope for his words and prayers for the release of the hostages. As soon as she came down the stairs I sent the video to my director so that he could find a way to show it to the Pope. A few days later, the Pope decided to welcome a delegation of relatives of the hostages to the Vatican. Rachel was the one who spent the longest time with him. When they came out they were escorted by Israeli bodyguards who prevented journalists from approaching. But she was surprised to see me in Rome and slipped out of the reserved area to come and hug me and tell me of how moved she was in her encounter with Pope Francis.

Many meetings over time

We then saw each other several other times over these eleven months. I introduced her to Cardinal Zuppi when he came to Jerusalem. The last time was a few weeks ago with our colleague Maria Gianniti from RAI, who dedicated a beautiful interview to her. She told me about the consolation that frequently praying the Psalms gave her. And, always hopeful, she told me: "As soon as they release him, you will be among the first ones I will call to come and celebrate with us."

A phone call in the night: Hersh's body found

Then last Saturday night I received a phone call from an Israeli friend: "I'm sorry to tell you this but they have found six bodies in Gaza, and it seems that one is Hersh. Hersh is not coming back. So decreed the Hamas criminals, and those who, for their own miserable interests, would not negotiate his release. I have seen and written horrible things in these eleven months. 40,000 dead in Gaza; many the same age as Hersh. But that phone call plunged me into despair. For as I had entered Rachel and Jon's lives, so Hersh had entered mine.

Forgiveness and suffering

Rachel once told me: "I know you Christians work a lot on forgiveness. To speak of forgiveness in this situation is difficult, perhaps impossible. But there is one thing that can pave the way for future mutual forgiveness. And that is being aware of the suffering of others. We are not the only ones suffering. Beyond that wall in Gaza there are so many innocent people suffering. We cannot ignore it." Rachel does not ignore it.