Parenting, Israel and October 7: Reflections from Momentum Moms
September 17, 2025 | Israel & Global
By Gabrielle Burger
Raising kids in 2025 is full of surprises and challenges. In today’s Jewish world, especially after October 7th, those challenges can feel even more complex — but also filled with opportunities to guide our children with love, strength, and hope. We sat down with two moms, Lauren and Claire, to hear about their experiences raising Jewish children and how this moment has shaped their parenting.
Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your family.
My name is Lauren Weingard. I work as a school psychologist full time and a fitness instructor part time. I am originally from New Jersey but have lived in the Baltimore area for the past 25 years. My husband is Mike Weingard, originally from Columbia, Maryland and we have two kids, who are 12 and 15 years old. Our 12 year old son Bradley attends Pikesville Middle School. He plays soccer and baseball, and he loves the Ravens. Our 15 year old daughter attends Pikesville High school. She is a competitive gymnast and is a beach-lover like her mom. We belong to Har Sinai – Oheb Shalom congregation.
My name is Claire Wallace. I’m a Northern Virginia native who moved to Baltimore in 2024 from Portland, OR. I’m a mom of two boys, now 3.5 and 7, and a devoted keeper of a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Doug, my husband, is a Midwesterner who’s lived on both coasts. Together, we spend a lot of time exploring Baltimore’s green spaces, petting neighborhood dogs, and eating croissants.
How are you connected to our organization, Jewish Connection Network?
LW: I became involved with the Jewish Connection Network when I applied to take part in the Momentum trip to Israel. It was planned prior to the 10/7 attack but was postponed as a result. Our cohort met frequently prior to our trip and we continue to meet as often as we can now that we have returned. The experience that I was able to have due to the support of the Jewish Connection Network has been life changing and I very grateful to all who were a part of it.
CW: I’m going to Israel with Jewish Connection Network and Momentum in November!
Has what happened on October 7th, 2023, in Israel changed you as a mother? If so, how?
LW: Making the decision to travel to Israel, post 10/7, while the war was still ongoing was not easy. My husband was 100% supportive. My kids, especially my younger son, had some fears about my safety which were understandable. Ultimately, we decided as a family that it was the right thing to do. Since returning, my connection to Israel has become so much stronger which was immediately noticeable to my family. I feel more responsible for standing up to those who criticize Israel and I have become more outwardly proud of my Jewish heritage. I have also had to have more conversations with my kids about antisemitism post 10/7. As a family we talk about this a lot…not just antisemitism but politics, terrorism, war, social justice, the long history of the Jewish people and so many other things that feel more important now than before. I am more aware of my kids facing antisemitism in school and out in the world which is something that felt less necessary prior to 10/7. I also want my kids to visit Isreal to see for themselves how special it is, and I hope they can do this as teenagers or young adults which is something I had not done at that age.
CW: What changed is that, for the first time in my life, I had to be ready to defend my family’s beliefs. And I felt jealous. I was jealous of the parents who didn’t have to worry that someone would hurt their kids solely because they were Jewish.
I became a Jew in May 2023. When I told my mother I was considering converting, one of her concerns was my safety and the safety of my kids. I didn’t completely brush off her concern, but it seemed ephemeral. Everyone knows antisemitism is bad! There hasn’t been a major act of violence against Jews since the Holocaust!
Then there was October 7th. My Jewish friends apologized to me for the bad introduction to the Jewish Experience. I suddenly felt extra thankful for the security guard at the synagogue’s preschool dropoff. When the Portland teachers’ union created a k-8 handbook on Palestine, including coloring pages with old borders for kindergarteners, I found some courage and asked my son’s Kindergarten teacher about it. (I tend to be a “hands-off” parent when it comes to teachers.) She kindly assured me that the union can make suggestions for course materials, but she didn’t intend to teach about any armed conflict in her classroom. I physically felt relief.
Now both my kids go to Jewish schools, perhaps partly because I want them to have a Jewish identity that will be stronger than any act of violence.
Have your children asked any questions about it? If so, how have you responded?
LW: My son seems less concerned or aware, but my teenage daughter and I have many conversations about what it means to be Jewish, why there is hatred toward Jews in America and elsewhere and why it is so important to be proud instead of fearful. We talk a lot about the hostages and other sad aspects of the war that I feel must not be forgotten.
CW: They have not asked. My kids were 5 and 1.5 years old when October 7th happened. They were too young at the time to be aware of the news. Over the summer, my younger son asked why there was a police car in the synagogue parking lot (it was actually a security vehicle). I found myself trying to explain why the synagogue needs extra protection. I think I said, “some people don’t like Jews” while also trying to convey how humans are very good at prejudice. It didn’t feel like the right time to get into 2,000 years of history. I managed not to give them bad dreams that night, which felt like a win. But whatever they ask, I try to answer with honesty.
If your children are aware of what happened, where are they getting their information?
LW: The kids get a lot of their information from social media and from what their peers say and do. Sometimes this is helpful and accurate, sometimes it is not but it allows for good discussion at home. My daughter attends Jewish sleepaway camp and is involved with JSU (Jewish Student Union) at school, so she discusses these issues in those settings also. We have close family friends where the husband is an Israeli-American. Recently his store front was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. This attack felt very close to home as it was near our neighborhood and perpetrated on a close friend so this led some important questions and discussion.
What advice would you give to a parent struggling with how to talk about Israel with their children?
LW: As a parent and a school psychologist, my advice is to not shy away from having discussions at home where questions or concerns can be addressed in a comfortable setting and at an age-appropriate level. Kids are exposed to a lot of information about 10/7 from all sorts of sources, some accurate and some not so it is important to help ensure they are getting correct information and have a safe place to ask questions, share feelings, etc. If parents feel uncomfortable for whatever reason or feel their child has been significantly impacted by what they have heard or seen regarding 10/7, parents can always reach out to other adults in the community for resources such as through their congregation, a mental health professional or even another family member. Raising our kids with a good understanding of the importance of Israel and our connection to it as Jewish people is so important.
CW: I think the situation in Israel is an opportunity to show kids that the world is a complicated place with space still for hope. There is no superhero that will swoop in and end the war. Paw Patrol cannot rescue the hostages. Adults don’t know everything or always make the right decisions. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t hope for peace. That doesn’t mean that we stop working together to make the impact of a superhero.