Stillbirth in Israel
Understanding Your Options and Navigating This Experience
You are not alone
Stillbirth is a deeply painful and often silenced experience—yet it is not rare.
Each year in Israel, approximately 1,200 stillbirths and 16,000 pregnancy terminations occur. Despite these numbers, many women and families feel isolated in their grief.
In recent years, awareness and support for families experiencing stillbirth have grown significantly. Today, there are more resources, more professionals who understand, and more space to make informed, personal choices about how to move through this experience.
This page offers information to help you understand your options, consider important decisions, and know your rights in the Israeli healthcare system. It focuses on stillbirth from week 22 onward, and is intended to support you—gently and clearly—during an unimaginably difficult time.
Preparing for a Stillbirth
And suddenly, it wasn’t the happy ending you expected. You were told there is no heartbeat or that there is a medical reason requiring a termination. Often, parents are rushed into decisions—but you have the right to take the time you need. If medical possible, you can pause, and consider how you want to go through this experience.
Medical and Logistical Decisions
- When and how to inform family and friends:
Decide who should be informed, when, and by whom. You may want someone else to communicate for you during this time.
- How will the birth happen?
Would you prefer to wait for labor to begin naturally, or to induce birth? How does the induction process take place? Talk to your medical team about the options, timing, and implications.
- Pain relief during labor:
Do you want to fully experience the sensations of labor, or would you prefer to receive an epidural early on? Some women find that feeling the physical pain reflects their emotional experience and can even be part of the healing process. Others prefer not to add physical pain to their emotional suffering. Keep in mind that certain medications, such as tishtush (light sedation), can affect memory—something that is usually not helpful for long-term emotional processing. Ask your care team about the available options and their side effects so you can make an informed choice.
- Dilation and Curettage (D&C):
A late D&C is sometimes possible up to week 24 in the hospital Sheba and Assaf Harofeh.
- Who will handle the bureaucracy?
Ask whether the hospital assigns a social worker or someone from the staff to assist with paperwork, certificates, and burial arrangements.
Before the Birth
- Do you want to bring a blanket, cloth, or special clothing for the baby?
This can be part of how you say goodbye. Hospitals may also provide something.
- Would you like to bring music or comforting items?
Personal touches can create a more supportive space.
- Who do you want to be with you?
Decide who you want present before, during, and after the birth—your partner, family, a close friend, or a doula (who is qualified in supporting stillbirths).
- Who is supporting the father or non-birthing parent?
They are also grieving. Think about what support they may need.
- Contact the hospital in advance:
Some hospitals have staff who can talk to you about your preferences and the process. It may help to speak with a midwife, social worker, or bereavement counselor in advance. - Request a Private Room. Some hospitals will fullfill the request of having a room:
- With a closed door
- Located away from active labor rooms or newborn cries, if possible
- Where you can have quiet space and privacy for the moments surrounding the birth and the time with your baby
Welcoming Your Baby and Creating Memories
You may wish to consider the following, according to your emotional readiness:
- Holding your baby (alone or with your partner). You can request that everybody leave the room.
- Wrapping them in a special cloth or outfit you’ve brought
- Taking photos or hand/footprints
- Inviting a professional photographer (some hospitals offer this service free of charge)
- Receiving a memory box, if available at the hospital, which might include:
- A name or ID card
- Hand/footprints
- A lock of hair (if possible)
- A blanket or keepsake item
- Space to add your own items or letters
These moments can become lasting connections, providing comfort in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
If you are unsure, you can still ask the staff to take photos or prints and put them in a closed box, in case you choose to look at them at a later time.
After the Birth
- Room for Grief
After the birth, some hospitals offer the option for women to be transferred to a general women’s health ward rather than the maternity ward. In some cases, a private room is provided to allow for privacy and space to grieve. - Saying goodbye and burial options:
You can choose how and when to say goodbye. After the 22nd week of pregnancy, or if the baby weighs more than 500 grams, you are legally entitled to decide how the burial will be conducted. You may choose to attend the funeral or to receive information about the cemetery and the exact location of the burial. - Fetuses lost after 12 weeks but before 22 weeks are buried in a designated section of the cemetery without parental presence; however, the burial site will be identifiable. The hospital coordinates the burial with the burial society. In cases where the fetus is fully intact, parents may request to be present during the burial.
