The Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project (JWRP) trained Jewish mothers to become the next leaders of the community through its first-ever “MOMentum” Fellowship, which kicked off June 27 with a three-day leadership retreat in Reisterstown, Maryland.

The inaugural fellowship is for past participants of JWRP’s “MOMentum” trips to Israel who want to expand their leadership in their communities. The fellowship will consist of a select group of 16-18 women from Denver, Washington, DC, Toronto and Israel. The JWRP “MOMentum” full-year experience includes an eight-day journey to Israel, which aims to inspire women to connect deeply with their Jewish heritage and transform themselves, their families and ultimately their communities and the wider world.

The next step for the participants will be to go through seven local training sessions where their learning, rich in Jewish values, will be presented in a three-dimensional framework that starts with understanding the individual as a leader, then how to involve others in leadership and, finally, moving from articulating the purpose and vision of what is to be achieved to implementing a strategic plan of their initiative.

The fellows, working with other JWRP participants, will partner with local organizations to create and execute a new initiative to help their Jewish communities. Fellows will document the design and implementation of their initiative so that it can become a model for adaptation through the JWRP international network. Fellows who meet the goals of the program will receive a certificate of success from the Israeli government and JWRP.

Projects can range from promoting financial security to inspiring mental health professionals. Fellows will have a chance to present their project at the JWRP Leadership Conference in College Park, Maryland, Feb. 25-27, 2018.

JWRP is launching the fellowship in part after conducting research that shows leadership training has become an increasingly effective method to engage “MOMentum” trip participants and transition them into committed community members. The fellowship is aimed at educating women leaders with tools they can use to make substantial, positive change in their hometowns.

“We strongly feel that investing in women who are rising as leaders in their homes and communities will yield tremendous things for the Jewish people,” said Lori Palatnik, JWRP’s founding director.

One Washington, DC, resident who is among the first fellows is Kyla Hartunian. “I am thrilled to be among the first women selected to explore ways to create innovative, manageable activities within my community to maximize opportunities for neighborhood connections,” she said. “I am really excited that the ‘MOMentum’ Fellowship is helping to address this and am looking forward to working with the many talented people at JWRP as we forge ahead!”