The non-profit Momentum brought 130 Jewish mothers to visit Israel in a trip designed to help them understand the gravity of Hamas’s October 7 attacks, help them connect to their Jewish values and to the state, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Momentum which works with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, has collectively transported more than 200 participants in three different solidarity trips, before this one, since October 7.
The current cohort of women hailed from North, Central and South America from countries including: the United States, Canada, Columbia, Chile, Panama, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay and Israel.
What did the mothers do on the trip?
While the trip still maintains the goals of connecting participants to Judaism and Israel, in the wake of October 7, Momentum has placed a greater emphasis on volunteerism and hearing first-hand accounts from soldiers, evacuees and October 7 massacre survivors.
Participants met with the families of the hostages in Tel Aviv’s Kikar HaChatufim (Hostages Square) and volunteered at a farm. The group also made chocolates for evacuated families.
Additionally, the women prepared meals for IDF soldiers, and visited Sderot and kibbutzim on Israel’s southern border, where they witnessed what remains of the October 7 massacre.
“The mothers on this trip saw Israel’s stories from their own eyes and heard them from their own ears and now it's the time to act,” said Momentum Founding Director Lori Palatnik. “We hope every participant takes the call of ‘Hineni’ - to show up - and they each go back to their homes to show up for their Israeli sisters who have suffered so much. It is our hope that they come out of this experience forever changed.”
"The purpose of the mission is to provide opportunities for women in the Diaspora to meaningfully contribute to Israeli society while they’re here and identify with their struggles. After hearing from families of hostages, soldiers, farmers and Israeli mothers we hope our participants will emerge from this experience with a new sense of understanding about what Israelis are going through right now. And, collectively, when the Diaspora and Israel come together, we can demonstrate the power of unity,” Palatnik added.
Trip participant Erica Markovitz, from Detroit, said, “I had two friends at the Nova Festival. One of them is still a hostage. I’m here in Israel to bear witness and send a message home and to keep their stories alive.”