Mother-to-Mother Unity Mission to Israel

duda • April 26, 2024

The first step toward hope, is taking action.

Dear JCA Community,


A group of six Jewish mothers from Maine, a Momentum Partnership Manager, a Brandeis professor, and the J’s Executive Director walk into a home during Pesach may sound like the start of a great joke, but it was actually the scene in Falmouth on Wednesday night. The moms and I are two weeks away from departing on a Mother-to-Mother Unity Mission to Israel. Gila, our Momentum Manager, and Sara from Brandeis traveled from Massachusetts to ensure we are emotionally and physically prepared for the journey we are about to embark on together, as well as to share their own experiences as Israelis living in the diaspora who were personally affected by October 7th.


We are scheduled to arrive just in time to commemorate Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) and to mark Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day).  We know it will be incredibly powerful to be there for these events, to honor and cement our shared connection to the land of Israel, our peoplehood, our values and our commitments. Above all this trip will be an opportunity to express our shared belief that as mothers in the diaspora, we are called to stand in unity and in support of Israeli mothers. In a time when so many are turning away or staying quiet, it is ultimately our shared desire to turn toward these injustices, to act in the service of humanity, and the desire to do something, anything, to stand against anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism and terror, and to bear witness to the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th.


We all have additional, more personal “why’s” as well. Gila shared her own story of waking up in Israel on October 7th to the sound of sirens, and how she rushed to her 23-year-old daughter’s side immediately. Gila recalled her insistence that no matter the risk to herself personally, she was committed to personally delivering her daughter to her military base, praying it wouldn’t be their last moments together. Thankfully, she just celebrated her 24th birthday, with our group over Zoom (see photo below!) Sara talked about her immediate family member, Mia Shem, an Israeli hostage who was released on November 30th. One Maine participant discussed her experience of living as a teacher in Jerusalem, and that two of her former students were directly affected on October 7th, one was killed in the Nova massacre, and the other two days later as part of the first IDF unit to enter Gaza. The rest of us talked about our own connections to Israel, to the Holocaust, and about our fears right here in our own country. We echo one another’s sentiments that we no longer feel safe or free to express our religion or commitments to Israel publicly. All of us do so loudly and proudly anyway. The topic that aligns us in the most resounding way, though, is our children. Our number one priority as parents is to ensure their safety. What must it be like to be an Israeli mother right now?


We all agree: “If I am not for myself, who is for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?” – Rabbi Hillel, 1st Century B.C.


What will this mission look like? To start, we will be meeting with families of hostages, bearing witness by visiting a kibbutz destroyed by Hamas, as well as the Nova Music Festival site, where we will hear from a survivor. Later, we will harvest fruits and vegetables on a farm, ensuring fresh food reaches the markets. We will donate our time, learn, listen, offer support and solidarity.


As the Community Leader for this mission, I feel a personal responsibility to not only share what we hope our time volunteering in Israel does mean for us, and hopefully for those we interact with on the ground, but I also want you to know what this mission does not mean. Our connection to and support for Israel does not negate the clear suffering and massive loss of innocent lives of Gazans. Our choice to engage in this mission does not mean we are against a Palestinian statehood. On the contrary, every single one of us prays for a peaceful future and two-state solution. We’ve seen (in alarming detail) what happens when there is no viable path forward for Israeli and Palestinian statehood existing peacefully side by side. We’ve been told it’s impossible. But look where that belief has led us. Unnecessary death, destruction, and trauma that will be felt for generations to come by millions of people in the region and worldwide. This is exactly the right moment to adopt a new way of thinking—to practice our ability to hold multiple truths at one time. To have tikvah—hope. And the first step toward hope, is taking action.


We hope you follow along at the J’s Facebook and Instagram for daily updates; and for a more comprehensive update when we return. Tonight is Shabbat Chol Hamoed Pesach. From my family to yours, I hope you marked this holiday with more curiosity than criticism, and I leave you with these words from Elie Wiesel: “I love Passover because for me it is a cry against indifference, a cry for compassion.”


Am Yisrael Chai.


