Gary Rosenblatt, the former publisher and editor-in-chief of The Jewish Week of New York (and other leading Jewish weeklies in the U.S. prior accepting his duties in New York) was the very best of the editors and newsroom leaders of the Jewish media during the heyday of print in North America.
Rosenblatt has retired from the newsroom and from the executive offices of The Jewish Week. But he has not put his pen down. He authors a regular column called Between the Lines that is posted on Substack.
His most recent column, entitled Two Heroes for our Time, was a tribute to Rachel Goldberg-Polin and her husband, Jon Polin. As readers know, their son, Hersh, lost an arm trying to save lives at the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023; was kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas; brutalized and tortured by his captors; then murdered by them along with five other hostages in a tunnel dungeon on August 30, 2024.
Rosenblatt wrote of Rachel and Jon that they display a level of faith, courage and resilience that still inspires millions. How very true. We marvel at their remarkable strength, goodness and purpose of character.
It is also true that Rosenblatt’s tribute to them is itself inspiring and worthy of reading. It can be found at: (https://garyrosenblatt.substack.com/p/two-heroes-for-our-time?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34ad7e5c-4c84-4a93-b4f2-5104518c49f8_640x460.jpeg&open=false).
The following is an excerpt from Rosenblatt’s column. It is heartbreaking and enraging.
“We are living in a season of trauma that began in Israel on October 7 that has not gone away. On the contrary, as the war went on and Israel became an international pariah, expressions of antisemitism have increased around the world, from university campuses in the U.S., to violent attacks against Jews in Europe to the murder of innocent men, women and children celebrating Chanukah on a lovely beach in Australia.
“One of the great frustrations for supporters of Israel is trying to change the minds of Hamas supporters in this country who embrace liberal values even as they defend a terrorist group dedicated to killing Jews and destroying the Jewish state. The most disheartening example I know of comes from Jon Polin, husband of Rachel Goldberg-Polin and father of Hersh, a”h, probably the most well-known of the hostages abducted to Gaza on October 7.
“Jon shared the story with journalist Abigail Pogrebin, who moderated a poignant conversation with Rachel and Jon at the recent JOFA (Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance) conference in New York. He told the large, spellbound audience that during a rare few days of solitude last summer, he and Rachel visited a close friend in a small town in Oregon. One morning they went to a local coffee shop and noticed that the barista was wearing a “from the river to sea” button. Rachel cautioned Jon not to bother getting into a conversation with the young man. Jon didn’t, but their host did engage the barista, leading to an argument.
“After a few moments, Rachel walked over, put her hand out to the barista, asked him his name – Jake – and showed him a picture on her phone of Hersh. She explained, as she held Jake’s hand, that Hersh was her 23-year-old son, an advocate for peace and co-existence, who was one of six Israelis murdered by Hamas in a tunnel after being starved and tortured for almost 10 months.
“Jake’s reaction was immediate. “Well, you guys are committing genocide,” he said angrily.
“So much for compassion.”
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We bring readers’ attention to Rosenblatt’s column not because of its tender eloquence regarding Rachel and Jon. Rather, we do because the column indirectly proves the urgency of the need to teach our children the truth of Israel’s history. It is disheartening that so many people, shamefully, without any knowledge of the past or even an interest in knowing the past, so willingly spread lies about Israel, Jews and Judaism.
The antidote to the vilification wrought by ignorance and malign intent is the dissemination and constant restatement of truth.
Teaching this truth to our children means enabling their access to Jewish education.
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If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit to achieve fairness in educational funding, please click here. Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of helping to underwrite the costs of the lawsuit. For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com Thank you, in advance, for considering doing so.
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Shabbat shalom
Am Yisrael Chai
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education (GAJE)
January 9, 2026
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 
