Why Mother’s?

The question I am most often asked as President of the Momentum Board is – why mothers? Why does Momentum invest, promote and support mothers? What is so special and unique about mothers? What makes someone a mother anyway?

Photo: L to R: My mother, Elizabeth Gorodesky, me and my Mother-in-love, Raya Zalik

Naturally, when thinking of mothers I cannot help but immediately think of my own mom – shout out to Elizabeth Gorodesky in sunny Hollywood, Florida. An image of sitting around the kitchen table chatting with my mom immediately comes to mind. Sometimes it was drinking Earl Grey tea and eating cookies. Sometimes it was watching her chop up vegetables for salad. Sometimes it was begrudgingly helping her peel potatoes. Always casually discussing the most important questions of life. Everything important I learned happened around the kitchen table.

Nowadays, everything important I wish to teach my children – is shared in the car – in carpool, on the go, or while running errands. I would love to say that meaningful conversations happen around the kitchen table, and sometimes they do, on Shabbat or during the High Holidays. Thank God, we have that. But other than that, the rich discussions often occur in between places – en route. John Lennon said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” It’s what’s going on in transit, in these little moments, on these small journeys, where we have the most influence today.

At Momentum, we call our signature trip to Israel a “Year-Long Journey”. Personally, I think it is a misnomer because once someone truly engages with Momentum, Momentum is there for them for life. Momentum can become a “Life-Long Journey”. Whether tapping into insights on a Boost or a Podcast, or traveling to the next soulful destination for a Retreat, or joining a Learning Circle, Momentum has the transformational experiences and timeless wisdom designed to support every step of life.

And there is no one final destination. Momentum is not focused on the endpoint of the journey. We are not saying you have to arrive here or there. Momentum’s goal is to ensure we have wisdom and lifelong lessons to pass on to our children, our family, community, and friends during whatever small and precious moments we have in everyday life.

This is why Momentum invests in mothers:

Mothers seize every single moment of every single day – and never give up to infuse their children’s lives with love, support and meaning. For me, that is the definition of a mother.

And I mean mother in the broadest definition of the term. A mother is someone who cares for her children, of course, and a mother is also someone who brings forth an idea, a project, a calling or life passion that impacts the world.

This is why mothers are the best investment. There is nothing my child, my project, my baby could ever do that would cause me to abandon it, to give up on it, or to love it any less than I did since the moment of its conception and creation.

Mothers never give up. In small, precious moments sprinkled throughout a day, a week, and a lifetime, mothers find ways to empower and inspire their children with values that make life meaningful. And that makes us the perfect change makers. Because once you have decided that someone or something is your baby, you own it. You are going to run with it, you are going to support it, you are going to grow it, and you are going to be there until your last dying breath.

Please share with me – about your mothers, your children, your passion projects, Momentum’s impact on you, and whether you believe mothers are a great investment. You can reply to me here.

To my mother, mother-in-love, and grandmothers, to all the mothers out there, and to anyone who may find this day difficult or challenging, I am sending love from my heart to yours.

Helen Zalik
Momentum Board President