Jeremiah Smith enjoyed talking about his digital advertising device at the protests during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, but he also can’t wait to turn it off for good.
“Although I love driving trucks, this is why I don’t like driving,” he said.
Since last March, Smith has been behind the wheel of a specially equipped truck to raise awareness of the hostages, including one who is very dear to his heart.
Hersh Goldberg-Polin was “like the little brother I never had,” he said. The two met when Hersh was just two years old, and Smith was a student of Hersh’s grandmother Marcy Goldberg at a school on the north side of Chicago when he was six.
“She basically welcomed me into the family and introduced me to the Jewish community and essentially taught me how to behave as a gentleman,” he said.
At the time, Smith and his own family were living on welfare in Cabrini Green, one of Chicago’s most notorious public housing projects, known for poverty and violence.
After learning of Hersh’s arrest on October 7, Smith rushed to check on Marcy. A few months later, he did not hesitate to take a break from his own trucking business when
Chicago philanthropist Jeff Aeder asked him to tour for Hersh.
Using an app on his smartphone, Smith controls the digital displays on three sides of the truck. They show pictures of the prisoners and messages like this one: “My friend was kidnapped by Hamas.”
Smith makes sure that no one forgets what his friend is going through
Over the past six months, Smith has driven the truck throughout Chicago, the suburbs and southern Illinois before moving on to Missouri, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
When Aeder had the idea for a second truck just three months ago, he turned to Smith’s childhood best friend, who also developed a familial relationship.
“I met him in fifth or sixth grade, almost 20 years ago,” Ladante Clayborn said. “We were hanging out after school and on the way home we realized we lived right across the street from each other. I came over and met Marcy. I came over for Shabbat dinner.”
As he met Marcy and Aeder, his fascination and deep appreciation for Jewish culture grew.
After all these years, Clayborn, who grew up in a Christian family, wears a necklace with a Star of David.
“I stand behind Israel. They are family. … Jeff and Marcy have the biggest hearts I have ever met.”
And as he drives through the streets with the second truck, more and more people open their hearts to him.
“I get a lot of thumbs up and a lot of people say, ‘Thank you very much.’ People come up to me crying and say, ‘Oh my God, what you’re doing is incredible.’ We know it’s for a good cause and that’s the most important thing,” he said.
Smith, for his part, was able to educate people about world events during his travels and was able to observe some progress in public reaction this week alone.
“People (on the other side) said, ‘I hope the hostages come home,'” he said, noting that this was only the second time he had heard that comment. “I think we’re going in the right direction,” he added.
Smith is taking a brief break from the truck to get married on August 31, and while he’s planning a special dance with Marcy Goldberg, he’s also doing what he can to include Hersh.
“I’ll have a picture there with Hersh’s face on it so it looks like he’s still with me.”
