Spiritual Care During Covid-19 (2)

The COVID19 pandemic came at an interesting time on the Jewish calendar. Something very important can be learned from this. The period of time between Passover, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt, and Shavuot, celebrating receiving Torah at Mount Sinai, is a time of counting. Bundles of wheat were brought to the Temple. The portion was […]

Two New Years?

By guest columnist Dr. Karen Wasserstein What to do with another New Year? Being Jewish, I celebrate two New Years. Is it lucky to have two New Years or is it unlucky? My family and I fully celebrate Rosh Hashanah as the Jewish New Year. We spend the month ahead of time talking about it, […]

Facing Fertility Challenges in the Jewish Community

By Terry Friedkin This column originally appeared in The Jewish News of Northern California , November 12, 2019   Several months ago, I was asked to speak at an event for Hasidah, a Berkeley-based nonprofit that “raises awareness of infertility, connects people to support resources and reduces financial barriers to [fertility] treatment in the Jewish […]

Infertility Treatment Access is #NotEqual

Does your income potentially affect the chances that you will access treatment for infertility. In an already much cited article, the answer was a resounding yes. Education plays a role too. People with a college degree are more than twice as likely (11.6 vs 5) to access fertility treatment with those who do not have […]

Do I really have to answer that?? #FertilityQuestions

The debate about questions and their stupidity is on-going. Dumb is subjective. Thoughtless or insensitive is a little more precise. Questions about people’s family planning are often in that category. In the Jewish tradition, the Talmud guides a lot of our behavior and provides guidelines for prioritizing situations. However,  Rav Abby, sister of Rabbi Landers, […]

Support for Infertility in the Jewish Community

In honor of Passover  – removing chametz from our lives and leaving the narrow places – Hasidah invited several guest bloggers to provide support for dealing with infertility during the holiday and beyond. Guest blogger Alissa Hirshfeld-Flores, is a marriage and family therapist in Santa Rosa, CA Many Jewish holidays can evoke grief for women […]

The Fifth Child #InfertilityAwareness

 As part of  Passover preparation – removing chametz from our lives and planning to leave the narrow places – Hasidah invited several guest bloggers to provide support for dealing with Infertility during the holiday and beyond. Dalia David is co-founder, choreographer and Education Director at Uprooted – A Jewish Communal Response to Fertility Journeys At […]

Tips and Resources for Dealing with Infertility #FertilityTips

As part of  Passover preparation – removing chametz from our lives and planning to leave the narrow places – Hasidah invited several guest bloggers to provide support for dealing with Infertility during the holiday and beyond. Erin Schlozman is a licensed professional counselor specializing in women’s reproductive health at Mama Wellness Co. in Colorado In Judaism, […]

How Do You Share The Story?

As part of  Passover preparation – removing chametz from our lives and planning to leave the narrow places – Hasidah invited several guest bloggers to provide support for dealing with Infertility during the holiday and beyond. Aron Wolgel is an educator and infertility veteran based in Berkeley, CA. The excitement of Pesach is upon us! […]

The Fifth Child at The Seder

Guest Blogger Julie Bindeman is a reproductive psychologist, speaker and author based in Rockville, MD One of the most familiar parts of the Passover Seder is the four sons/children. These children represent the different places in which people come to the Seder: knowing and wise; selfish (or wicked); simple (or not knowing); and the fourth […]