Austin Delegation members visit the Galilee Medical Center. Courtesy: Amy Hyman

By Amy Hyman 

This past April, during Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut, nine mothers with children under the age of 18 traveled to Israel on a Shalom Austin sponsored experience in partnership with Momentum and made possible through the generous funding of Debbie and Ricky Rudy. Amy Hyman, Shalom Austin senior development director, led the trip and Rachel Stern, Shalom Austin chief learning & engagement officer and director of the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Jewish Culture and Education, provided onboarding within a Jewish context leading up to the trip.

The Momentum journey provides a profound and immersive experience to dive into Jewish values while exploring Israel as a homeland, all with the explicit goal of empowering women to take action to positively impact oneself, one’s family, one’s community and ultimately the world. Over eight days the group travelled to Tel Aviv, Tzvat, Jerusalem and the Negev, with each day including lessons rooted in a different Jewish value.

For some, it was their first time to Israel and for others, they had traveled there before. Allison Caplovitz shared that, “I had never been to Israel before and Momentum gave me the opportunity to experience it for the first time with a group of moms like me.

No words can express the magnitude of the impact it had on me as a Jew, a mother, and a human. I have already used some of what I learned and made small modifications to my practice as a Jewish mother. In addition, I have made friends that will last well beyond the trip itself and feel a deeper connection with the Austin Jewish community as a whole. During our travels, we learned about ‘Unity without uniformity,’ that no matter how we practice our Judaism, we are all one people with a homeland that is unique and special, and I have Momentum to thank for that experience!”

Some had lived in Austin for many years with involvement in the Jewish community, while others were newer to town. Newcomer Christen Glickman shared that, “Experiencing Israel with an emphasis on Jewish family values – with mothers from Austin and across the globe – was such an honor.

As a newcomer to Austin by way of D.C., I hoped the Momentum trip to Israel would connect me with Jewish women locally. Now, I have a beloved group of Momentum moms in Austin to lean on, celebrate with, and to relate to on our Jewish journeys as matriarchs.”

At the conclusion of the Momentum experience, the Austin delegation traveled north to Shalom Austin’s Partnership 2Gether city of Akko in the Western Galilee.

The group spent the day touring organizations funded by Shalom Austin’s Annual Campaign, including Dror Israel, an urban kibbutz, the Galilee Medical Center and an Ethiopian house. Before heading to the airport, the delegation gathered with Women Leading Dialogue, a multi-cultural, women’s empowerment program. Upon return, the Austin mothers will continue to gather for diving deeper into Jewish traditions and learning, as well as social activities to foster a deeper feeling of community.

Another upcoming immersive travel experience is the Shalom Austin Mission Trip to Israel celebrating Israel’s 75^th anniversary November 6-17. Trip co-chairs are Val and Jeff Newberg and Kim and Matt Schocket. For more information, visit shalomaustin.org/missions2023.