RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A vigil was held at a Richmond synagogue Monday evening for 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American who was killed after being taken hostage by Hamas.
Keneseth Beth Israel Synagogue, located at 6300 Patterson Avenue, hosted the vigil starting at 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2. 8News both attended and livestreamed the service from the sanctuary.
Goldberg-Polin, formerly of Richmond, was one of just over 100 hostages held in Gaza following the events of Oct. 7, 2023. He was taken by Hamas while attending a music festival in Israel.
The night of Saturday, Aug. 31, the Israeli military identified Goldberg-Polin as one of the six hostages found dead by the Israeli military.
Multiple local leaders have spoken out on Goldberg-Polin’s death, including a Richmond rabbi who knew him and Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
Data from the United Nations states that 1,200 Israelis and over 40,000 Palestinians have died since Oct. 7, 2023.
