Open Discussion On Jewish Theological Issues

Join us for a discussion of the complicated Jewish religious and ethical issues related to infertility on February 7, 2007 at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

The very first commandment in the Bible is to "be fruitful and multiply," and the desire among many Jewish couples to have children transcends denomination, affiliation, and cultural background. Jewish infertile couples who are determined to overcome biology must go through the pain and frustration of treatment, while confronting religious and ethical questions about their treatments. A Jewish Perspective on Infertility will examine how Judaism addresses issues such as pregnancy loss, mourning rituals, new scientific technologies, and family building options.

The panel will explore questions related to the responsibility Jewish couples - especially postHolocaust generations - have to replenish the earth with Jewish children. If a Jewish couple cannot have children easily, what does Jewish law say about other options such as surrogacy, adoption, and donor eggs? How does Jewish law relate to complications that arise with multiple gestations and advancements in testing for genetic diseases?

The panel will be moderated by journalist Lisa Castleman Glazer and will include Dr. Sara Barris, Rabbi Barry Freundel, Dr. Lawrence Grunfeld, Dr. Harry Lieman, and Pamela Madsen. Lisa Castleman Glazer has spent over 20 years working in journalism, primarily as a TV news correspondent. She received an Emmy for her work at WCBSTV Channel2. She was the first to report live from the scene of the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. She is now a freelance writer and a mother of twins.

Dr. Sara Barris, codirector of American Fertility Association support groups, is a clinical psychologist who is a recognized expert in the fields of infertility and adoption. Over the past 15 years, she has worked extensively with individuals and couples and has published, lectured, and conducted numerous seminars in these related areas. Dr. Barris brings an authentic eclectic approach to helping people sustain and enrich their lives, using analytic, stress reduction, and cognitive behavioral methods.

Rabbi Barry Freundel is the rabbi at Kesher Israel, The Georgetown Synagogue in Washington, DC. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at the University of Maryland, an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, and as a consultant to the Ethics Review Board of the National Institute of Aging of the National Institutes of Health. Rabbi Freundel is also a vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America.

Dr. Lawrence Grunfeld is a board certified reproductive endocrinologist and a clinical associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is well known in the field of infertility for his expertise in sonography, reproductive surgery, and in vitro fertilization. He has authored dozens of significant articles in these fields and lectures extensively on infertility. In addition, he was recognized as one of the Best Doctors in New York by New York Magazine and Ladies Home
Journal, and was featured in the documentary And Baby Makes Two. Dr. Grunfeld received the American Infertility Association Family Building Award in 2001.

Dr. Harry Lieman is an Orthodox Jew who serves as the Director of Montefiore Hospital's Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Health in Hartsdale, New York. He is also an assistant professor in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women's Health, Division of Endocrinology and Fertility at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.

Pamela Madsen is the Executive Director of the American Fertility Association which she founded in 1999. She is a patient advocate who has spoken at annual conferences for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, International Consumer Support for Infertility, and European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology. She launched the World Infertility Month campaign and is a member of the National Counsel of State Legislators Genetic Technologies Project's Legislative Task Force on Human Genetic Technologies, the Board of Directors of International Consumer Support for Infertility, and a committee member of the National Coalition for Oversight of Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Tickets to this event are free with suggested donation. -- www.mjhnyc.org