Egyptian midwives Shifra and Puah are named in the Book of Exodus as well as in the haggadah, which we will read during the Passover seders beginning the evening of April 1. The women are remembered for their bravery in defying Pharaoh’s order to kill newborn Israelite boys.

Midwifery is a field connecting biblical times to today, especially in Israel, where data shows that around 80 percent of uncomplicated vaginal births are attended by a midwife. (In comparison, midwives attend only about 10 percent of births in America.) There are approximately 1,400 professional midwives in Israel, and hundreds more who work in home settings and volunteer with emergency services such as the Magen David Adom.

An estimated 80 percent of professional midwives in Israel work in hospital settings—including Hadassah’s two hospitals in Jerusalem—and their training is extensive. After four years of nursing school, during which a student earns a registered nursing degree, she attends two additional years focused exclusively on midwifery. While it is not expressly mandated that only women can be certified as midwives, the field is predominantly female.

Midwives in Israel teach expectant mothers about normal labor, delivery and best prenatal and postnatal health practices and, when necessary, consult medical team colleagues. During actual labor and delivery, midwives manage the triage process along with obstetricians and assist with labor, birth and postpartum care.

Jewish, Arab, Druze, Christian and other patients are treated by the midwives at Hadassah’s hospital campuses at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus. To go behind the scenes of midwifery at the Hadassah Medical Organization, listen to the recent Hadassah On Call podcast episode, “Midwifery: Bump, Baby & Beyond,” which covers the role of midwives in Israel as well as antisemitism in international midwifery advocacy and how Israeli mothers and midwives have been affected by the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.

Now You Know…MORE ABOUT Midwifery in Israel