A Mother's Heart: Connecting Jewish Women, Strengthening Generations

By Andrea Shlipak Mail
Momentum Board Member and Chair, Global Partnership Advisory Panel

On October 25, hundreds of Jewish women gathered in Israel, for A Mother's Heart: The Heart of a Nation, marking the conclusion of Momentum's October 2026 Journey of Growth. This seven-day experience brings Jewish mothers to Israel for learning, connection, and personal growth, inspiring them to strengthen Jewish life in their families and communities. The closing event brought together Journey participants, female leaders from across Israeli society, and supporters from around the world for an evening of dancing and joy, celebrating the bonds formed during their week in Israel.

Among those in attendance were Manette and Louis Mayberg, whose foundation has supported Momentum since its earliest days, along with their children, Yacova Mayberg Margolis and Chai Margolis, and several Mayberg Foundation staff members. As one of Momentum’s original eight founders–the Utah 8–Manette has held numerous board leadership roles, helping shape an organization whose impact continues to grow.

For Natalie Nakan of Sydenham Shul in Johannesburg, South Africa, the experience was deeply personal.

johannesburg, south africa’s sydenham shul delegation

“I don't think we understood how desperately we needed Momentum until we experienced it. And just like that, we are forever changed. ... I arrived with a soul that felt lost, lonely, and disconnected. I left feeling as though my neshama had been recharged and my internal compass recalibrated.”

Her experience reflects what Momentum strives to create: opportunities for Jewish mothers to deepen their connection to Judaism, Israel, and one another—and to carry that inspiration home to their families and communities.

This fall, Momentum is bringing 1,130 women from 22 countries to Israel through six Journey of Growth trips, in partnership with 87 organizations, including 23 new partners. The journeys also include 136 Israeli women, creating opportunities for meaningful relationships and shared understanding across continents.

For one participant from Kraków, Poland, the experience carried a profound sense of Jewish history and resilience.

sydney’s orah group scatter sand from bondi beach at nova music festival site, in memory of the 15 terror attack victims

"There were three million of us in Poland. Today, our delegation here is among the smallest," she reflected, referring to the Polish women participating in Momentum's Journey of Growth in Israel. "Our very presence here is a testament to our resilience, our history, and our determination to live."

For 15 women from Sydney's ORAH group, the Journey connected two communities touched by tragedy. At the Nova Music Festival site, they scattered sand brought from Bondi Beach in memory of the 15 people killed in the December 2025 terror attack in Sydney. Each woman took a stone from Nova to place at the Bondi memorial back home—a poignant connection between two places of profound loss.

Those connections are central to Momentum's mission. Early results from Momentum's fall 2025 journeys showed that 82% of participants were sharing Jewish learning with their children compared with 49% before the Journey. Additionally, 91% felt prepared to address antisemitism, up from 29%, and 63% felt confident taking on leadership roles in their Jewish communities, compared with 42% beforehand.

Natalie Nakan captured that potential poignantly:

"Because if this is what one week can do to a group of women, imagine what happens when they take that feeling home and pass it on to their children, their families, their friends and their communities."

For Momentum, that is the lasting promise of the Journey of Growth: strengthening Jewish mothers today to inspire families, communities, and generations to come.