Women’s Health – Page 2

Filling in the Traditional Blanks: Creating Rituals for Miscarriage and Weaning

Some other societies have paid much more attention to transition than we have, and in doing so they prepared people much more effectively for the experience of being in transition than our society has prepared us. Those societies typically had rituals (we call them “rites of passage”) to help individuals let go of their outlived […]

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Memoirs of a Hopeful Pessimist: A Life of Activism through Dialogue

Geffen Feldman

Debbie Weissman was one of the early activists in changing the status of women in Jewish life, yet few in JOFA today likely know her name—possibly because she made aliyah in 1972, before the internet or cheap long-distance phone calls. She made her mark in Israel in the field of Jewish education, as head of

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What Does Halakhah Say About Abortion?

Geffen Feldman

The discussion of abortion in halakhah begins with the life of the mother. Pikuaḥ nefesh, the obligation to preserve life—in this case, the life of the mother—trumps every other obligation except for three: murder, sexual immorality, and idol worship. Until the head of the fetus or the majority of its body has exited the birth

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Halakhic Infertility, Halakhic Solutions

Geffen Feldman

Over the past hundred years, as medical knowledge has advanced, it became clear that infertility was a problem among a small percentage of the halakhically observant population. Jewish families were being denied offspring solely because of their observance of the Torah commandments of taharat hamishpaḥah (family purity laws). This problem has been discussed sporadically in

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The Silent Struggle of Infertility

Geffen Feldman

A staggering one in eight couples will experience challenges in achieving and maintaining pregnancy. Some studies report that the number is closer to one in six. At these rates, it is highly likely that you or someone you know has struggled with this problem—whether you know it or not. And, sadly, there’s a good chance

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How Haredi Women Embody Reproductive Authority

Geffen Feldman

When people learn that I have conducted research on reproduction among ḥaredi (ultra-Orthodox) women in Jerusalem, their first questions usually are: “Do they use birth control?” “Do they get abortions?” and “Will they use fertility treatments?” These questions are understandable. People generally know that ḥaredi women have a high birthrate, even by Israeli standards, and

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Message from the Executive Director

Geffen Feldman

Publishing this issue of the JOFA Journal, which focuses on women’s health and reproductive issues, might seem out of touch amid a global pandemic, heightened racial tension, an increasingly polarized society, and rising antisemitism. And still, supporting women’s health and reproductive rights and exploring these fundamental human values through the lens of personal, halakhic, educational,

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A Maharat Speaks of Her Fertility Journey

Geffen Feldman

In March 2016, I decided to “go public” with my fertility journey. This decision was born mostly out of a lurking feeling of dishonesty. Ohev Sholom, the National Synagogue, in Washington, D.C., where I have served since 2013, had been invited to participate in Yesh Tikva’s Infertility Awareness Shabbat, which is now an annual event.

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It’s Both Public and Private

Geffen Feldman

The Call for Articles for this edition of the JOFA Journal began with this hook: “Our awareness of our human capacity for reproduction is a vital aspect of our view of our bodies and ourselves stretching from menarche to menopause.” As women, we are acutely aware of this aspect of our lives, particularly as experienced

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Women's Health

Filling in the Traditional Blanks: Creating Rituals for Miscarriage and Weaning

Memoirs of a Hopeful Pessimist: A Life of Activism through Dialogue

What Does Halakhah Say About Abortion?

Halakhic Infertility, Halakhic Solutions

The Silent Struggle of Infertility

How Haredi Women Embody Reproductive Authority

Message from the Executive Director

A Maharat Speaks of Her Fertility Journey

It’s Both Public and Private

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