Meet Rachel Goldberg-Polin

Rachel Goldberg-Polin is an American-Israeli Jewish educator and the New York Times bestselling author of When We See You Again, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief in the wake of unthinkable tragedy.

Rachel became one of the most visible voices of the hostage crisis after October 7, 2023, when her son, Hersh, was stolen by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival. In the months that followed, she and her husband, Jon Polin, became full-time advocates, speaking around the world about Hersh’s abduction and working tirelessly - in public and behind the scenes - for the release of all those taken captive.

Almost a year later, on Day 330, the IDF announced that Hersh had been murdered by Hamas in a tunnel in Gaza, along with five other young people later known as the Beautiful Six. Despite the devastating loss of their son, Rachel and Jon continued their advocacy on behalf of the remaining hostages and their families. Their efforts continued until the last hostage was recovered on January 26, 2026, Day 843.

Rachel was born and raised in Chicago and lives in Jerusalem. She and her husband Jon are the parents of three children.

Meet Megan Maurer

Megan Maurer is a lay leader in the Indianapolis Jewish Community. Megan’s current and past involvements span multiple agencies and organizations.

At the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis (JFGI), Megan’s involvements include serving on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and as co-chair of the Israel and Overseas Committee. In the past Megan has served as co-chair of the the Planning and Allocations Committee, as a Campaign Cabinet member, as chair of the Shaliach (Emissary) Program (where she and her husband also served as “adoptive parents” to the shlichim), as JFGI’s delegate to the Jewish Federations of North America, and as Chair of JFGI’s Women’s Philanthropy. Meg is a graduate of JFGI’s Atid leadership program, as well as the 2013 recipient of JFGI’s L.L. Goodman Award that is given to young lay volunteers who exhibit outstanding leadership. Megan is the 2026 recipient of the Jewish Community Relations Council David M. Cood Award, dedicated to lay leaders who explify the highest ideals of human relations, positive leadership and mature judgement.

At the Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis, Indianapolis’s Jewish day school, Megan’s involvements include serving as Vice President of the Board, as Treasurer and Finance Chair, and as Chair of the Security Committee in the aftermath of Tree of Life Synagogue shooting.

At the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), Megan’s involvements include serving on the Israel and Anti-Semitism Committee and, together with her husband, Greg, serves as co-chair of the Maurer Mission initiative that takes prominent non-Jewish community members on study missions to Israel.  

At the Jewish Agency for Israeli (JAFI), Megan co-chaired the creation of the Advocacy2Gether program that led to Budapest becoming the first European community to formally join one of JAFI’s Partnership2Gether (P2G) consortiums (for which she joined in winning the JFGI Domont Award). She also served as chair of P2G’s Central Area Consortium Education Task Force and as chair of P2G’s Budapest Task Force. Megan has been elected as the 2025-2028 U.S. Chair of P2G’s Western Galilee Consortium, which represents seventeen Jewish communities across the United States. Megan is the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Universal Peace Council Human Rights Award on behalf of her work with the Druze community in Israel.

Megan has also chaired fundraisers for Ethiopian immigrants in Israel, for the JDC in Ethiopia, for the residents of Sha’ar Hanegev (Israel’s border region with Gaza), and for the re-establishment of the Indianapolis Shaliach (Israeli Emissary) Program.  Megan has also served as a board member of Congregation Shaarey Tefillah and co-chair of its Religious Affairs Committee, as co-chair of the Indianapolis Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, and as a board member and tutor volunteer for School on Wheels.

She received a bachelor’s degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, where she graduated with a focus in finance and real estate.  Subsequently, she received her Masters in Business Education from the University of Indianapolis. Megan resides in Carmel, Indiana with her husband, Greg, a business owner and community volunteer, and their three children: Sophia (who attends a pre-army leadership academy in Israel), Jonah, and Eli. In her spare time, Megan enjoys traveling, running, cycling, reading, and spending time with her husband and children.

The Jon and Heidi Klausner Family

Marlo and Todd Katz