Israel - Page 89

[Reg1123]

Originally Posted by Rebelima 

Hello-

   I recently joined MdC and i just found this forum today. I moved here 5.5 years ago, am married to a sabra and expecting a baby boy any day now. Unfortunatly what should be a joyous time for DH and I has become a time of real stress and turmoil and i could use the advice of people that live in Israel, which is why i am posting this here rather than on another forum.

After a lot of careful and thoughtful consideration, DH and I decided not to prefrom brit milah on our son after he is born. DH comes from a not very religous family. I didnt grow up in a particularly obsevant houshold either, but i was always proud of my judaism and have enjoyed the traditions. both DH and I are athiest (but with appreciation for heritage and history). When we told his family there would be no brit, they freaked. MIL tried to persuade us with a lot of arguments that just didnt hold any wieght as far as both of us are concerned. she us unhappy about our choice, but she is willing to try to accept and move on (although i doubt the matter will be dropped completely). DH's father on the other hand (who in general is rather irational) insists that the boy wont be jewish, despite the obvious statement that what makes a jew is being born from a jewish woman. He kept saying that we are going to raise him christian (even though DH pointed out that we are atheist) he than said that DH is betraying him and he will not come to see the baby when he is born! An uncle even tried to change DH's mind, and when non of his reasoning held up to the arguments he decided to threaten DH that some family will cut him off (im not sure if that included said uncle)

does anyone have any advice for dealing with this type of situation? It's been pretty rough on DH and myself.

I don't live in Israel, so perhaps have no useful input, but I am Jewish and my son is intact.

It was, and still is, an issue for my family.  I'm not sure they'll ever be accepting of our decision, but I've just had to stick to my guns through many difficult conversations and heartache.

I've never once regretted my decision, and feel the same as you about what being done to his body being his choice.  There is, IMHO, no easy way to deal with it, no logic that will work with nay sayers, and you should be prepared for many debates. 

I wish I had some words of encouragment or advice of some kind... Just don't do anything you're not 100% comfortable with, and be prepared for possible difficult times with your family.  It still weighs heavy on my heart that my family is not supportive of this choice, but it has gotten easier as time has gone by.

Good luck!!!

[dawncayden]

I am not Jewish but I wanted to mention that it has become increasingly popular in North America to not circ your son if you are Jewish. There are apparently many blogs and websites devoted to supporting and giving information. I could only find this one in my quick search. But I hear there are many more. 

Oh and here's another.

Originally Posted by Rebelima 

Hello-

   I recently joined MdC and i just found this forum today. I moved here 5.5 years ago, am married to a sabra and expecting a baby boy any day now. Unfortunatly what should be a joyous time for DH and I has become a time of real stress and turmoil and i could use the advice of people that live in Israel, which is why i am posting this here rather than on another forum.

After a lot of careful and thoughtful consideration, DH and I decided not to prefrom brit milah on our son after he is born. DH comes from a not very religous family. I didnt grow up in a particularly obsevant houshold either, but i was always proud of my judaism and have enjoyed the traditions. both DH and I are athiest (but with appreciation for heritage and history). When we told his family there would be no brit, they freaked. MIL tried to persuade us with a lot of arguments that just didnt hold any wieght as far as both of us are concerned. she us unhappy about our choice, but she is willing to try to accept and move on (although i doubt the matter will be dropped completely). DH's father on the other hand (who in general is rather irational) insists that the boy wont be jewish, despite the obvious statement that what makes a jew is being born from a jewish woman. He kept saying that we are going to raise him christian (even though DH pointed out that we are atheist) he than said that DH is betraying him and he will not come to see the baby when he is born! An uncle even tried to change DH's mind, and when non of his reasoning held up to the arguments he decided to threaten DH that some family will cut him off (im not sure if that included said uncle)

does anyone have any advice for dealing with this type of situation? It's been pretty rough on DH and myself.

[li li]

Originally Posted by Reg1123 

Hi ladies!  My LO and I will be travelling to Israel for most of January-early February, and I have a few questions.  If someone could respond either here or through a PM, I'd be much obliged!

Can someone explain to me what the climate is like towards extended BF?  My son will be two and a half, and although I have no problem with NIP, I'd just kind of like to know what I'm getting into, and in regards to how "socially acceptable" it may be.

