Rachel Goldberg-Polin to Deliver 94th Commencement Address, Rep. Stefanik to Receive Presidential Medallion of Global Leadership

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Oct. 7, 2023 hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, will deliver the keynote address at YU’s 94th Commencement at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York on Thursday, YU announced in a press release. YU will also award her an honorary doctorate during the ceremony.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, chairwoman of House Republican Leadership and representative for New York’s 21st Congressional District, will receive the Presidential Medallion for Global Leadership, YU’s highest honor for public service. Stefanik will address the graduates following the award presentation.

“We are deeply honored that Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik will address our graduates—two extraordinary individuals whose leadership has inspired strength, unity, and moral clarity at a defining moment in Jewish history,” President Ari Berman wrote in a statement.

Goldberg-Polin is one of the most well-known international advocates for the release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. Her son, Hersh, an American-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped on Oct. 7 while attending the Nova Festival. While Hersh was in captivity, Goldberg-Polin lobbied for his release, meeting with several high-profile leaders worldwide, including the late Pope Francis, Former U.S. President Joe Biden and Former Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. She and her husband, Jon Polin, also addressed the United Nations General Assembly in Geneva in December 2023, pleading for the release of all hostages.

On Aug. 31, 2024, Hersh was executed by Hamas terrorists alongside five other hostages shortly before Israeli forces reached their location in Rafah. His body was recovered by the IDF and brought back to Israel, where he was buried in Jerusalem’s Har HaMenuchot cemetery on Sept. 2.

“Throughout our personal quest to save our beloved Hersh and all the cherished hostages, the valiant Yeshiva University community was by our side holding us up,” Goldberg-Polin wrote in the press release. “After suffering our crushing blow, YU has remained with us as we navigate through our valley of pain, while we all continue fighting for the remaining 58 treasured hostages’ freedom.

“The YU student body’s tenacity and steadfastness gives my family motivation, inspiration and hope. I am endlessly grateful, humbled and honored to participate at the commencement ceremony for the class of 2025.”

Known for her pro-Israel views, Stefanik will be the second member of Congress to address YU students at commencement, following Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s speech last year. At the time of her first election, Stefanik made history as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She later became the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House as Chair of the Republican Conference, and the youngest woman to serve in top House leadership.

Stefanik drew national attention after a widely viewed congressional hearing in Dec. 2023, during which she questioned then-Harvard President Claudine Gay about campus antisemitism. Gay resigned shortly thereafter amid mounting criticism and plagiarism allegations.

“I am humbled and honored to receive the Presidential Medallion, Yeshiva University’s highest honor for global leadership, and I look forward to joining this year’s graduating class to celebrate their remarkable achievements,” Stefanik wrote in the press release. “I have been proud to serve as the leading voice in Congress against the rise of antisemitism on university and college campuses across our nation, holding those at the very top accountable for their failure to protect our Jewish students and communities, but the work has only just begun.” 

In a post on X, she added that she is “particularly humbled to attend as you recognize Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh, for her tremendous & powerful advocacy.”

Graduating on Thursday are undergraduate students from Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women and the Sy Syms School of Business. The ceremony will honor members of the Class of 2025 who completed their studies in December 2024, May 2025 or are expected to graduate in August 2025 or January 2026. More than 5000 people are expected to attend the ceremony, including students, faculty, alumni and families, according to the press release.

“I feel honored that someone like Mrs. Goldberg-Polin, who has gone through so much struggle and could be doing so many other things, has chosen to speak to us,” Noam Miller (YC ‘25) told The Commentator. “[In addition], having both a Republican and a Democrat speak at commencement in recent years shows that supporting Israel is a bipartisan issue.”

Photo Caption: Rachel Goldberg-Polin (left) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (right) 

Photo Credit: Haim Zach / Wikimedia Commons (left) United States House of Representatives / Wikimedia Commons (right)