Due to continued restrictions on air travel into and from the Middle East, this event will now take place on Monday, June 8. All tickets purchased for the previously scheduled March date will be honored at the event and no action is required. If you are no longer able to attend and would like to request a refund or put your ticket in someone else’s name, please fill out this form.

Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School, in partnership with Washington Hebrew Congregation, is grateful to welcome Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin to Washington, D.C., as featured speakers for this year’s Rabin Lecture.  They will engage our community in a conversation touching on Jewish education and parenting in advance of the release of Rachel’s upcoming book, When We See You Again.

Rachel and Jon were thrust into the international spotlight in October 2023 following the kidnapping of their son Hersh, z’l.  Despite their devastating loss, they remained steadfast in their quest for the freedom of every hostage held by Hamas. Rachel and Jon will join us in Washington, DC; full location information and transportation guidance will be shared with ticketed participants prior to the event.

Tickets to this event are $36. We anticipate this being a highly attended event and encourage you to purchase your tickets early. Please note that for security reasons, each ticket needs to be attached to an attendee name; if purchasing more than one ticket, you will be prompted to enter the names of each ticketed attendee.

ORDER TICKETS

About the Polins

Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin are American-Israeli parents who became two of the most recognized voices for the families of hostages taken during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was abducted from the Nova Music Festival on October 7 and held in Gaza for 329 days. In the months that followed, Rachel and Jon dedicated themselves entirely to advocating for his release — and for the release of all the hostages. Rachel left her job to focus full-time on that mission, speaking with media outlets around the world, addressing the United Nations in Geneva, meeting with Pope Francis, and joining other hostage families in conversations with President Biden, Vice President Harris, and other world leaders. In August 2024, the two spoke before a national audience at the Democratic National Convention, drawing a standing ovation and a hall united in the chant, *”Bring him home.”*

Hersh was murdered by Hamas on August 31, 2024. His death shook Jewish communities around the world — and so did the grace with which his parents faced that unimaginable loss. At his funeral in Jerusalem, Rachel delivered a eulogy of extraordinary power, speaking of faith, of community, and of the bonds that sustained six hostages through 329 days of captivity.

In the time since, Rachel and Jon have continued to speak — not from anger, but from a profound commitment to bearing witness and to the enduring strength of the Jewish people.

Rachel grew up in Chicago and graduated from Brandeis University. She and Jon moved their family to Israel in the early 2000s and have lived in Jerusalem since 2008. They are observant Jews, and their lives have long been rooted in Jewish community, education, and values.

Their story is one of unbearable loss and remarkable humanity. We are honored to welcome them to Washington Hebrew Congregation for this year’s Rabin Lecture.

About the Rabin Lecture

Over a political and military career that spanned decades, Yitzhak Rabin was a complex and pivotal figure in the history of the Israeli state. He was a man of war and a man of peace, an emblem of security and of reconciliation. He is remembered for having signed the 1993 Oslo Accords and leading Israel and the Palestinians along a path to peace.

Ten years after Rabin’s tragic assassination in 1995, the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital (then JPDS-NC) proudly inaugurated a library and community lecture series to honor the late Prime Minister. Yitzhak Rabin’s son, Yuval Rabin, dedicated the library and delivered the first public address.

Past Speakers

• 2025 – Amos Hochstein, Former White House Deputy Assistant and Senior Advisor to the President
• 2024 – Barak Ravid and Laura Blumenfeld
• 2021 – Tzipi Livni, Former Foreign Minister, Justice Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
• 2018 – Ambassador Terje Rød-Larsen and Joel Singer (see photos)
• 2017 – Senator John McCain (see photos)
• 2016 – Ambassador Daniel Shapiro (see photos)
• 2012 – Justice Elena Kagan, US Supreme Court (see photos)
• 2011 – Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (see photos)
• 2010 – Senator George Mitchell, Special Envoy for Middle East Peace (see photos)
• 2009 – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (see photos)
• 2008 – Elie Wiesel (see photos)
• 2006 – Jeffrey Goldberg, Major General Dan Harel, and Robert Satloff
• 2005 – Yuval Rabin with General Moshe Ya’alon, Ambassador Dennis Ross, and Paul Wolfowitz