In October, eight Phoenix-area Jewish moms enjoyed a free tour of Israel and came home with new connections to the land of Israel, to Jewish traditions and to the women who shared the experience.
The Phoenix Community Kollel partnered with the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project to bring this opportunity to Jewish moms in the Valley. Halle Farber, Karen Kaplan, Laura Karp, Adriane Keene, Carrie Kroop, Sandee Levine, Lori Miller and Karen Nagle were accompanied by Phoenix trip leaders Cindy Landesman, director of the women’s division of the Phoenix Community Kollel, and Shoshana Putney.
As the kollel plans a second Momentum journey this October, we asked those women to share some of their impressions from the first Phoenix community trip.
“The trip gave us the tools and inspiration to help build and nurture our Jewish world – within ourselves, our own families at home, our group of 10 JWRP ‘sisters’ and the greater community as well,” says Karp.
“For me, and for many others, this was the trip of a lifetime,” says Nagle. “I regularly find myself returning to moments that we shared, such as shopping in the outdoor market in Jerusalem in the rain as Shabbos arrived, looking out over the Kotel and the Temple Mount while we were learning at Aish Hatorah, or being in the room with all other women listening to some amazing lesson by (JWRP Founder) Lori Palatnik.”
Since creating this journey in 2008, JWRP has brought more than 4,500 women from 19 countries to Israel in partnership with 113 Jewish organizations and federations, including Israel’s Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Ministry. The heavily subsidized trip is designed for moms who are not “Shomer Shabbat” (Shabbat observant) and who have children ages 18 or younger still living at home. Women pay only airfare and a small amount for tips, etc.
According to the JWRP website, “Women who participate in this transformational journey, feel inspired to instill strong Jewish values in their children, and actively pass down the 4,000 year old legacy of our nation to the next generation.”
Nagle says the trip has had a positive impact on her family. “Our family already has a regular Friday night meal, lighting candles and with fresh-baked challah,” says Nagle “But we added to this the mitzvah of giving tzedakah before we light candles. This may seem not such a big deal, but to us, by adding an additional mitzvah, we feel that we are bringing even more meaning to our Shabbos dinners. We also are lighting candles on time (before sundown) rather than when dinner starts – we feel this really ties us to other Jewish women around the world.”
Phoenix Community Kollel’s new leader, Rabbi Don Bacharach, says the kollel is proud to be a partner in this incredible project, as the foundation of the PCK is to raise the awareness of Jewish identity and education. The PCK does this locally by running events and giving classes to Jews of all backgrounds and affiliations. The kollel prides itself in its ability to share Torah true values and lessons in a warm, nonjudgmental and upbeat environment.
“We met up with approximately 200 other women from around the world,” says Putney. “There are trips six times throughout the year (May, June, July, October, November and December). Recently, the JWRP has started to double up the trips. So instead of having 200 ladies there in October, there were really 400 ladies. On Friday we had a challah bake all together – all 400 participants. Also, we had a pre-Shabbat concert together, and we all (400 ladies) enjoyed a delicious Friday night Shabbat dinner together in a huge banquet hall at the Inbal hotel. It was amazing to be all together.”
Karp called that Shabbat experience the highlight of the trip. “Right before candlelighting, I was able to give my bag (including my cell phone!) to our madrich (educator/leader) for safekeeping until after havdalah. I was able to totally disconnect in a way that I had never done before. No electronics, no distractions. Just wonderful meals, learning, singing, dancing and conversation with 400 other moms!”
Nagle says that having all the details planned for them was a real asset. “This allowed us, mothers who usually worry about whether our kids are happy, or our husbands are enjoying the activities we have planned, to concentrate on the majesty of Jerusalem, seeing sights with professional guides or learning from brilliant women,” says Nagle.
One of the highlights of the trip for Nagle, an attorney, was a lecture by Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an attorney and founder of the Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center. Based on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s success in financially crippling hate groups through lawsuits, the Israel Law Center works to bankrupt terrorism, one lawsuit at a time. The group’s lawsuits have resulted in the freezing of more than $600 million in terror assets, money that would otherwise have made its way to Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and other terror organizations, and has won awards of more than $20 million for victims of terror attacks.
“Ms. Darshan-Letiner is a true superstar who has, by her own determination and intellect, accomplished what governments cannot,” says Nagle. “There was not a dry eye in the room when she finished speaking, and it is a testament to the status of JWRP founder Lori Palatnik and the group itself that she came to speak to us.”
Nagle notes that experiencing Israel with a group of moms with programming specific to women’s interests was enriching and empowering. “The lessons were geared for women and mothers, such as the value of having strong relationships between husband and wife, setting examples for our children and practical lessons such as providing information to help us respond to issues regarding peer pressure and body image,” says Nagle.
More Phoenix-area moms can have this life-changing experience in October 2015, when the Phoenix Community Kollel Women’s Division will offer a second nine-day JWRP Momentum trip, which is often called “Birthright for moms.”
An informational session will be held at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, on March 1 from 10 am to noon. Applications are being accepted online at jwrp.org. Contact Shoshana Putney, the local city coordinator, at Shoshputney@gmail.com or 480-363-1831 for more information.
