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Efrat (organization)

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Efrat
FounderHerschel Feigenbaum
PurposeAnti-abortion organization
HeadquartersJerusalem, Israel
Websiteefrat.org.il

Efrat is the largest non-profit organization in Israel dedicated to preventing abortions by Jewish women.[1] Efrat provides emotional, financial, and vocational assistance to pregnant Jewish women who feel pressured to terminate their pregnancy. Efrat supports abortions to save the pregnant woman's life or in cases of severe fetal disability.[2] Until 2021, it was led by Dr. Eli J. Schussheim. The organization operates primarily through volunteer support, providing food, clothing, shelter, and financial assistance to women considering abortion due to financial difficulties.

Efrat has faced criticism from various quarters. Critics argue that the organization's approach can sometimes pressure women into continuing pregnancies against their wishes, potentially leading to hardship for both mother and child. In 2012, Efrat was embroiled in controversy following an incident involving a pregnant teenager and her boyfriend, which resulted in an attempted suicide. Although Efrat denied involvement, the event sparked a backlash and calls for stricter regulation of its activities. Efrat maintains that it does not oppose abortion outright and focuses on ensuring women can make informed and autonomous decisions.

History and name

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Efrat was founded in the 1950s by Holocaust survivor Herschel Feigenbaum, who was concerned not that abortions were immoral, but that unnecessary[citation needed] abortions were causing the Jewish population to decline.[1] At the time, abortions were illegal in Israel but were being done anyway.[1] The program increases the number of babies born by reducing the cost to the parents of giving birth and raising the child.[3]

In 1977, Eliyahu Schussheim took over as the medical director,[1] a post he held until his death in 2021. He was motivated in part due to medical misinformation and the value of education instead of coercion or confrontation,[4] often telling the story of a pregnant woman who had been given incorrect advice based on outdated information about the risks of birth defects from a medical X-ray,[1] or showing potential donors a 2002 news article about a woman who had an abortion because she was in debt.[2]

The name "Efrat" comes from I Chronicles, where it is the name of Caleb's wife, who, according to Jewish tradition, is Miriam, sister of Moses, who saved him as a baby.[1][5] The Midrash Rabbah writes, "Why was she called Efrat? Because Israel was fruitful ("paru") and multiplied through her." This refers to her actions against Pharaoh's decree of infanticide, by which she saved the lives of many Israelite children. Originally, the full name for the organization was "Efrat, The Right to Live", but this was changed to "Efrat, Association for the Encouragement of Childbirth among the Jewish People" or the "Association for the Encouragement of the Increase in the Birth Rate Among the Jewish People"[6] after the name was criticized.[7]

Activities

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According to Eli Schussheim, the former president of Efrat, most abortions in Israel are motivated by financial difficulties, rather than the desire to not be pregnant or to not have children.[8] Even in the case of an abortion due to fetal abnormality, an abortion may be sought partly due to the financial burden of caring for a disabled child, especially in the Haredi community, where the mothers are the main breadwinners for the family and also the main caretakers of the children.[2] Efrat provides food, clothing, shelter, diapers, baby furniture, and other financial assistance to Israeli women who feel that they would otherwise need to have an abortion for financial reasons.[citation needed] They also have a social worker who can help them apply for state-funded welfare programs.[citation needed][1]

Most of the assistance is provided by volunteers.

Volunteers provide emotional support[citation needed] and help with needs such as finding temporary housing or obtaining legal assistance.[citation needed] They have about 3,000 volunteers.[2]

Some clients are provided with medical consultations, such as to review a report describing a birth defect.[2] The group supports abortion to save the life of the mother or in cases of severe birth defects.[2]

Efrat deals with adult women and most of the women that turn to Efrat are married.[citation needed]

Women who wish to receive financial assistance must apply for it and be approved by the organization.[2] The main goal is to identify Jewish women who would continue their pregnancies if they receive financial assistance but would have an abortion otherwise.[2] They serve Jewish women[6] and may refer non-Jewish Israeli women to a Christian anti-abortion group, Be'ad Chaim.[1] (Jewish and Christian Messianic anti-abortion groups typically do not affiliate with each other in Israel.)[4]

Funding

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They receive no money from the Israeli government.[6] A significant portion of their budget comes from anti-abortion Americans. Some synagogues collect donations when the Torah portion about the Miriam and the midwives saving the Israelite babies is read.[9]

Locations

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The organization's main offices are located in Jerusalem. In 2023, they opened a maternity home to help homeless women during and after pregnancy.[10]