I'll be staying mainly in Tel Aviv near the beach (Ben Yehuda and Allenby), and will have mostly unoccupied days.  Does anyone have playground/activity reccomendations for that area?

I know I had more question's, but they're slipping my mind ATM!

Thanks!

Hi

I BF my twins until 2 years 10 months here. The professional climate was pretty against it: I had both the pediatrician and pediatric gastroentologist  telling me repeatedly that my little one's failure to gain weight was because she was STILL nursing (and that was only at 10 months!) - I pointed out that a. we had a 'control', our other daughter was gaining fine and b. isn't it amazing that mammals haven't already died out if breastfeeding is so incredibly bad for the babies ... In the end it was easier not to mention it.

I stopped BF in public before 2 years old. Anyway it was rarely relevant as they only mostly BF morning and evening. Many people were supportive, but the thing in Israel is that complete strangers think nothing of coming up and telling you their blunt unsolicited opinions (eg if you're trying something on in a shop, other shoppers will tell you bluntly if they think it suits you or not: without your asking their opinion). If you can develop a fairly thick skin "what's it got to do with you?", then it shouldn't bother you too much.

A real plus here is that everyone is very baby/child friendly. Even teenage boys in hoodies stop to coo sometimes. No one would ever tell you off if your kid is a bit fractious in a restaurant etc. The cities are also child-friendly. At least my home Eilat is. There are little play parks everywhere - we have 4 within a 10 minute walk of our house. I don't know about Tel Aviv but I'm sure it will be similar. You also have the beach for running around on (mostly the weather should be fine for that) and some play areas there.

Have a nice trip.

Lisa

[ruthieb21]

Originally Posted by li li 

Originally Posted by Reg1123 

Hi ladies!  My LO and I will be travelling to Israel for most of January-early February, and I have a few questions.  If someone could respond either here or through a PM, I'd be much obliged!

Can someone explain to me what the climate is like towards extended BF?  My son will be two and a half, and although I have no problem with NIP, I'd just kind of like to know what I'm getting into, and in regards to how "socially acceptable" it may be.

I'll be staying mainly in Tel Aviv near the beach (Ben Yehuda and Allenby), and will have mostly unoccupied days.  Does anyone have playground/activity reccomendations for that area?

I know I had more question's, but they're slipping my mind ATM!

Thanks!

I am still nursing my 17 month old but rarely do it in public so am not sure what the general consensus is on EBF.  I would reiterate what LIsa said though - Israelis tend to have no personal boundaries and not only will invade your personal space but will not think twice about telling you what they think.  This is both an endearing and annoying quality.  If you are going to be doing much traveling, especially to religious sites, I would say make sure to bring a nursing cover along if you need to nurse in public just in case you don't feel comfortable.  Also, when in Tel Aviv, check out this great new place: http://www.tlvcitykids.co.il/    

  I keep wanting to go, but Tel Aviv is an hour drive for me.  It seems like a good place with fun activities and the owners are really sweet.

Enjoy your trip!

Ruth

[orly]

Hello All!
 

I'm new here and new to all this in general. I gave birth almost 4 months ago to my firstborn. I am a single mom 40+ and so happy to be the mother of my son.

Meanwhile, here's my thing. I live in a beautiful apartment in Jerusalem with my son and my Mom who is visiting to help me out. But in a couple months my mom is going and I want to have another single mom and her baby as flatmates. I think it would be wonderful to have a real mother commune type of space.

Does anyone know any single mom +1 small child (preferably an infant) who would like to consider this arrangement?

If so, please contact me.

All the best,

Orly

[ema-adama]

I only just saw this post.

Do you read Hebrew? The website www.beofen-tv.co.il has a number of threads on Brit Mila and Jewish identity. It's a great resource for local information on alternative parenting choices.

I am sorry you and your husband are going through that difficulty.

Originally Posted by Rebelima 

Hello-

   I recently joined MdC and i just found this forum today. I moved here 5.5 years ago, am married to a sabra and expecting a baby boy any day now. Unfortunatly what should be a joyous time for DH and I has become a time of real stress and turmoil and i could use the advice of people that live in Israel, which is why i am posting this here rather than on another forum.

