From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Midwives Association sends delegation to Poland for Holocaust Remembrance Day
Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
A delegation of the Israel Midwives Association is currently in Poland to mark Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is the fourth time the organization has sent a group to visit Holocaust-related sites and commemorate the midwives who cared for women in one of the darkest periods in the history of the Jewish people.
During the Holocaust, Jewish midwives risked their own lives to secretly deliver babies in ghettos and concentration camps in harsh, unsanitary conditions. They had only their knowledge and experience, but no supplies or instruments at their disposal. Without doctors available and little to no food, the midwives were responsible for keeping mothers and newborns alive as best as possible.
The Israel Midwives Association is a professional organization representing 1,400 midwives working in Israel’s public hospitals and the community. Midwives in Israel must receive certification from the Health Ministry following the completion of five and a half years of study and practicum.
