ANT KATZ

“If you wanted to have the greatest influence on the direction of the Jewish people, whom should you target? The Jewish mother, that’s who!” So says the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Programme (JWRP) whose mission is to “empower women to change the world through Jewish values that transform themselves, their families and their communities”.

“We are honoured to have the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs as our newest partner, allowing us to expand our reach to even more organisations in more countries.

“With their help, this project is quickly turning into a movement!” says the JWRP website.

The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs’ Jeremy Ruden told Jewish Report that they were excited to see a strong contingent of South African women on the current JWRP tour to Israel. JWRP, says Rudin, “is a kind of ‘Birthright for Mothers’.” It was founded in the US in 2008 and started taking Jewish mothers from around the world to Israel back in 2009.

“As we speak,” Rudin told Jewish Report Online, “JWRP has its largest delegation yet in Israel which includes over 20 mothers from Cape Town and Johannesburg”.

Jewish Report will follow the SA mothers and interview some of them on their return.

One quotation from an unnamed member of an earlier trip is quoted on the JWRP WEBSITE as saying: “The trip changed me, as a wife, as a mother, and as a Jewish woman.” More than anything else, this encapsulates the goals and objectives of the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project.

Who is Lori Palatnik?

Lori Palatnik is the founding director of the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. She is an author and a Jewish educator who has appeared extensively on television and radio, and is a sought-after international speaker.

Palatnik has lectured in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Central America, South Africa, and Israel.

LEFT: Founding director Lori Palatnik

Palatnik has also delivered featured talks at Yale, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania.

She lives in the Washington DC area with her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik, and is the busy mother of five children. 

Her weekly video blog – “Lori Almost Live” – is a popular feature online, attracting more than 50 000 viewers each month.

Lori has been named as one of the ten “Women to Watch” by Jewish Women International in recognition of her contribution to Jewish women throughout the world.

What is the JWRP?

According to the JWRP WEBSITE: In 2008, eight Jewish women from different walks of life, affiliations, observance, and ages began a powerful dialogue. They agreed that it was time to empower and inspire women with the rich beauty of their Jewish heritage, and the JWRP was born.

The JWRP seeks to inspire women to transform themselves, transform their families, their communities, and the world. Our flagship program is Momentum, an eight-day journey through Israel.

Momentum is more than a tour of Israel; it is an opportunity to deeply explore ourselves. Thousands of women from 19 different countries have already experienced this life-changing trip, paying only their own airfare, and returning home with the best gift of all—a deep, eternal connection to Israel, a profound kinship with each other, and a heart filled with Jewish values.

Inspire a woman, you inspire a family.
Inspire enough families, you inspire a community.
Inspire enough communities, you can change the world.

We work in partnership with a wide spectrum of community organizations, from Jewish outreach centers to Federations. Our partners recruit the women, staff the buses and continue the journey through continually evolving follow-up programming that keeps the inspiration going and helps to create bonds that extend not only to communities, but globally.

One of the most exciting results of our trips was the impact on families. We started hearing from our participants: “My husband has to see this and hear this!” We also heard from our partnering organizations, and finally, from the husbands themselves: “We are behind our wives, we don’t understand, please do a trip for us!” So we responded with Momentum opportunities for men, which have quickly become one of our greatest follow-up programs, helping to lift the family together.

Over 4,500 Women & 400 Men have been on Momentum

Thousands of women and hundreds of men have already experienced the spirit-building power of Momentum, and it is our goal to make the opportunity available to thousands more.

We are honoured to have The Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs as our newest partner, allowing us to expand our reach to even more organisations in more countries. With their help, this project is quickly turning into a movement!

MOMENTUM TOUR ITINERARY BELOW MEMBERS’ MAP

The Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project has over 100 branches worldwide. Find a group near you and see who’s joining their journey from your country or city

The Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project has over 100 branches worldwide. Find a group near you and see who’s joining their journey from your country or city

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