Political stance

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Efrat has traditionally avoided political lobbying, and thinks that showy protests are ineffective.[1][4] However, they have responded to some political situations. In 1997, they opposed a anti-abortion bill put forward by the ultra-Orthodox Shas party that would have treated providing an abortion as first-degree murder.[4] When questioned by a committee in the Knesset in 2014, Efrat recommended that Israel reduce the barriers to abortion by eliminating a requirement for approval by a committee.[6][7][8] On the other hand, in the late 1990s, they distributed a translated copy of the anti-abortion propaganda film, The Silent Scream, to all members of the Israeli parliament.[4]

They frame their work in terms of women's rights and the right of informed consent.[7] Their main political stance is about the vulnerability of the Jewish population, and some of their advertisements have expressed concern about too few Jewish babies being born.[6] They describe their activities as saving lives and a type of "internal aliyah".[2] Their donor-oriented advertisements have claim that they are "making a demographic difference for Israel" and "strengthening the Jewish people".[2] As a practical matter, they believe that a woman cannot have personal agency and make her own choice if she can not financially support the results of her preferred choice.[11]

Their volunteers have traditionally not joined anti-abortion protests,[8] used disturbing imagery, promoted religious claims against abortion, or otherwise engaged in the kinds of activities that characterize the United States anti-abortion movement.[1] In 2013, Schussheim said that "Efrat has never claimed that abortion is murder".[12] However, over time, scholars have observed more American influence and more US-style rhetoric from the organization.[13][14] Efrat is not a religious organization and does not make any statement regarding the religious or moral standing of abortion.

Awards

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In 2012, Efrat received the annual "Jerusalem Prize" by Israeli weekly religious magazine B'Sheva.[6] The award was protested by feminist activists opposing the organization, especially in light of the 2012 attempted double suicide incident, but B'Sheva stated that the "unfair opposition from the public and media over the past year" was an additional reason to award the prize to Efrat.[15]

Criticism

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Various bodies, among them Mishpacha Hadasha ("New Family"), have criticized the organization. The central complaint is that the religious stance of the organization supports the protection of the pregnancy at almost any price and can make both mother and child miserable, such as pregnancies that involve medical danger.[citation needed]

A law proposed by Knesset Member Reshef Chayne of Shinui attempted to prevent Efrat from providing information to women considering abortion on the basis that he viewed it as "harassment" of the pregnant woman.[citation needed] The law was not passed, and certain legalists attacked it.[citation needed]

Another criticism was that the organization would station women outside offices where abortion permits are issued, with the aim of appealing to women visiting the offices.[citation needed]

The Israel Religious Action Center appealed against the rules which regulate the pay grade of those who volunteer for National Service by participating in Efrat's activities, claiming "infringement of privacy, dignity and freedom of conscience of the women," an appeal which was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Israel.[citation needed]

2012 attempted suicide

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In 2012, an unmarried 17-year-old pregnant teen and her 18-year-old boyfriend were in contact with three women who encouraged her not to have an abortion, despite the pressure from the boyfriend's parents, who "insisted" and "demanded" that she have an abortion,[16][17] even though the pregnant teen did not want an abortion.[18] The couple formed a suicide pact and announced their plan to a television channel.[16] When the police found them, the boyfriend threatened to murder his girlfriend[18] and then shot at the police, slightly wounding one.[18] The girlfriend, who had changed her mind about suicide, escaped from the car.[19] The police returned fire, killing him.[16][19]

