COMMEMORATING THE 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF OCTOBER 7TH

On 2026-10-06, Representative Jennifer A. Kiggans (R-VA-2) delivered a floor speech titled "COMMEMORATING THE 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF OCTOBER 7TH" in the House.

COMMEMORATING THE 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF OCTOBER 7TH

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 158 (Tuesday, October 6, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 158 (Tuesday, October 6, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1034] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] COMMEMORATING THE 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS OF OCTOBER 7TH ______ HON. JENNIFER A. KIGGANS of virginia in the house of representatives Tuesday, October 6, 2026 Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record remarks submitted at the request of a Virginia Beach constituent, Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman of Temple Lev Tikvah, and are a reflection of his views: Commemorating the 3rd Anniversary of the Tragic Events of October 7th What a gift author Rachel Goldberg-Polin--Chicago native and educator living in Jerusalem with her family--bestowed on us in her recent book, When We See You Again. New York: Random House. 2026. Her heart-wrenching as well as heart- warming account of the unique bond with her 23-year-old son Hersh who was murdered in a Gaza tunnel by Hamas terrorists on his 328th day of captivity following the October 7, 2023, most vicious massacres. With him were executed Ori, Almog, Alex, Eden and Carmel after enduring untold torture and excruciating suffering. Travel-loving and ever curious, artistic and musically inclined Hersh already had a ticket for a much-anticipated trip to India, following an Israeli post-military service tradition to go abroad preferably an exotic destination not without danger. This book, which is bound to be a classic, is a sacred and searing intimate sharing of a bereaved mother's yearning to contend with the enormity of her loss even as an Orthodox Jew she is reassured that upon death she would reunite with Hersh, reflected in the book's title, ``When We See You Again.'' Her sustaining faith is anchored to inflicted Job's succinct response to his overwhelming anguish with four powerful words, ``God gives, God takes'' (P.130), describing it movingly, ``For me the most profound, impactful statement in This World comes from the Hebrew Bible itself'' (P.129). And yet tenaciously, deeply wounded mother struggles to accept her heart-breaking loss of tragic separation from an enchanting, beloved son. Goldberg-Polin shares an intriguing eight-page letter received from a woman who sought to console by referring her to the near-sacrifice of Isaac by his father Abraham in a great Biblical drama, questioning if the author upon God's command would have attempted to kill her own son. In a circuitous response the author asked her husband Jon--who contributed the book's penetrating Afterword--for his take to this horrific dilemma. Jon's immediate response that he would negotiate with God. In her unique writing style, both prosaic and poetic with a healthy dose of humor, the author succeeds in creating an essential guide to bereaved parents and all humans who will find a measure of consolation and strength through her heroic journey to come to grips with the unfathomable loss of a promising young life so cruelly cut short. Particularly touching that Hersh, the eldest child in his family with two younger sisters, was named after no less than Hershey's chocolate in Oakland, California, where he was born. Indeed, he turned out to be sweet and caring to all. At age 13 he already got involved in helping Eritrean refugees in Israel and often recalled his family relatives who perished in the Holocaust. In Gaza's painful captivity he found deep support quoting renowned Austrian Holocaust survivor and founder of Logotherapy, Victor Frankl's classic, ``Man's Search for Meaning,'' which he shared in the tunnel to strengthen his co-captives, challenging them with the book's famous remedy of finding a ``Why'' in trying circumstances. Hersh and his parents' dual Israeli and American citizenship failed to protect Hersh's life while the most dedicated parents traversed the world meeting with statesmen and celebrities to no avail. However, this special family has touched millions globally with Hersh turning into an iconic figure, hopefully assisting in transforming an anguished humanity from tomorrow's blight and hate of the other. Hersh's memory and that of all innocent victims in the worst day since Israel's 1948 founding is an abiding blessing! The must-read of a both shattering and reviving work of intricate art with a rare outpouring of an amazing soul is concluded with a message of eternal hope, ``I will see you again, Hersh. I will. Do you hear me? I will it. Nothing will have changed, but my love for you will be even greater than it is now, or now, or now, or now. My love will be spilling forth from my cup overflowing, as it says in Psalm 23, all over my hand holding it. My goopy love, gushing all over the ground''(P.259). Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman is founder of Temple Lev Tikvah and Honorary Senior Rabbi Scholar at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church, both in Virginia Beach. He was raised in Israel and is a family member of the Holocaust's surviving remnant. ____________________