More than 350 moms from the United States, Canada, France, Spain and South Africa are set to arrive in the Jewish state Monday as part of a flagship Israel experience back in full force for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020.
Momentum is an international Jewish organization dedicated to spreading Jewish values to women with less acquaintance and familiarity with Israel. They offer an 8-day trip to Israel with a jam-packed itinerary, including dancing at the Western Wall and swimming in the Dead Sea, for Jewish women with children under 18 years old.
The trip, which is set against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, will include a meeting with Ukrainian and Russian Momentum alumni who recently fled the war and made aliyah.
Momentum was founded in 2009 by Lori Palatnik when she saw that communities were struggling to connect women with Jewish values and Israel. Together with eight women from the area of Washington, DC, she developed the concept of a subsidized trip to Israel for Jewish mothers as a "transformative investment in the Jewish family."
“Momentum is thrilled with the explosion of travel and the desire for Jews in the Diaspora to come to Israel," Palatnik said. "When the pandemic put a stop to travel to Israel, it gave people an even greater desire to do so. The women who have landed today represent the tens of thousands who can’t wait to get here. We are honored to be here with the Diaspora Affairs Ministry to welcome them and give them an experience of a lifetime.
“Momentum is prepared to meet this bursting demand for meaningful travel, and we are looking to significantly expand our numbers and offerings moving forward.”
The group ran a small trip in the summer of 2021 for about 100 women, including women from Medical Heroines, a group standing at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in Jewish communities worldwide. This week's experience is set to be the largest since the pandemic began, and will be conducted in three languages –English, Spanish and French.