Remembering Hersh Goldberg-Polin: Soccer-loving Hamas hostage who braved live grenades

Described by his mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, as a “happy-go-lucky, laid back, good-humoured, respectful, and curious person,” Hersh was an elder brother to two sisters and deeply passionate about soccer, music, and travel. His childhood fascination with geography led him to collect atlases, globes, maps, and stacks of National Geographic magazines, filling his bedroom with symbols of his curiosity about the world. “He has been obsessed with geography and travel since he was a little boy,” Rachel said in a heartfelt speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).