YESH TIKVA INC

C3 is a monthly intimate virtual support community. Each month a new cohort is created with 5-8 women either facing primary (for those struggling to start a family) or secondary (for those struggling to grow and expand a family) infertility. The cohort meets weekly for an hour for 4 consecutive weeks. These groups create a safe space for Jewish women to meet and support each other. Active participation in all four of the meetings is a requirement of joining the cohort. This support program enables participants to share and gain comfort from the ease of their own homes.
C3 is moderated by Dvora Entin, LCSW. Dvora is a specialist in maternal mental health in private practice in Philadelphia. Dvora counsels women and couples through the challenges of infertility, perinatal loss, and postpartum challenges.

Infertility can be a very lonely journey. Many people find it difficult to discuss infertility with family and friends. Though many have spouses with whom to share this experience, it is important to reach beyond this unit. Having a peer and confidant who has in past experienced a similar diagnosis provides much needed support through this journey. This friendship allows one to share experiences with another individual who understands the pressures, tensions and emotional upheaval imposed by infertility. Fertility Friends was established to provide this support.

Fertility Friends is overseen and directed by Dr. Talia Hindin, a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in New York with a PsyD from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. Through a comprehensive intake process, individuals are matched into pairs based on diagnosis, medical history, age and personality preferences. Once a pair is made, each member receives guidelines to ensure privacy and success. Dr. Hindin continues to follow up with each pair to make sure that all their needs are met.

For many who have never experienced infertility, it can be difficult to understand the emotional needs and turmoil that their family members or friends face. Presented by Dvora Entin, LCSW, the InfertiliTEA is an interactive workshop to raise awareness about the emotional impact of a fertility diagnosis both on for the individual and the couple as well as the triggers and landmines that exist in their daily lives. It provides community members with the sensitivity and tools to best support those around them facing infertility.

Tikva Talks is a virtual lecture series of experts whose topics inform and support people through various aspects of life as it overlaps with the path towards parenthood. These recorded lectures and interviews are available on the Yesh Tikva website for all to benefit.

For many Jewish individuals facing infertility there is an added pressure of keeping within the strictures of Jewish law during treatment. People’s actions are often stricter than those prescribed by Jewish Law because they have no one to ask or are too embarrassed about their situation and therefore do not seek guidance. This can add unneeded strain and confusion to an already stressful situation.

The Infertility and Jewish Law program was established to provide support in obtaining reliable guidance. This is achieved through the counsel of a Yoetzet (female guide) who is trained in the laws of ritual family purity and certified to be a resource for other women.

Our first two Yoatzot are Dalia Shulman and Penina Dienstag, MD. Dalia Shulman was trained as a yoetzet at the Nishmat Miriam Glaubach U.S. Yoatzot Fellows Program in Teaneck, NJ. She currently serves as a Yoetzet for five synagogues in Westchester County, NY. Penina Dienstag, MD was trained as a Yoetzet at the Nishmat Keren Ariel program in Jerusalem. A physician and graduate of The Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, she began her residency as an OB GYN at NYU Lutheran Hospital and completed her residency at SUNY Downstate in anesthesia. Penina is currently a board-certified anesthesiologist practicing in Israel.

Yesh Tikva offers a comprehensive guide created by Yoetzet Dalia Shulman. In this guide the questions relating to Jewish Law that may arise during fertility treatment are listed for each procedure and treatment that one may undergo with a fertility diagnosis.

As a symbol of renewal and potential life, the mikvah (ritual bath) for many women becomes one of the most difficult reminders of the emptiness and loss of infertility. The Mikvah Infertility Awareness Campaign aims to provide support and encouragement to women during this difficult experience by reminding them that they are not alone on this journey. Additionally, it aims to raise awareness and sensitivity among mikvah attendants and other mikvah goers of the magnitude of women affected by infertility.

To date there are thirty-nine mikvahs participating in this initiative with special Yesh Tikva signs hanging in each preparation room of the mikvah. These signs spread the message of hope and include information about Yesh Tikva and the resources available to all who need.

The Mikvah Infertility Awareness Campaign was the first of Yesh Tikva’s initiatives to raise awareness throughout the Jewish community about infertility.