Midwifery Under Fire

Dear Editor,

There are soldiers on the front line and we pray for their wellbeing, but there are other soldiers: those brave women behind the scenes as they stand at their post to deliver new Jewish babies into this world while missiles fly overhead. This is their story.

Driving to my evening shift on Friday, three hours before Shabbat, the sirens begin—a rising, wailing howl. I pull over to the side of the road and run, searching for cover. By the time I arrive at the hospital, the conversations among the midwives are no longer about routine care. Instead, we compare how many alarms we heard that day, how our children are coping, and who has the luxury of a safe room at home.

Two women are in labor, waiting to meet their babies. I introduce myself and gently explain that I will stay with them even if a siren sounds. Rachel, giving birth to her seventh child, begins to feel the urge to push just as another siren pierces the air. I try to steady the room, telling them that one day they will have an extraordinary story to tell their children.

Moments later, cries of fear give way to cries of joy as a beautiful baby girl is born and placed in her mother’s arms.

After the births, the new mothers are transferred two floors down, to a makeshift ward in the parking lot. Sixty women share a single bathroom. Bright curtains attempt to soften the harshness of the space, but the sounds of a geriatric ward and post-surgical patients blend uneasily with the cries of newborns.

At the end of my shift, after helping deliver two more babies, I drive home, hoping for a quiet road. I think about the reality of life in Israel, where pain, joy, and fear coexist in the same breath. And somehow, from that fragile mixture, we continue to build our faith that this is our home, our land, and our destiny.

Sincerely,

Rena Goldman RN, RM

Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center

Bnei Brak, Israel

Water Water Everywhere

Dear Editor,

Anyone can search Nassau County drinking water and see it described as “generally safe.” But what does generally safe really mean? It doesn’t mean perfect, and it doesn’t mean free from concern. In fact, public reports acknowledge the presence of contaminants—such as PFAS (so-called “forever chemicals”)—that require ongoing monitoring and treatment.

For residents of a high-tax area like Nassau County, that should raise a fair question: is “generally safe” good enough?

Now compare that to New York City’s tap water, which is widely recognized as among the highest quality municipal water systems in the country. It is sourced from protected upstate reservoirs and is often praised for both its safety and taste.

So what’s the disconnect?

In the Village of Lawrence, which sits right next to New York City, we rely on a different water system—one that draws from groundwater sources that are more vulnerable to contamination and require extensive treatment. While improvements have been made, including investments in filtration systems, concerns about long-term water quality remain a legitimate issue for residents.

This is not about assigning blame—it’s about asking why neighboring communities can have such different water sources and whether more can be done to improve ours.

We should be advocating for continued investment in water infrastructure, transparency in reporting, and exploring all feasible options to ensure the highest possible water quality for our community.

Accepting “there’s nothing we can do” should never be the final answer.

Reuven Guttman

Lawrence, NY