Emhoff ‘gutted’ after hostages killed by Hamas in Gaza, says he and VP Harris ‘both grieving’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris — and the first Jewish person married to a nationally elected U.S. leader — said Tuesday that he is “gutted” after the execution of American Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other Israeli hostages taken by Hamas.

Speaking at a vigil for the hostages at his synagogue in Washington, Emhoff said, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Hersh and his parents, or about the five others and their families.” He added: “This is hard. I feel raw. I’m gutted.”

Emhoff, who stands to become the nation’s “first gentleman” if Harris is elected president in November, has emerged as a prominent administration liaison to the Jewish community and a voice in countering antisemitism, particularly in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. About 1,200 people, including at least 40 Americans, were killed in the assault, and about 250 more were taken hostage.

“How you feel right now is how I feel,” Emhoff said at the event at the Adas Israel Congregation organized by local and national Jewish groups. “And how we all feel is something Kamala hears directly from me.”

He added: “Hersh’s loss feels personal to the two of us. We’re both grieving.”

Emhoff recounted his and Harris’ conversation with Goldberg-Polin’s parents on Sunday, a day after Israeli forces discovered their bodies in a tunnel under Gaza. He said that even while mourning the loss of their son, Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jonathan Polin were pressing Harris about the latest on the negotiations to reach a cease-fire deal that would free other hostages.

“Part of Rachel and Jon’s world had just ended, and they somehow are still looking forward and looking out for others,” Emhoff said.

He continued: “Jon and Rachel’s hearts have room to hold everyone. They are not giving up, and neither can we. Not on this 333rd day. Not ever. Not until every hostage is reunited with their family.”

Emhoff added that Harris and President Joe Biden are working “around the clock to get a hostage and cease-fire deal done.” He said, “The time to bring them home is now.”

Goldberg-Polin and Polin spoke at last month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago as part of their family’s global tour to raise awareness about the hostages and their plight. Emhoff said they understood “that unless we tell the story again and again, we have no hope of ‘never again,'” and said the Jewish community must continue to tell the stories of the hostages.