Ashley Inbar

Chief Development Officer

National Diaper Need Awareness Week 2026

September 15, 2026
The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine Marks National Diaper Need Awareness Week, Celebrating Community Support for Maine Families As Maine recognizes National Diaper Need Awareness Week, September 14–20, Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services (KJFS) at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine (JCA) is highlighting the ongoing challenge of diaper need and the extraordinary network of volunteers, donors, funders, and community partners who make the KJFS Diaper Bank possible. Across the country, one in two families with young children struggles to afford enough diapers to keep their children clean, dry, and healthy. Diapers are a basic necessity, but they are also an economic issue for families: many childcare and early education programs require parents to provide an adequate supply of diapers, meaning diaper need can create another barrier to parents’ ability to work. Here in Maine, the KJFS Diaper Bank works to ensure that families throughout the state have access to this essential resource. As an essential component of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, KJFS approaches this work in the spirit of Jewish values—the belief that caring for our neighbors and helping people meet their most basic needs is a responsibility we share. The Diaper Bank puts those values into action by serving families of all backgrounds throughout Maine. In 2025, the JCA distributed 290,050 diapers to an average of 965 children each distribution month. Currently, the Diaper Bank serves clients in Lewiston, Gray, Raymond, Mechanic Falls, Brunswick, Saco, Biddeford, Gorham, Windham, Standish, Buxton, Steep Falls, Scarborough, South Portland, Portland, and Westbrook. As we continue to see the impacts of inflation, diapers continue to be a barrier for families, and without clean diapers, babies are exposed to potential health risks and toxic stress, and mothers are at risk for increased maternal depression. In a letter recognizing National Diaper Need Awareness Week, Maine Governor Janet Mills thanked the state’s diaper banks, staff, volunteers, and donors for their service and specifically recognized the JCA among the trusted community-based organizations working to distribute diapers to families throughout Maine. “We thank Governor Mills for recognizing the work of so many across our community to address diaper need,” said Susan Cohen, CEO of the JCA. “Jewish tradition reminds us that we are responsible for one another, and that caring for our neighbors is both an obligation and an expression of our deepest values. Through this work, we seek to ensure that every family has the dignity, resources, and opportunity they need to thrive.” The work of the KJFS Diaper Bank is only possible because of the community behind it. In 2025, the Diaper Bank had over 80 volunteers, including 50 individual volunteers as well as many corporate and student volunteer groups who donated over 700 volunteer hours. Volunteers help receive, organize, package, deliver, and prepare diapers for distribution, while individuals, businesses, foundations, government partners, and community organizations provide the financial and material resources needed to keep shelves stocked. Margaret Mailander, Director of Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services shares that "addressing the immediate diaper need is important and as the National Diaper Bank Network has made clear through their research, diaper need is a systemic issue caused by economic and social systems and therefore requires our collective support to find solutions that are structural." During National Diaper Need Awareness Week, KJFS encourages Mainers to learn more about diaper need, organize diaper drives, volunteer, and support the continued availability of diapers for families throughout the state. Please donate to the Jewish Family Services Diaper Bank at Diaper Bank . About Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services KJFS is the social services department of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, providing programs and resources that support individuals and families and strengthen communities throughout Maine. Guided by Jewish values and open to people of all backgrounds, KJFS works to meet immediate needs while fostering dignity, connection, and well-being. About the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine The Jewish Community Alliance (JCA) is a central hub for Jewish life, education, and community support. We provide meaningful programs, essential services, and opportunities to connect. Rooted in Jewish values, history, and our connection to Israel, the JCA cultivates and sustains a welcoming and thriving Jewish community in Maine and strives to build a better world for all.

A Call for Peace and Responsible Rhetoric

July 31, 2026
A Call for Peace & Responsible Rhetoric

Remembering, Rebuilding, and Resilience: JCRC Hosts Eugene Damlich

July 15, 2026
Last week, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine welcomed Eugene Damlich, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, for a special lunch and community dialogue. Eugene shared the story of losing his family, surviving unimaginable violence, and rebuilding his life in the years that followed. The only surviving child in a family of five children, Eugene later immigrated to the United States, where, as an adult, he found love and belonging with a Jewish-American family. The gathering was not simply a testimony program, but a genuine exchange between communities. Eugene asked participants how the Jewish community has preserved Holocaust memory while helping survivors and their descendants live with hope, dignity, and purpose. He also invited discussion about forgiveness, justice, healing, and the responsibility to transmit memory across generations. Several people at the table were children of Holocaust survivors—one JCRC member, Anna Wrobel, shared that her mother was also the sole survivor of her family—profoundly relating to Eugene in a way that few others can.  In preparation for the lunch, the JCRC held its first movie night, where participants watched Sometimes in April, a 2005 historical drama about the Rwandan Genocide. Last week’s lunch also built upon the JCRC’s participation in this year’s Kwibuka, which annually commemorates the Rwandan Genocide; JCRC members walked in the memorial procession, and a post-Kwibuaka gathering for Maine’s Tutsi community was held at the JCA. We are deeply grateful to Eugene for sharing his testimony, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between Maine’s Jewish and Tutsi communities.
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