Efrat denied having had any contact with the couple.[20] The women may not have been affiliated with the organization.[16][17] The event resulted in an online petition against Efrat's legal recognition as a non-profit organization and condemnation by women's rights' groups.[6] In response, Efrat claims that it is not opposed to abortion. Additionally, the organization clarified that it does not deal with teenage pregnancies. An investigation of the incident supported the police decision to return fire,[21] but also criticized them for shooting from unsafe positions, as their relative positions put both the pregnant teen (who was unharmed) as well as some of the police at risk from friendly fire.[22] The report also indicated it was unclear whether, in addition to being hit by bullets from the police, the boyfriend had also shot himself in the head.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Crotts, C. (2019). "Lost by choice: Despite a history of concerns about population growth, Israel has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the world". wng.org. World. Archived from the original on 2024-02-19. Retrieved 19 February 2024. ISSN 0888-157X, 34(1), 46–49.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Raucher, Michal S. (2020-09-01). Conceiving Agency: Reproductive Authority among Haredi Women. Indiana University Press. pp. 149–167. ISBN 978-0-253-05003-8.
  3. ^ DellaPergola, Sergio (2009). "Actual, Intended, and Appropriate Family Size Among Jews in Israel". Contemporary Jewry. 29 (2): 127–152. doi:10.1007/s12397-009-9011-1. ISSN 0147-1694. JSTOR 23455378. S2CID 145091223. The main effect on fertility of relevant educational programs, family services and subsidies provided operates through...reducing the stress of childbearing or the cost of child-raising (as exemplified by the Efrat organization: Rosenblum, 2004).
  4. ^ a b c d e Aaron Osborne, S. (7 April 1997). "Bill Sparks Abortion Controversy in Israel". christianitytoday.com. Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 2006-10-15. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  5. ^ Posner, Menachem. "10 Facts About Miriam Everyone Should Know". Chabad.org. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Steinfeld, Rebecca (2015). "Wars of the Wombs: Struggles Over Abortion Policies in Israel". Israel Studies. 20 (2): 1–26. doi:10.2979/israelstudies.20.2.1. JSTOR 10.2979/israelstudies.20.2.1. S2CID 145737790.
  7. ^ a b c Yurdakul, Gökce; Rexer, Gala; Eilat, Shvat; Mutluer, Nil (2019-12-11). "Contested Authorities over Life Politics: Religious-Secular Tensions in Abortion Debates in Germany, Turkey, and Israel". Comparative Sociology. 18 (5–6): 706–734. doi:10.1163/15691330-12341517. ISSN 1569-1322. S2CID 212710514.
  8. ^ a b c Sales, Ben (26 February 2014). "Israeli group tries to prevent, not outlaw abortion: Efrat, whose leader describes himself as pro-choice, has never protested outside a gynecological clinic, nor does it plan to". The Times of Israel.
  9. ^ Ettinger, Yair (2 January 2013). "Israel's Chief Rabbis Back Anti-abortion Group: 'Killing Fetuses Is Murder'". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  10. ^ "Efrat organization inaugurates new center for expectant mothers". Israel National News. 19 June 2023.
  11. ^ Silow-Carroll, Andrew (6 January 2021). "How Israeli ultra-Orthodox women have taken back their reproductive rights". Times of Israel. They believe that by providing financial support they are allowing women to make reproductive choices....people can't have agency if they can't financially support the decisions they want to make. EFRAT is really explicit about that.
  12. ^ Ettinger, Yair (7 January 2013). "Leading Israeli Rabbi Blasts Anti-abortion Group Efrat for 'Irresponsible' Language". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  13. ^ Kasstan, Ben (June 2022). ""A Free People, Controlled Only by God": Circulating and Converting Criticism of Vaccination in Jerusalem". Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry. 46 (2): 277–296. doi:10.1007/s11013-020-09705-2. ISSN 0165-005X. PMC 7861145. PMID 33543423.
  14. ^ Rubin, Shira (18 November 2022). "American evangelicals open a new antiabortion front — in Israel". The Washington Post.
  15. ^ Lidman, Melanie (30 December 2012). "Feminists to protest anti-abortion group's prize". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d Ronen, Gil (22 October 2012). "Teen Shooting Tragedy Stirs Rare Abortion Debate". Israel National News.
  17. ^ a b Ronen, Gil (20 October 2012). "Pressure over Abortion Led to Shooting of Youth: Raz Atias and his girlfriend planned suicide after his parents demanded their baby be aborted". Israel National News.
  18. ^ a b c Rosenberg, Oz (21 October 2012). "Israel Police Volunteers Kill Youth to Prevent Double Suicide". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  19. ^ a b Friedman, Ron (20 October 2012). "Police who killed 18-year-old naval cadet in Thursday shootout acted properly, probe concludes".
  20. ^ Zeiger, Asher (22 October 2012). "Anti-abortion group accused of 'brainwashing' in Attias case". Efrat does not send representatives to visit pregnant women in hospitals. Dr. Eliyahu Schussheim, the chairman of Efrat, told Ynet News that the organization has had no contact with the girl, but he allowed for the possibility that others, familiar with the work and the goals of Efrat, took it upon themselves to intervene.
  21. ^ a b Podolsky, Philip (31 January 2013). "Volunteer cops cleared in naval cadet shooting incident". The Times of Israel.
  22. ^ Kubovich, Yaniv (21 April 2013). "Israel Police Probe Reveals Serious Flaws in Shooting of Suicidal Teenager". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
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