Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA) has selected a cohort of 10 women to take part in the MOMentum Year-Long Journey, a program for mothers raising Jewish children 18 years and younger that includes an 8-day trip to Israel.
The 10 women selected are Shelly Kippur (co-chair), Emily Lazarus (co-chair), Gabby Erbst, Dana Goldstein, Meg Knight, Stephanie Pearmain, Sarah Singer, Carrie Singerman, Yissel Salafsky, and JPSA Interim CEO Emily Richman who will serve as local lead staff.
“During my initial interview with JPSA, I spoke about Momentum and the incredible impact it makes on a community in terms of leadership development and Jewish education,” said Richman. “I’m thrilled that with the support and guidance of leadership, we have brought the program to our Southern Arizona community.”
The MOMentum Year-Long Journey “empowers women to connect to Jewish values, engage with Israel, take action, and foster unity, without uniformity. It includes a profound, personal 8-day experience in Israel, during which women explore the Jewish homeland, take in inspiring Jewish wisdom, and join a global Jewish sisterhood. Back home, women channel their energy and passion personally, professionally, and communally, and continue their journey through educational and leadership programs.” www.momentumunlimited.org/journey
“The tremendous response to the inaugural Southern Arizona MOMentum cohort opportunity underscores how deeply mothers raising Jewish children want to heighten their own Jewish journeys through sharing their experiences with and learning from other women–expanding and strengthening their involvement in Jewish communal life,” said Deborah Oseran, former JPSA Board Chair.
Bringing the program to Southern Arizona has been rewarding for co-chair Lazarus. “I have known about the MOMentum program for about 4 years and tried to get it started in our community in late 2019”, she said. “Obviously the timing of that didn’t work, as the world shut down.”
“Last fall, I approached a friend about it, and she introduced me to Emily [Richman]. I am thrilled to see MOMentum have a cohort here in Southern Arizona. We have a small, but close community here in Tucson. I am so glad to get re-introduced to the community and help others do the same with the program. Hopefully it will continue to help connect women to the Tucson Jewish community and leadership.”
Added fellow cohort member Singerman, “I am very excited to have been selected for the MOMentum Year-Long Journey! I am looking forward to traveling to Israel, as I have never been before. The combination of Momentum’s programming aimed at moms raising Jewish kids, and building a sense of community through the local Tucson cohort is a unique experience that I am eager to contribute to.”
With continued support from generous donors, JPSA intends for MOMentum to run annually. For more information about participating in future cohorts or helping to fund MOMentum in Southern Arizona, please contact Emily Richman.
