WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s first woman president in a decade, Lillian Pinkus, told the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project (JWRP) Sunday night that its work nurturing a new generation of women leaders is “transformative.”
Pinkus, meeting with JWRP leaders at the annual AIPAC Policy Conference, recalled seeing a group of women from around the world singing and dancing at the Western Wall, then learned they were Jewish mothers on a JWRP Momentum experience.
“It was at that moment I realized you had started something truly extraordinary and transformative,” Pinkus said. “When you take mothers to Israel and you bind them to the values of the Jewish people and you bind them to Israel, I know our future will be in good hands.”
Jewish values begin in the home and with Jewish mothers Pinkus added. “Success it when you’ve taken something you’ve learned and turned it into action and I know the ladies in this room are doing just that,” she added.
The special JWRP event at AIPAC came days after JWRP Founding Director Lori Palatnik said that Jewish mothers will be critical to effecting social change within the next decade. Palatnik, speaking about the JWRP’s theory of change during a special dinner forum at the annual Jewish Funders Network conference in Atlanta, said Jewish mothers fill unrivaled roles as major family decision-makers, making them prime candidates to become pivotal figures in leading wider social change.
“I believe that within the next decade, we will see a movement of Jewish mothers transforming into leaders of social change in the wider community, and JWRP is ready to inspire that movement,” Palatnik said.
The JWRP’s flagship program is Momentum, an eight-day immersive journey through Israel, in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. Momentum is more than an Israel tour; it is an opportunity for participants to embark on a life-changing Jewish journey. Since 2009, more than 10,000 Jewish women from 26 countries have participated in Momentum.
Once these women return home, the JWRP supports their engagement with other participants, as they continue to learn and transform themselves. JWRP, through leadership development programs, then seeks to guide the next generation of women leaders.
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Preceding provided by the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project