I wrote this post a long time ago, after attending a talk by Natalie Taylor at the Kolech conference on fertility. Unfortunately the topic still relevant for many couples. At the time the speaker was pregnant with twins, who were born healthy. Natalie Taylor started off by saying that she is not … [Read more...]
Tomorrow’s Wars
June 26, 2013 by
Last year I asked, "Where Are the Children of Tomorrow?" about the absence of sessions about parents and children at Tomorrow 2012, also known as the President's Conference. This year's program showed only slight improvement with one session on education and another on women and Judaism (more on … [Read more...]
Thank You to a Stranger from a Special Needs Mom
June 10, 2013 by
Please welcome Hadassah Rosenthal for today's guest post. Hadassah's moving story has a lesson for all parents. Yesterday was my 5-year-old daughter's first day at the pool. I've heard way too many stories about kids on the Autistic Spectrum who wandered into water and ended up drowning. So, … [Read more...]
Tolerance and Women of the Wall
June 9, 2013 by
How to relate to the prayer group, "Women of the Wall," has been one of the most divisive issues in the National Religious community in Israel. I wrote up my thoughts and published them on Times of Israel, and it is one of the top posts there. Today is Rosh Hodesh Tammuz. The Kotel is quiet. … [Read more...]
Israeli Baby Name Help, June 2013
June 5, 2013 by
Today we have three readers seeking help with baby names: Is Yaeli a common first name in Israel or just the nickname for Yael? We like Yaeli more, but here in Germany we have to prove that it’s a “real” name at least in another country. BTW, you already helped us last year to decide for a girls … [Read more...]
Guest Post: Story of Orthodox Teen Pregnancy
June 4, 2013 by
The author of today's guest post wishes to remain anonymous: This story has a happy ending, mostly. It almost didn't. I grew up in a religious household, and I knew what the expectations were, yet when I was eighteen, I became sexually active. When I was twenty, a condom tore. Ten days later, I … [Read more...]
Surrogate Mothering by Religious Women
May 28, 2013 by
Rika Koren, 32, divorced and the mother of two, served as a surrogate mother for an infertile couple and plans to do so again. In an interview with the newspaper Makor Rishon, Koren expanded on the reasons for her decision. She grew up in the Gur community of Ashdod, but her mother was from a … [Read more...]
Modesty, Mikveh and the Female Convert
May 16, 2013 by
Help wanted: Men to serve on the rabbinic court to supervise immersion of conversion candidates. Producer Nirit Yaakovs-Yinon, a religious Jewish woman, got interested in the concerns of female conversion candidates after hearing about the job description above from a friend who worked in the … [Read more...]
Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich: Expanded Space for Women at Western Wall
May 4, 2013 by
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, the rabbi in charge of the Kotel (Western Wall), said last week that he intends to enlarge the women's section of the Western Wall. Photographer Rahel Jaskow documented the poor conditions for women in two photo essays, Separate and Unequal at the Western Wall and Return … [Read more...]
Revisiting the Misgeret, or Is Preschool Necessary
May 3, 2013 by
This post was originally published in 2008, but is still relevant for many parents. Sadly two readers who commented here, Helene and RivkA, passed away within the last few years. It's bound to happen at one time or another when you are out with your toddler. Your neighbor asks you the question … [Read more...]
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