No’a Gorlin, chief operating officer of M² — The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education – has never worked on a project as hard and as passionately as she did on the Everyone Counts initiative — a tool designed to inspire sustained awareness and concrete action for the release of hostages (Pidyon Shvuyim).
“Yet I hoped it would never see the light of day,” she said in a phone interview with The Journal. “It’s crazy to think that we launched it on the 100th day after Oct. 7, and now we’re approaching day 500. That’s really the hardest part for us because when we started this project, we kept telling ourselves, ‘Maybe we don’t actually need to launch this. Maybe the hostages will be home before the website is even ready.’ We desperately wanted and hoped that the project would become irrelevant.”
The initiative officially launched during a webinar on Jan. 14, 2024 — the day that marked 100 days of captivity. It was a collaboration between M² and the Jerusalem art gallery Kol HaOt and a few dozen partners — who designed a collection of educational resources housed on an easy-to-use online platform. Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage on Oct. 7 during the Nova music festival and died in captivity in August 2024, shared a special message with webinar participants about the importance of continued and unrelenting activism.
“Since Oct. 7, we have reached millions of individuals with our call to action to free our son Hersh and all the hostages, and each time, we’ve gotten the question, ‘What can we do to support you?’” Goldberg said a year ago. “With Everyone Counts, communities across the world have a powerful and growing collection of resources to use as access points to inspire action and call for the hostages’ release.”
Gorlin, who has lived in Israel for over 50 years and was friends with Goldberg and Jon Polin for many years, said they suggested a few options for those who wanted to help. “They were saying, ‘You can write to representatives, congressmen, share on social media, etc.,’ but those things, although important, weren’t enough. That’s why we built this portal — full of resources — a toolkit that gives people real ways to engage, learn, and take action.”
Gorlin noted that thousands of people around the world had visited their website and joined their campaign to release the hostages. She believes that through advocacy, pressure and demonstrations, some of the hostages have been released — but she worries about the fate of those still in captivity.
“We have to continue doing this because I think that, as much as we want to celebrate every person who is coming out, this situation is really fragile and there are still people being held there,” she said.
“As much as we want to celebrate every person who is coming out, this situation is really fragile.” – No’a Gorlin
The tools suggested on the Everyone Counts website are more than just writing letters and posting on social media. They recommend actions such as wearing a yellow ribbon, tying a yellow ribbon around trees and raising awareness through talks at synagogues and schools. The toolkit is not aimed at a specific audience, but anyone who cares enough. It is available to English speakers worldwide who wish to educate their students, colleagues, congregants, families or community members.
On the site’s homepage, users will find five thematic “gateways”: Freedom and Justice, Human Dignity and Compassion, Responsibility and Leadership, Peoplehood and Community and Jewish Moments. Each gateway contains five subtopics, accompanied by a discussion facilitator’s guide and a source sheet providing additional information on the subject.
Gorlin underscored the profound commitment behind the project, describing it as “holy work for us.” While acknowledging the personal connection with M² — founded on longstanding friendships with Jon and Rachel — she expressed hope that its impact would endure until every hostage is home. But she emphasized that the initiative also embodies the Institute’s core belief that Jewish education “has to be real and has to matter. That’s why we created these resources so they will be as meaningful as possible to as many people.”
In preparation for Tu B’Shevat, a seder guide was added to the collection, featuring a specially adapted Haggadah dedicated to raising awareness about the Israeli hostages in Gaza and inspiring participants to take action on their behalf.
To participate, visit: everyonecounts.live.
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