Manette Mayberg Reflects on Leadership and Legacy at OU Women's Lech Knos Program
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Clockwise L-R: Reb. Emma Katz, OU Women’s Initiative; Manette Mayberg, Mayberg Foundation; Reb. Dara Goldschmidt
At last week's Lech Knos program, "Tzom Gedalia: From Inspiration to Action – Stepping Forward for Klal Yisrael," Mayberg Foundation President and Trustee, Manette Mayberg and former Moscow Rebbetzin Dara Goldschmidt joined OU Women's Initiative Community Program Coordinator Rebbetzin Emma Katz for a moving conversation about stepping up for Jews who could easily be overlooked. Manette spoke openly about her journey from religious distance to co-founding Momentum and developing the Mayberg Foundation's MyZuzah and JEIC programs, sharing how personal that work has always been as she's spent decades trying to "pay forward" the Jewish connection others extended to her.
Manette described witnessing these programs’ ripple effects firsthand, including meeting a Momentum alumna years later leading a Federation Women's Philanthropy mission to St. Petersburg. In an especially moving moment, Rebbetzin Goldschmidt shared how experiencing Momentum transformed her approach to her work in Moscow. She described returning trip participants turning into "immediate ambassadors" who reshaped her school community. As Manette concluded, "Stepping out of your comfort zone with a God-aligned lens is the way to make a difference that can change the trajectory of future generations."