After a lot of careful and thoughtful consideration, DH and I decided not to prefrom brit milah on our son after he is born. DH comes from a not very religous family. I didnt grow up in a particularly obsevant houshold either, but i was always proud of my judaism and have enjoyed the traditions. both DH and I are athiest (but with appreciation for heritage and history). When we told his family there would be no brit, they freaked. MIL tried to persuade us with a lot of arguments that just didnt hold any wieght as far as both of us are concerned. she us unhappy about our choice, but she is willing to try to accept and move on (although i doubt the matter will be dropped completely). DH's father on the other hand (who in general is rather irational) insists that the boy wont be jewish, despite the obvious statement that what makes a jew is being born from a jewish woman. He kept saying that we are going to raise him christian (even though DH pointed out that we are atheist) he than said that DH is betraying him and he will not come to see the baby when he is born! An uncle even tried to change DH's mind, and when non of his reasoning held up to the arguments he decided to threaten DH that some family will cut him off (im not sure if that included said uncle)

does anyone have any advice for dealing with this type of situation? It's been pretty rough on DH and myself.

[jul511riv]

waving.

just wanted to let ya'all know about my new business...check my siggy or just go to www.wisewomanfertility.blogspot.com!

thanks!

[eliesheva]

Hi! I'm new to the forum but I wanted to help. Two years ago, when I was pregnant with  my son, I was looking for homebirth resources for us ladies living in Israel. I couldn't find much, but I did stumble across this forum. A week and a half ago I gave birth to my daughter at home, and I shared my home birth story on my blog here: http://lizraelupdate.com/2011/04/15/my-home-birth-story-israel-tzur-hadassah-apartment-bedroom/

I thought that might help people who get to this forum seeking home birth advice... Good luck!

[Shuli]

Hey,

We live in Neve Daniel. I have actually been on this forum for almost five years when I discovered that I was pregnant with twins, so I usually hang out on the multiples board.

Been here since '98 from Canada and met my DH (from England) here. We have almost four year old twin boys and an 18 month old princess.

All of my births were in Hadassah Ein Karem and they were amazing. With the boys I had a "planned emergency" c-section. There was only one placenta and one was stealing all the food. They are not identical on any level (even their blood types are not the same) but the plancenta fused early, and we discovered at 37 weeks that only one was growing. It was a fantastic experience and that is why I went back there for my singleton birth.

That was amazing as well. There was one doctor there that was determined for me to vbac so when I couldn't take it anymore and said I wanted another c-section all of a sudden an anesthesiologist appeared even though after 15 hours of contractions I was only 1.5 cm. She was born about eight hours later with only half an hour of pushing. My mother is a birthing coach, so she and DH came with. I went into labour on Friday night, we got to the hospital on Sunday night.and she was born on Monday afternoon.

I would totally go back there because I have no experience giving birth in North America.

[est010]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to help a friend figure out new car seats for her kids. Her car is pretty narrow, like most cars here in Israel (at least, compared to the Sienna I used to drive in the States). Does anyone know if the Sunshine Kids Radian car seats are sold here? Or what car seats are good that are available here, but narrower than the Britax? She needs a convertible car seat for a toddler, and a FF car seat for a 4 yr old. Plus, she has 3 other kids, 2 in boosters, so all seats in her 7 seater Mazda are filled...

Also, does anyone know if there are any certified car seat technicians anywhere in the country?

Thanks for your help!

[Shuli]

Does anyone know if Preggie pops are sold here? I'm dying and they are the only things that saved me last time. I have contacted the supplier, but so far no answers. Please PM me as I don't check this site very often.

Thanks and Shana Tova,

Shuli

[Blessed_Mom]

Originally Posted by Shuli 

Does anyone know if Preggie pops are sold here? I'm dying and they are the only things that saved me last time. I have contacted the supplier, but so far no answers. Please PM me as I don't check this site very often.

Thanks and Shana Tova,

Shuli

What are Preggie pops now?

[lexapurple]

It has been a while since last post on this thread! 

We will be moving to Haifa in December and I would like to connect with other english or russian speaking naturally minded moms there. We have two girls 15m and  5y old who will be homeschooled this year.