South African women learn from Israel's resilient spirit

There was something eerie, yet uplifting to be aboard a bus where dozens of Jewish mothers listened attentively to one of the passengers recite the Traveler’s Prayer while we drove along Road 232.

That road, now commonly referred to as “the Road of Death,” was once a scenic artery that connected the agricultural fields in Israel’s South to the kibbutzim adjacent to the Gaza border. On October 7, many who attended the Supernova music festival hoped the road would be their path to freedom. However, most of them were instead gunned down by terrorists. Hours later, the road became ground zero for the firefight between the IDF and Hamas terrorists who infiltrated Israel.

Today, driving along the now historic pavement is a journey of witnessing immense loss and grief, but also a yearning to rebuild.

The Momentum solidarity mission to Israel

The 149 Jewish mothers – 15 of whom hailed from South Africa – saw these mixed emotions firsthand when they took part in a Momentum solidarity mission to Israel. On the third day of the mission, after visiting Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and meeting with three fathers of hostages, they made the heartbreaking trip that many Israelis have embarked on over the past seven months — driving down that haunted road of dashed dreams to meet evacuees who may have abandoned their hope for peace. And yet, they still long for home.

“This trip was postponed initially, and at first the South African mothers were very hesitant to come as South Africans. We almost canceled our delegation two weeks before,” said Melissa Hack, the community leader representing the South African delegation.

In addition to showing solidarity with the Israeli people during this time of need, many chose to visit so they could learn how to support the Jewish state when the environment back home has become increasingly hostile.

“One woman approached me and said she wanted to come, and through word of mouth the interest boomed. It’s hard to advocate for Israel. Within our little community it’s easy, but we can’t shout it out. We’re told to lie low and be quiet. I would never walk with an Israeli flag because we’re afraid to, but we shouldn’t be. We want to figure out how to be more vocal while making people more comfortable at the same time,” Hack added.

Michelle Jaffe of Cape Town came on the trip for that very reason. “I feel totally helpless being in South Africa, and I wanted to show up for Israel,” she said. “I wanted to help, I wanted to volunteer on farms, I wanted to bear witness. I think it’s so important as a Jew.”

As such, they joined women from Australia, Panama, the US, and Canada at a Remembrance Day for the Fallen ceremony for Machal soldiers at Sha’ar Hagai. On Independence Day, they enjoyed a festive meal with 300 evacuees from Kibbutz Alumim.

The rest of the trip was infused with fostering solidarity for those affected by October 7, which included visiting the Supernova music festival memorial site, where they heard a survivor tell her story, and visited Kibbutz Re’im. The mission also provided participants with several volunteer opportunities, such as harvesting crops at a local farm, assembling care packages for soldiers, and donating blood.

The experience helped Jaffe address many issues she was struggling with internally before embarking on the trip.

“I’d often find myself asking if I’m a South African Jew or a Jewish South African. For me, I put my Jewishness before being South African. Especially since October 7 and after what our disgusting government has done,” the mother of two said.

“When we heard our country was taking Israel to the International Court of Justice, you can imagine how devastated and disgusted we were. We don’t represent our government — and you can quote me saying that!” she added, referring to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the genocide case that the country brought against Israel in December.

Jaffe is so embarrassed by her country that she felt remorse for coming to Israel’s border control with a South African passport.

Still, she has no plans to leave South Africa and, aside from pure disdain for her government, loves living in the country and its close-knit Jewish community of some 12,000 people. According to the participants of the Momentum trip, the South African Jewish community acts very much like an extended family.

“We really do care for one another,” said Eleanor Miller, another trip participant from Cape Town. “No Jew is starving in Cape Town, nobody is denied an education or a roof over their head. We have great Jewish organizations that look after the young and elderly. Most Jews don’t want to leave. We have a little community, and we feel like a family.”

Coming on the Momentum mission, though, was a way to inject the community with resolve to no longer cower from government threats. This goal is far from easy now that the government has threatened to arrest lone soldiers who enlist in the IDF and then return home.

“It’s politics,” Miller said. “Our government gets a lot of money from Iran and, unfortunately, this is who they sided with. Whenever there are pro-Palestinian marches, our community tells us to stay away and not engage. Coming on this tour, we feel empowered to have a voice and not be silent. I hope we’ll go back and finally have the courage to say something. We can’t be intimidated anymore.”

Momentum hopes to help communities do just that with the Momentum Fellowship program. The program is for individuals who want to become more active in their local communities and local organizations, where they can learn the skills and tools needed to create a meaningful impact. The South African cohort is set to meet for a three-day summit in July.

While in Israel, many of the participants felt inspired by the resilience of the Israeli people, who have been able to maintain a “show must go on” attitude even as they are burying loved ones, sheltering under rocket fire, and being evacuated from their homes. It’s a resilience that seemed almost foreign to some of the women on the trip.

“The quick transition from Remembrance Day for the Fallen to Independence Day was a very jarring experience,” Miller said of spending a somber day in the morning, only to see Israelis celebrate their country as the sun set. “We went from darkness to light, but the emotional whiplash was heavy. I’m sure pre-October 7 that kind of transition was an exhilarating one, but this year it was very hard for us.”

While many of the women came to show solidarity with the victims of October 7, many also felt empowered by how emotionally strong Israelis have been, despite the Hamas atrocities and their aftermath. Between conversations with a head of security in Kibbutz Re’im who left his wife to save his community when it was under fire from terrorists, to hearing three fathers of hostages speak and advocate for rescuing their children, the women were in awe of the Israeli spirit.

On one of their stops, they met with Keren Borovsky Oren, a resident of Kibbutz Re’im who has been evacuated from her home since that dreadful day. As Oren was recounting how her once bucolic kibbutz was under siege by Hamas terrorists, every 20 minutes there was a loud boom of IDF artillery bombing Gaza. As the doors on the hinges shook every time that deafening boom was heard, the women would react in horror. But by the time Oren finished her story, the women in the room eventually got used to the jarring sound and, like many Israelis, they too became a little bit more resilient and understood what it means to live in an Israel that’s under fire.

“Yes, our participants met a variety of Israelis in distress during this challenging time, but they also witnessed the Israeli commitment to rebuild amid the ruins,” said Lori Palatnik, founding director of Momentum. “This is the message we want the Jewish world to understand – Am Yisrael may be in mourning, but they are not broken. This is the resounding message they heard from families of hostages, soldiers, farmers, and many more who echoed Israel’s deep commitment to ensuring their own resilience.”■

Momentum is a global movement whose mission is to empower women to change the world through Jewish values that transform themselves, their families, and their communities.