The Inspiring Journey of EFRAT's Expansion to the US
By Hadassah Bay
In February 2023, a new chapter began for EFRAT when they ventured overseas and established a U.S. office in Florida. Under the passionate leadership of Iris Mizrahi, the Operating Director, this office is not just a branch—it’s a lifeline extended across borders, replicating the life-saving services EFRAT provides in Israel to women across the United States and beyond. Even now, before the full launch (scheduled for 2025), Iris and her team of volunteers are assisting pregnant women who are being pressured to have an abortion and have nowhere else to turn, embodying the relentless dedication that defines EFRAT's mission. In the next stage, EFRAT will be opening a safe house in Hollywood, Fla. This facility will be equipped to accommodate up to four women during their pregnancies and up to six months after birth. The house is currently finalizing procedures to ensure comprehensive care, but meanwhile, it has already become a hub of community and support. "We have been using the space to provide lectures and workshops on subjects related to pregnancy and motherhood," Iris explains. “The topics are diverse: doulas, breastfeeding, childbirth, exercise, and nutrition, and are led by wonderful professionals. We’ve also invited community rabbis who speak on the spiritual dimensions of motherhood.” These intimate gatherings, typically involving up to 15 participants, foster a sense of community where women feel comfortable sharing their experiences and challenges. Why a US Branch? EFRAT opened its U.S. office in response to an urgent need identified by EFRAT Executive Director Nir Salomon. While networking with a Christian center for pregnant women on the West Coast, Salomon met the director who mentioned that they receive over a dozen
A group of women at the EFRAT shelter on Rosh Chodesh Sivan
cherishing life; we have to give the woman or the couple the right to choose. That is the message of EFRAT. Just as the Ribono shel Olam gives people a choice, but recommends life — U’vacharta bachayim — we help bring new life into the world, while allowing and giving space and understanding to the
Jewish women each year. The director admitted that these women clearly felt uncomfortable in the Christian atmosphere but they simply had nowhere else to turn. “After I related this very incident at a shul where I was invited to speak, an individual approached me and shared that they had received help from that Christian center,” Salomon relates. “When I asked this person why they didn’t seek assistance from a rabbi or Jewish communal services they replied, ‘On issues of abortion, the Jewish services don’t care and are not willing to help.’” Deeply concerned by this information, Salomon reached out to various Jewish family organizations across the US. “I asked them what they do to help a woman who is contemplating an abortion, and they said that they offer help to fund the abortion. When I asked what they offer to a woman is considering keeping her baby, the message I heard over and over was: ‘If the situation is problematic, they should just have the abortion.’”
deliberation of a woman in distress.” Reaching Beyond Borders
Since opening its doors, EFRAT’s U.S. office has extended support to women across the United States, from Florida to Delaware and Philadelphia, and even beyond U.S. borders. “We’re international,” says Iris, citing two recent cases involving a woman in the UK and another in Peru. Iris and another volunteer provided both women with emotional support via video call. When it came time to send the EFRAT baby package to Peru, Iris took extra steps to ensure its safe arrival. The package includes everything a new mother needs for her baby: from large items like a crib, bathtub and stroller, to outfits, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, formula and more. To ensure that she would receive everything intact, Iris coordinated shipping with the local Chabad House. The delighted mother received the package just in time, and shared her joy with Iris during their next video call.
For Salomon this was a defining moment. “I realized that we have an obligation to raise the voice of
12
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online