Women from both sides of war-torn Europe find common bond in trip to Israel

Some 200 Jewish mothers arrived not long ago an eight-working day journey to Israel, which bundled women of all ages from Moscow and St. Petersburg, war-torn Odessa and Ukrainian refugees presently dwelling in Europe.

Stick to Israel Hayom on Fb, Twitter, and Instagram

The journey was organized by Momentum, a “worldwide motion for Jewish moms”, which pointed out that the contributors were being from Ukraine, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and Germany.

This was the initially these party operate by the corporations since war broke out in Ukraine virtually a yr ago. “Functioning in partnership with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, the corporation assists Jewish gals foster a relationship to their heritage and the state of Israel,” Momentum mentioned. It extra, “Coordinating this distinct journey was a logistically intricate one that included operating intently with dozens of associate companies in the location that were being in touch specifically with girls in significant-hazard overcome zones and places where by Zionist activity has been seriously restricted. Although most Jewish companies have been hesitant to provide Russian and Ukrainian females on the identical excursion thanks to the tense political weather, Momentum chose to do the reverse and leveraged this problem into an prospect for Jewish unity.”

Members had been questioned not to provide any apparel or artifacts with symbols so as to stay clear of owning political tensions distract the festive environment, which includes flags, colors involved with their countrywide flags, or nearly anything that could elicit nationalist sentiment.

“All through their keep in Israel, they have been ready to see main highlights which includes the bustling town of Tel Aviv, the mystical city of Safed, Masada, and savored a tour of Jerusalem,” the group said.

The itinerary saw the females knowledge emotional highs and lows, in portion for the reason that they felt anxious about leaving their families guiding throughout such a precarious time, however they “have been elated when they partook in actions this sort of as choosing their individual Jewish title atop Masada or praying at the Western Wall for the really first time.” The organizers stated the previous day was marked by ladies from the two sides of the conflict shedding tears of joy for all that they shared alongside one another.

Momentum Founding Director Lori Palatnik reported, “We could not envision how we could probably bring the Ukrainian and Russian teams with each other. Courageously and with sensitivity, we did, and the girls immediately observed their commonality as Jewish moms, striving for the identical values, and united as part of a folks. We did a lot more for therapeutic, peace, and unity than any geopolitical summit. Gals are key.”

“Started in 2009, Momentum’s four central goals are connecting to Jewish values, partaking with Israel, having action, and fostering unity with out uniformity,” the organization claimed. “Momentum reaches much more than 20,000 numerous Jewish women of all ages from 35 nations around the world, earning it the ideal business for cultivating the world Jewish sisterhood.”

The eight-working day journey to Israel is held immediately after an intense year-extensive determination to fostering a further knowledge of Judaism and its peoplehood.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom’s every day publication and never skip our best stories!