Rachel Goldberg, US-Israeli mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists into Gaza while attending a music festival in southern Israel, holds photos of her son in their home, in Jerusalem, Oct. 17, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
A new kosher community refrigerator in Skokie, Illinois, that offers free food around the clock to those in need was dedicated to murdered Hamas hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin at a ceremony on Wednesday morning.
“Hersh’s Fridge” is the nation’s first kosher, outdoor, community fridge open to anyone who wants to take or donate food, according to its website. Two fridges are stocked by volunteers with fresh, perishable food, including kosher-certified groceries and food from kosher establishments and homes. There is also a pantry offering kosher dried goods. Locals from any background, Jewish or non-Jewish, can access the fridge anonymously.
The project is operated by Solu, a local Orthodox Jewish organization that aims to builds bridges between communities across Chicagoland mainly through chesed (kindness) initiatives.
The fridge opened in October 2025 for a pilot run but its dedication ceremony was held on Wednesday. The event included the unveiling of a new portrait of Goldberg-Polin beside the fridge and a fruit-patterned mural. Hanging above the fridge is a sign that highlights a passage from the Haggadah read on Passover: “All who are hungry, let them come and eat.”
Hundreds of people attended Wednesday’s dedication ceremony and Goldberg-Polin’s parents, both of whom are Chicago natives, spoke about how the project honors the values of kindness, community, and bridge-building that were important to their son. “Hersh was an idealist who sought to make the world a better place,” Jon Polin said.
“I love the ease in which everybody can be involved in this meal spot,” added Rachel Goldberg-Polin.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was taken captive by Hamas-led terrorists during their deadly rampage across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He suffered through 328 days of captivity before he was murdered by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. He was 23 years old. Wednesday’s dedication ceremony took place nearly two years to the day after his body was found in a Gaza tunnel.
