Dreyfus family to found Stillbirth Israel
Rebecca Dreyfus is aiming to establish an Israeli stillbirth support organisation after her daughter Elysa delivered a stillborn baby girl in 2016.
WHEN personal tragedy struck Rebecca Dreyfus and her family, she was determined to create something positive out of a devastating experience.
Dreyfus is aiming to establish an Israeli stillbirth support organisation after her daughter Elysa delivered a stillborn baby girl in 2016.
About 1,000 Israeli women give birth to a stillborn baby every year.
“Elysa and her partner needed specialist emotional support to deal with the grief and loss of their baby,” Dreyfus said.
But the family soon realised there’s no national stillbirth support organisation based in the Jewish State.
“The majority of Israeli medical professionals do not receive adequate training to respond in a sensitive manner to the profound grief and loss issues.
“Face to face support groups for parents do not operate on a regular basis and an after-hours telephone hotline service is non-existent.
“There is a need to increase the profile of this ‘silent’ social issue.”
The support organisation the Dreyfus family will found in Israel will help individuals, families and groups when their baby dies – before, during or soon after birth.
“It will provide a range of support services that offer hope for the future whilst providing opportunities to discuss, remember and acknowledge babies who have died,” Dreyfus said.
“We will work in partnership with doctors, midwives, nurses, social workers and other professionals to advise on best practice to care for bereaved families.
“Stillbirth Israel will train volunteers to offer caring and non-judgmental peer support, and individual counselling sessions will also be available in conjunction with the Bar Ilan University Trauma Clinic.”
Friends of Stillbirth Israel has been registered in Australia to provide seed capital for this new Israeli social service to aid long-term wellbeing for families after infant death.
Donations can be made at www.chuffed.org/project/starting-stillbirth-israel.
For further information: rebecca@friendsofstillbirthisrael.org.
AJN STAFF
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