- Rituals and memorials:
Would you like to hold a shiva (there is no halachic obligation), plant a tree, bury the placenta under it, write a letter, or create another form of ritual or remembrance? Jewish, interfaith, and secular options are all possible.
- Breast milk: After birth, your body may begin to produce milk. You can:
- Choose to suppress lactation (with medication or herbs)
- Allow it to dry naturally
- Pump & donate breast milk (e.g., through the Mada milk bank)
- Emotional and practical support:
Who can accompany you in the days and weeks after birth? Consider: Family or close friends, A postpartum doula with experience in bereavement, A social worker or psychologist, B.O.T. (Birth Oriented Thinking) facilitators, Pregnancy and infant loss support groups
Help & Support
This is a time of deep grief, and also a time when many practical decisions must be made. You do not need to navigate it alone. There are professionals and organizations in Israel who can support you through the process.
🕯️ 1. Candles of Hope (נרות של תקווה)
Website: https://www.candlesofhope.org.il
Languages: Hebrew & English
Offers peer support groups (in‑person & Zoom), phone/email counseling, hospital/home visits, doulas, therapists, memory-making guidance (footprints, memory boxes), annual conferences, and advocacy for bereavement care candlesofhope.org.il+7
ITIM – Jewish Life Advocacy Center (עתים)
Website: https://www.itim.org.il/en
Languages: Hebrew & English
Guides families through halachic questions, burial arrangements, and bureaucratic navigation with religious councils and burial societies, including stillborn infants over 500 g or after 20 weeks
Knafayim (כנפיים)
Website: https://knafayimwings.org/
Languages: English, Hebrew
Provides 24‑hour guidance, emotional doula services, advocacy, loss support packages, peer and professional support for Jewish couples experiencing pregnancy loss and reproductive trauma
Yad Sarah – Stillbirth Recovery Center
Website: https://yad-sarah.net/בית-החלמה-אחרי-לידה-שקטה/
Languages: Hebrew (some info in English via Friends of Yad Sarah)
Available to women (and partners) after stillbirth or perinatal loss, with stays of 3–4 nights, subsidized cost (~350 NIS/night; reimbursable by insurers)
Located on a dedicated floor at Yirmiyahu 33 Hotel, Jerusalem
Provides a serene retreat with private suites, spa amenities, therapy sessions, group support, private dining rooms
Keren Or קרן אור
Website: https://kerenohr.com
Languages: English, Hebrew
Operates a guesthouse/hotel in Jerusalem offering respite, recovery, and emotional support to women and couples who have experienced stillbirth and fertility challenges
B.O.T. Facilitators
Website: https://www.botmethod.com
Language: Hebrew, English, and more
Birth workers—including doulas, midwives, obstetricians, and psychologists—who have received specialized training in trauma-informed care. Some of them offer support before, during, and/or after birth, and provide sessions for emotional and psychological processing.
Hospital-Based Bereavement Services
Many Israeli hospitals provide structured bereavement support, memory-making services, and social worker involvement. There are also support groups in some hospitals such as Ein Karem.
Elah Center (Jerusalem) – Men’s Support Group
Free of charge; requires minimum participants.
Hosts a biweekly group for men who have experienced stillbirth, beginning March 2025.
Eight sessions led by social worker Alon Tamari and art therapist Yaakov Sasson.
Held Wednesdays from 20:00–21:30 at Elah Clinic, Jabotinsky St. 10, Jerusalem.
Who is behind this page?
Lea Reichel, MA, certified doula, birth educator, B.O.T. facilitator
Lea accompanies families through all birth experiences, including loss. With training in trauma-informed care she offers sensitive, respectful support during an unimaginably difficult time. Her aim is to provide accurate information, emotional support, and space for each parent’s unique way of grieving and remembering.