The Health Ministry has put out a message stating that no elective medical procedures will take place, besides for specified exceptions. In response, we joined

Warning signs of a violent partner Written by Miri Benshalom-Dor, former director of the shelter for battered women in Jerusalem, the organisation ‘Ishah Leisha’ How

INTRODUCTION In Israeli society, saying ”I’m pregnant” immediately evokes a reaction of ‘Mazel Tov!’ [‘congratulations’]. Yet, not every pregnancy is a wanted one, and even

Where are the ovaries? What is the function of the fallopian tubes? This chapter gives a guided and thorough tour of the internal aspect of

Our constant preoccupation with our body and its image accompanies us from childhood in different contexts and to varying extents, depending on internal and external

Health is a combination of physical, emotional, social and economic aspects, which are derivatives of basic human rights. Israeli society is multi-cultural, including a wide

One of the obvious advantages of the Israeli health care system is that health insurance is given to all its citizens. Even though the idea

In this chapter we discuss healthy and unhealthy breasts. We examine the shape of breasts, their development during adolescence and the changes which take place

Our ‘later years’ are becoming longer. Old age is starting later and later and we live longer. There is a close link between our health

As women, we go through a phase in our lives – midlife – which is often referred to in negative terms such as ‘old age’,

Dealing with infertility is not easy, especially in Israel where giving birth is seen as a natural part of being a woman. The chapter focuses

A childbearing loss, no matter how it happens (miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS etc) is an extremely distressing loss. Even a woman who decides to terminate her

About half the women discover, at some stage in their life, that they are unexpectedly pregnant. If we suspect we have such pregnancy, it is

CONSIDERING PARENTING During the second half of the 20th Century, many changes have occurred which relate to a woman’s reproductive choices. Until fifty years ago,

Our personal gender identification and our sexual orientations do not always correlate to the accepted social norms which identify two categories – man and woman.

The Aids/HIV epidemic is a global crisis. This chapter is for all of us who are interested in learning more about HIV and Aids for

Sexuality is a pivotal force which can be a powerful source of many sensations such as pleasure, empowerment and liberation. The chapter deals with and

The choice to live in the open as a lesbian in 21st century Israel is not a simple or an easy choice. Those of us

RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEN Those of us who find men as partners for friendship, love, support, sex, or any other relationship, face many issues and reflections

The well known Greek saying “a healthy spirit in a health body” is just as true today as it was three thousand years ago. During

ה The right to make decisions regarding our bodies is in our hands and includes, amongst other things, the right to reproduce. We can decide

The health system in Israel meets, confronts and sometimes even cooperates with holistic practices such as acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractics and many other methods. The holistic

OUR BODIES IN MOTION The human body was created to move. Motion does not necessarily mean exercise or sports. Working in or out of the

 EATING WELL Eating is not just a physical need which influences our health, but also a product of culturally defining elements. All over the world

The chapter deals with our ability to have sexual encounters which are sensual and passionate whilst protecting our sexual health. Safe sex is not necessarily