What makes Jewish moms unique

PETA KROST MAUNDER

We are believed to be overprotective of our kindelach forever. Even when they are adults with their own children, and possibly grandchildren, we are quick to tell them they need a jersey, a job or a life…  And when they don’t listen, we are quick to lay on the guilt, every Jewish mama’s strongest weapon.

I could go on because not only am I a mom, but I have a very precious mom and four sisters who are moms and some of my best friends are moms too.

Instead, I put out a Facebook message on Joburg Jewish Mommies to ask other moms what they think is special, unique and different about Jewish mommies. This is what they said:

Anni Williams said Jewish moms have a “constant desire for their children to be better than they were” and for their kids to be able to “accomplish anything that they can dream”.

Laura Bark Sher says Jewish moms are so caring. “I would take a trigger for my three children. I encourage them to live their dream and never give up. They have their independence but I will always be there for them.”

Avital Furman-Maraney agrees with me in saying that “there is only one thing that makes Jewish mom’s special: a healthy dose of ‘Jewish mother’s guilt’”.

Aviva Egdes says that Jews are a nation of compassionate people and we feel particularly deeply for our children. “We are proud and grateful of their achievements, and devastated by their pain. We feel their every emotion. Intuition, or gut feel, an understanding on a subconscious level,” she says.

Hanna Yudelman Green says we “know” the right way to make chicken soup and kneidl and “we want to give everything to our children” even if it means sacrificing so they can have. Pamela Penn Cohen agrees: “We self-sacrifice for our children.”

Says Jacqui Rozen: “Only a Jewish mother would drive back to school in a flurry if her kids forgot their lunch boxes, jacket or PT kit at home.”

Michele Rootenberg believes Jewish moms often micromanage their children’s lives. In the process of doing what we can to keep them safe and happy, we tend to get over-involved and become “helicopter (hovering) parents”.

“Our children are our greatest joy and our life’s work,” says Michele. “We see them as blessings and not as encumbrances. We often feel guilt that we are not good enough parents. We tend to be very loving to our offspring and delight in feeding them.”

And boy, do we love feeding them! G-d forbid they should be hungry for a moment. 

Sharon Lefkowitz says: “It is all about the love, the unconditional giving” and wanting our kids to have all the good things in life so they can grow into “mensches”.

We give the CIA and FBI a run for their money when it comes to solving our children’s problems, says Danielle Sacks.

That’s right, Nici Ezra says: “We are fighting with them and fighting for them. There is nothing so fiercely protective as a Jewish mom!”

I couldn’t have said it better. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Jewish moms!