Welcome to Shalom Village: Because Parenthood Was Never Meant to Be Done Alone
July 21, 2026 | Events
By Lindsay Gaister Montague, Manager of Family Engagement
Relationships Are What Build Community
Throughout my 20-year career in the Baltimore Jewish community, I have had the privilege of working with families through schools, synagogues, camps, and community organizations. One thing has always remained true: relationships are what truly build community.
As a mom of three children, I know firsthand that parenting can be joyful, exhausting, exciting, overwhelming, and beautiful—all at the same time. We need a place where we can be honest, ask questions, share the hard days, celebrate the joyful ones, and be reminded that we’re not alone.
Shalom Village was created to be that place.
A Village for This Season of Life
We’ve all heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” That belief inspired Shalom Village—a postpartum community designed for families with babies ranging from newborns to 24 months who are looking for connection, support, Jewish community, and a space where they can simply show up exactly as they are.
One of the things I have loved most about creating Shalom Village has been the opportunity to build it alongside an incredible team of professionals, educators, parents, and connectors who all share a deep commitment to supporting young families.
I’m especially excited to be partnering with Julie Altman Wolff, MS, LCPC. Julie brings years of experience supporting parents through the ups and downs of early family life, along with a remarkable ability to make people feel comfortable, heard, and genuinely cared for.
Learning Together Without Judgment
Shalom Village includes six expert-led parenting sessions that explore topics such as:
- Postpartum realities
- Gentle sleep education
- Feeding without judgment
- New family dynamics
- Media literacy
- Mental health support
- Financial planning for the future
Together, we hope to create a welcoming space where it’s perfectly okay to celebrate the wins, laugh about the chaos, ask the questions you think everyone else already knows the answers to, and occasionally admit that you reheated the same cup of coffee three times before finally drinking it.
Created by Parents, for Parents
I’m also incredibly grateful for the opportunity to co-create Shalom Village with two of The Network’s Parent Connectors: Lindsay Grossman, Early Intervention Parent Connector, and Jordan Zilberman, Parent Connector at the Stoler Early Learning Center at the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC.
Their perspectives as parents, thoughtful feedback, and creative ideas helped strengthen the curriculum, participant experience, and overall vision for the cohort.
Everyone Belongs Here
One of the things that was incredibly important to all of us while creating Shalom Village was making sure every family feels like they belong.
Whether you’re navigating sleepless nights with your first baby, balancing life with a toddler and a newborn, part of an interfaith household, a Jew of Color, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a Russian-speaking family, navigating adoption or fertility, or simply looking for a welcoming Jewish community, there is a place for you here.
You don’t need to know every Jewish tradition or have parenting all figured out (spoiler alert: none of us do).
Come exactly as you are. Questions are welcome, messy moments are expected, and every parenting journey is respected.
Building Community Beyond the Sessions
Between each Shalom Village parenting class, parents will be invited to gather together for informal Village Meet-Ups where conversations will continue, friendships will deepen, and families will have the chance to celebrate milestones, navigate challenges, and simply enjoy being together.
When I imagine Shalom Village, I don’t just picture families sitting together during a session.
I imagine parents exchanging phone numbers before heading home. Then come the texts asking, “Has anyone else’s baby been up since 3:00 a.m.?” Before long, those conversations become coffee dates, first birthday parties, holiday celebrations and children growing up together.
That’s what a village is.
We’d Love to Welcome You
My hope is that Shalom Village becomes more than a program families attend. I hope it becomes a community they can lean on, contribute to, and grow with during one of life’s most meaningful seasons.
Because sometimes what we need most isn’t another parenting book or another social media post.
Sometimes we just need a village. We’d love to welcome you into ours.
Learn more and register: Shalom Village – Jewish Connection Network
Questions? I’d love to hear from you. Please reach out at lgaister@thejewishnetwork.org.
Shalom Village is generously supported by the Meyerhoff New Jewish Family Innovation Fund