A Story of Faith, Persistence, and the Queens Activists Who Refused to Let His Memory Fade
For 4,118 nights and days, the image of Lt. Hadar Goldin z”l hung in the corridors of remembrance – a silent vow that Israel does not leave its own behind. On November 9, 2025, that vow was finally fulfilled.
At long last, the remains of Hadar Goldin, killed and abducted by Hamas during the 2014 Gaza War, were returned to Israel for burial. It marked the close of one of the most painful chapters in modern Jewish history – and a moment of collective faith realized.
It all began in Rafah, on the fateful morning of August 1, 2014. Just over an hour after a UN-brokered ceasefire took effect, Hamas terrorists emerged from a tunnel and ambushed a reconnaissance unit of the Givati Brigade. Three soldiers were killed – among them Lt. Goldin, whose body was seized and carried into Gaza. From that moment, his name became a national symbol. His absence embodied Israel’s deepest moral creed: No soldier is ever left behind.
For his parents, Simcha and Leah Goldin, the loss was both deeply personal and profoundly public – a wound that united klal Yisrael across oceans. What followed was not simply a campaign for answers but an 11-year mission of emunah and persistence that stretched from Queens to Jerusalem.
While the IDF searched tunnels and gathered intelligence, the Goldin family and their allies refused to let Hadar’s memory fade. In Israel and abroad, gatherings marked the anniversaries of his abduction. Conferences in New York and Yerushalayim echoed with a haunting question: If we lose one soldier, do we lose our values?
For years, two familiar names in Jewish activism – Dr. Joe Frager and Dr. Paul Brody – stood shoulder to shoulder with the Goldin family, ensuring Hadar’s story never faded from public consciousness.
As noted in a 2021 Queens Jewish Link column, the pair, together with Governor Mike Huckabee, now the American Ambassador to Israel, organized a major Jerusalem event marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War, attended by Hadar’s parents, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, then US Ambassador David Friedman, and other dignitaries. The gathering became a rallying cry for pidyon sh’vuyim – the mitzvah of redeeming captives. At that event, Dr. Brody urged, “Let us pray that this long-overdue release will finally occur as part of the current cease-fire negotiations.” Four years later, that prayer has at last been fulfilled. From Queens to Capitol Hill, Frager and Brody kept Hadar’s name alive – reminding world leaders that the promise made in Rafah was a promise the Jewish people would never abandon.
Their message was simple and powerful: Areivus – the responsibility of one Jew for another – knows no borders.
Then, after more than a decade of prayer and advocacy, came the words no one expected to hear: “We found him.”
On November 8, 2025, Hamas’ military wing announced that it had located the body of an Israeli soldier in a Rafah tunnel – identified as Lt. Hadar Goldin. The following day, the Red Cross transferred a coffin from Gaza into Israeli hands. The remains were taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, where scientists confirmed what the nation had long prayed for: Hadar was home.
Images of the moment pierced Israel’s heart. The IDF Chief of Staff embraced the Goldin family. Reservists who had fought beside Hadar formed an honor guard as his coffin crossed the border. In Kfar Saba, candles glowed in windows for the soldier who had finally returned.
President Isaac Herzog called Hadar a “hero of Israel,” recalling that his photograph had sat on his desk for years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed his return as “a sacred act of justice.” And in the words of Simcha Goldin – spoken quietly but with unmistakable resolve – “We thank the IDF, and no one else, for bringing our son home.”
Across the Jewish world, the response was immediate. Social media lit up with messages from influencers like Noa Tishby, Hillel Fuld, and StandWithUs, all invoking the rallying cry #BringHadarHome. Rabbis, IDF veterans, and public figures filled their feeds with one phrase: “Welcome home, Hadar.”
Behind the headlines, though, another story emerged – one of quiet restraint and moral complexity. Israeli intelligence sources revealed that, over the years, the IDF had deliberately refrained from targeting several senior Hamas operatives believed to know the precise location of Hadar’s body. These men were classified as “assets,” kept alive so that their information might one day make his return possible.
Even in the chaos of war, the army upheld its creed: The mission never ends until every soldier – living or fallen – is accounted for.
On November 9, that mission reached its end. The Red Cross convoy entered Israel, carrying the flag-draped coffin. Soldiers who had once fought beside Hadar stood again in formation – this time to escort him home.
At Abu Kabir, the identification was confirmed. The army announced, with solemn grace, that the body of Lt. Hadar Goldin z”l had been returned. As the news spread from Kfar Saba to Queens, from Tel Aviv to Teaneck, the familiar words of Sh’ma Yisrael rose from countless lips.
Standing outside her home, Leah Goldin whispered through tears: “He is ours. He is home.”
Though Hadar has finally returned to his people, the mission continues. Many Israeli hostages – both living and fallen – remain in Gaza. The Goldin family, even in their grief, has vowed to continue advocating until every last captive is brought back.
Dr. Frager and Dr. Brody echoed that commitment this week, reminding Jewish communities worldwide that pidyon sh’vuyim – redeeming captives – is not only a mitzvah but a moral imperative of our time.
From the streets of Queens to the shuls of Jerusalem, the refrain is the same: “We don’t leave our own behind.”
The return of Lt. Hadar Goldin z”l is a testament to Jewish unity, conviction, and unwavering love. After 11 long years, the son of Israel has come home.
Y’hi zichro baruch. May his memory be a blessing, and may every hostage – living or fallen – soon be reunited with am Yisrael.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
