Understanding & Supporting Fertility Journeys in Your Community

Rising Tide Online Workshop 

August 7, 2019

12 PM – 1 PM ET  

Join us for an interactive workshop to learn more about what those traveling on a fertility journey might be experiencing and leave with resources and tools to help support community members.  

According to Jewish tradition, the waters of the mikveh are mayyim hayyim–living waters.  But what about for those who long to create life and struggle to do so? For those pursuing IVF, donor egg or sperm, gestational carrier, or adoption, or for those who have experienced a late stage pregnancy loss, suffered a miscarriage or birthed as a stillborn, the mikveh may be a source of healing and hope.  

Participants will learn more about the reasons people facing fertility challenges might visit the mikveh and gain a better understanding of resources that exist to help people find renewal. 

This online workshop will be led by the founders of Uprooted: A Jewish Communal Response to Fertility Journeys, Dalia Davis and Becca Shimshak, and will provide an overview of Uprooted’s program offerings and resources, along with resources from Mayyim Hayyim.

Presenters

Dalia Davis is one of the co-founders of Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Journeys, and serves as its Arts and Education Director. She is passionate about helping people struggling to grow their families find support within the Jewish community.  Dalia is a Jewish Educator, dancer, and choreographer, who uses Jewish text as the inspiration for her choreographic works. Dalia holds a BA in Dance and Jewish History from Barnard College, a certificate in Talmud and Halacha from YU, and a MA in Jewish Education. Her Jewish educational background include serving as Rosh Beit Midrash for Merkavah Torah Institute, and teaching for the Florence Melton Mini School, Heritage Day School, and Camp Ramah. In addition to her work with Uprooted, she is also the founder of Beit Midrash in Motion, a fully-embodied approach to Jewish text study 

 Becca Shimshak brings to Uprooted’s leadership team her professional expertise working with the Jewish community in the field of non-profit education. Becca’s experience as a Jewish communal professional is both national and pluralistic with organizations such as the Foundation for Jewish Camp, Gann Academy and currently with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston. Becca is now the Director of the Greater Boston Jewish Coalition for Literacy at JCRC. Becca feels fortunate to have searched out support from the Jewish community during her own fertility journey and believes her success in navigating such a challenging journey was in large part because of the connections she built and the shared knowledge of the community. Becca received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University in Psychology in 1999. She and her husband Steve live in Needham, MA with their twins Zoe and Isabella and dog Lucy.