When We See You Again: Rachel Goldberg-Polin in Conversation with 92NY's Rabbi David Ingber
Summary
Rachel Corrie discusses her memoir, describing the writing process as a necessary act to expel the choking pain of losing her son, Hirsch, in the October 7 attacks. She explains that grief does not heal but transforms, emphasizing that love persists beyond death and that she finds redemption in words rather than anger toward God. The conversation explores the raw, unmanicured nature of her loss, the communal grief for hostages, and her complex relationship with Jewish traditions of mourning.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Grief, Shiva, and the purpose of the book
Writing as redemption: Choking on grief and finding words
The book's warning: Not a memoir of healing but of raw loss
Recording the audiobook and the emotional toll of rereading
Primate mourning and the instinct to carry the dead
Daily rituals of grief: Showers, water, and not getting better
Living in the 'after': Torah portions and the reality of trauma
Morning prayers: Speaking to Hirsch and God's faith in us
The Joseph narrative: 'Is my father yet alive?' and unique grief
Hirsch's ordinariness and the blessing of his 23 years
Rabbi Friedman's story: The gift of pain and saying 'yes'
Befriending grief: Love as the continuation of connection
Anger at God: Holding faith and fury simultaneously
Critiquing tradition: The offense of Yizkor and real talk
Finding a 'why': Viktor Frankl and coping with uncertainty
Liminality: Living between worlds and the plane metaphor
Responsibility and failure: The pit of Joseph and guilt
Conclusion: Mrs. Carlton, behavior, and the shoes by the bed
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