“If you aren't raised religious you don't know how to be Jewish. I have learned how to be a Jewish woman and how to lead my Jewish family. My life has been so much more meaningful and my family is now part of the Jewish continuity because of you. The link in the chain will not be broken.”
Letters home
from our moms
Words we save and re-read.
Letters, texts, and morning notes from women who came on a journey and brought it back to their families.
“Before I went to Israel with TJJ for Moms, I thought I was raising my family Jewish — my kids went to Hebrew school, and we celebrated all the holidays. But I didn't realize what I was missing: the spiritual side of Judaism — the connection to Hashem and the land of Israel. That lightbulb moment sparked a profound transformation in my family, leading to incredible growth in our Judaism.”
“Shabbat became the 'bright' day that we eagerly awaited week after week, illuminating our Jewish identity in a way we hadn't realized we needed until we experienced it.”
“Miss and love you. Thank you to you personally and to TJJ Ncsy for giving me the love for Judaism and Israel. I am them and they are me. Today is a good day.”
“Boker tov. Thank you again for including me at the last minute for the trip. I can't imagine not having gone, and I can't imagine what I would be talking about now had I not gone… thank you for enriching my life, bringing out the best in me and giving me meaningful connections to our heritage and to women of real worth.”
“Nechama, I didn't get a chance with the craziness at the airport this morning to say goodbye. I wanted to thank you for a trip of a lifetime. I am so incredibly grateful for the time I spent with you and all of the leaders. I learned, I laughed, I cried, but most of all I feel a much deeper love and connection to my own Judaism. Yesterday, when you asked us to write down three things we'd like to implement, I didn't have to think. I had been thinking about this exact topic all week and feel now I am better equipped to follow through on my one percent more.”
“Good morning Nechama. It was so amazing to see you. I finally made the challah from the ingredients from the challah bake. I'm so excited because the kids and my husband are excited for it. I'm planning a Shabbat dinner and I'm having my mil over. Thank you for being a symbol of courage, strength and inspiration.”
“Good morning ☀️ just saying hi. I woke up and went to my old messages to hear the Modeh Ani song you sent us right after we got home. I just really wanted to hear it and it made me smile as I start the week!!”
“The Israel journey and programming helped me see myself, my family, Judaism and the world, all from a new perspective.”
“TJJ for Moms has taught me to enjoy every day and practice gratitude. As Rabbi Sacks said, 'faith is the courage to live with uncertainty.'”
“TJJ for Moms has introduced me to a whole new world of Jewish love and pride that I have never felt before. I have been introduced to challah bakes and inspirational speakers. TJJ for Moms has become a household name in my home.”
“I am so grateful to HaShem for giving me the ability to see my gratefulness for so much this Passover season. Although everything is not perfect in my world or the world at large, I am able to be happy today. I just wanted to thank you personally for helping me reconnect to my Judaism.”
“Thank you so much for having us for Shabbat. Osey — you are a role model of strength, caring, and resilience. It shows in your amazing children. It was truly a Shabbat of inspiration. My daughter loved the conversation. She connected spirituality with your family and your sister and brother-in-law and their family and all the friends.”
“Thank you again to you and Steve for a beautiful Shabbat dinner! We loved spending time with you and your family. And the meal was delicious!”
“Shavua Tov!!! We cannot thank you enough for the most INSPIRING, DELICIOUS, MEANINGFUL, WARM and WELCOMING Shabbat! We absolutely loved being at your gorgeous Shabbat table with your gorgeous family. We have been talking all day about what an amazing family you are!”
“I wanted to personally thank you for setting up the amazing evening we had at Rabbi Isaac's house with Yael. It was especially meaningful because they had family visiting and the Zadie who is 93 years old was there and could not be more amazing. I loved lighting the candles with them and reciting the prayers and it was the most delicious filled meal with just a very, very warm feeling.”
“We really had such a fabulous time! They are a great group of women. Told them they are invited anytime and it does not have to be a formal TJJ weekend.”
“It was so so wonderful! Thank you for organizing. A beautiful night.”
Long-form
The full stories.
a letter from
Aimee
TJJ Mom
In the summer of 2022, I went to Israel by myself through the NCSY program. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was a country that I had always wanted to experience. I interviewed with Nechama and Yonina and was offered a spot. I didn't participate in a lot of the pre-trip activities so I knew very few people before I left. Despite this, I got on the plane from New York and flew solo to Ben Gurion airport.
Once I arrived in Israel, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought it was one of the most amazing places I've ever seen. Every day we got up early, had a beautiful breakfast, and got on a bus that took us on our daily adventure. When people ask what my favorite activity was, I always seem to give the same answer — everything.
One of my favorite days was when our group went to Tzfat. I particularly enjoyed going to the candle store to buy Shabbat candles for my family and other gifts for friends. That year for Rosh Hashanah I used a set of candles I bought in Israel which was quite meaningful for me. Since visiting Israel, whenever I travel to a new city in a different country, I make every effort to visit the Jewish quarter and purchase a new pair of Shabbat candles.
Most recently, my family and I traveled to Spain. We got to experience the Jewish quarters in Barcelona, Toledo and Segovia. I was with my mom and my daughter in Toledo where we toured a very old Jewish synagogue. This experience with three generations was very special to me.
I've learned so much during the past two years and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know so many different people. I feel blessed and honored to have been a part of such a wonderful trip with an amazing group of women.
a letter from
Missy (Michal) Edelman
Kislev, known to be the darkest month of the year with the least hours of daylight, sets the perfect background to show off the brightest and boldest lights of our candles on our Hanukkiah! It is the month of miracles. I can't help but think how my involvement in NCSY is symbolic to this month.
Upon my return from my first trip to Israel with NCSY/TJJ Moms, I realized that as a mother of three children, I wanted my family's Judaic life to shine brighter than it did before. I began lighting Shabbat candles every Shabbat as well as making sure our family did the Kiddush, blessings over our children, and the blessings over our homemade challah from Nechama (Director of TJJ for Moms) — a.k.a. "Nechallah!"
It didn't stop there. For the next five years, our family has shared numerous Shabbosim with our inspiring NCSY leaders and we learned firsthand the beauty of the Shabbos table. It gave me the courage to start making our own Shabbosim and inviting our extended family and friends in our own town to experience this magic. Shabbat became the "bright" day that we eagerly awaited week after week.
I returned to Israel three more times with NCSY (2022, 2023, and 2024). As I always say, each time I return to Israel, I fall deeper in love with our Homeland — and deeper in love with Judaism. With each trip, I would return wanting to express my spirituality even more.
In 2020, I received a Sukkah from NCSY, and became the first house in my neighborhood with a Sukkah. I proudly invited my neighbors over to share in Sukkot in a way we never did before. The next year, NCSY doubled the size of my Sukkah and I doubled the Sukkah celebrations, hosting almost 100 people each year.
From learning to bake my own Hamantashen and making Shalach Manot baskets, to making memorable Seders to fasting for Tisha B'Av, I made sure each holiday would be celebrated in a deeper and more spiritual way. In addition to my daily davening, I started studying Torah weekly with a Torah partner and I am forever grateful for this incredible opportunity.
When I think about how much NCSY has impacted my family, it gives me the fuel to keep lighting up my Jewish world. Just like each night our Hanukkiah gets brighter, so will my love for being Jewish.
Am Yisrael Chai!