Shleimut
Combatting Infertility – Support and guidance in making families complete – within the framework of Jewish law
Shleimut (completeness/שְׁלֵמוּת) aids couples in making their vision of parenthood a reality through expertise and connections to all advanced resources needed to grow their families.
“According to a study that compared the emotional distress of women who were facing medical diagnoses of heart disease or cancer…the infertile women showed equivalent levels of depression and anxiety to women with these life-threatening diseases.
Finkelstein, Rabbi Baruch and Michal, “The Third Key, The Jewish Couple’s Guide to Fertility“, Feldheim Publishers, 2005, p. 10.
Infertility Hurts
160,000 couples in Israel suffer from infertility — watching all the families around them giving birth, pushing strollers, taking their children to school — while they stand off to the side.
Every birth, every brit milah, every celebration is just another reminder that they still don’t have a baby of their own to cuddle in their arms.
Unfortunately, many advisors and even health practitioners are unaware of the full range of available options, especially within the framework of Jewish law. They do not look at the total situation that confronts each couple.
And so these couples are left behind, feeling alone and isolated — and helpless. Discouraging reports from doctors take away their hope. As they try to wade through the dizzying treatment options laid before them, they feel frustrated and overwhelmed, which often causes a rift between the husband and wife.
All they want is to have a baby of their own — but they don’t know the best way forward. They need someone who truly understands their situation to help them navigate this road.
Shleimut is there to show them the way
Shleimut is headed by Rabbi Avrohom Zilberberg, one the world’s leading experts in combatting infertility according to Jewish law. Rabbi Zilberberg and his staff conduct more than 1,500 personal meetings with couples each year on their particular situation, their options, and the best route to growing their families. Shleimut knows all of the doctors, clinics and hospitals in Israel and connects couples to the appropriate resources and advises respectively through all available options. These options include possible funding sources when needed.
Visualize a family
comprehensive knowledge
Most fertility advisors know a handful of doctors but may not know the best doctor for a particular couple's range of issues. Shleimut is the only organization with comprehensive knowledge of every doctor, clinician and hospital in Israel that assists with infertility. Shleimut has expertise and the ability to advise and connect to every infertility practitioner in Israel and knows the pros and cons of each hospital and method.
Holistic approach
Shleimut is able to discern problems that may appear unrelated to fertility and advises how to solve these problems. Seemingly unrelated issues can also cause or exacerbate infertility. These include physical injuries, mental health issues and a lack of marital harmony. Shleimut understands that life is complicated and that each part impacts all of the other parts of the whole.
Jewish law
One major cause of infertility is when women ovulate before they are able to go to the mikvah. Doctors do not always understand the delicate laws of family purity and Shleimut has the knowledge to deal with this issue and all other halachic considerations.
Locating Dr. Right
No Shleimut client is left at a dead end. If the doctor Shleimut sends the couple to is not successful, they will follow the couple through the course of seeing different doctors. As each doctor knows his area of expertise and his hospital, it could be that a different doctor or hospital is more appropriate. Shleimut will continue to search for a solution and leave no stone unturned.
A personal touch
Shleimut pays special attention to the unique needs of each couple and gives them the attention and support that they need for their individual situation, as they understand that fertility treatments are not one-size-fits-all. Shleimut catches many problems that others would not pick up on.
Shleimut State-of-the-Art Fertilty Laboratory
In 2024, Shleimut opened a fertility testing laboratory on-site. This is the first and only fertility laboratory in the Beit Shemesh area. The closest fertility laboratories prior to this had been in Jerusalem. As semen samples must reach a laboratory within an hour, it is very important to have a local option. This fertility laboratory helps hundreds of couples suffering from infertility get one step closer to having a baby.
Besides the physical distance, there is usually heavy traffic between Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem laboratories, making it very difficult for viable samples to reach a laboratory within the prescribed time. Couples have had to rent expensive hotel rooms on multiple occasions so as to have close access to already crowded facilities.
There is no need for testing to take place only in hospitals – any location with top-quality laboratory equipment can conduct exactly the same testing as a hospital. With an option in Beit Shemesh, couples from the City of Beit Shemesh (population of more than 180,000) and the surrounding areas have a much closer laboratory with significantly less traffic congestion.
While the Israeli government funds fertility equipment destined for hospitals, they do not fund equipment for private clinics. There is no hospital in Beit Shemesh and a general shortage of hospitals in Israel. Therefore, private laboratory clinics have opened around the country to fill in the gaps – the Shleimut lab being the first in the Beit Shemesh area to help bring couples in Beit Shemesh closer to growing their families.
Coming Soon: IUI treatment launching, equipment already in place.
Educational Lectures on Infertility treatment options
Shleimut conducts regular public educational lectures in the Shleimut conference room and in Jerusalem. These lectures explain the Shleimut approach and present infertility treatment options to community activists, lay leaders, Rabbis and prospective parents.
Please contact us at office@israelselect.org for further information on the lectures.
Letters of Recommendation from Fertility Physicians
Professor Benjamin Bartoov and Dr. Reut Bartoov
Bartoov Center for Male Infertility, Petach Tikvah
To whom it may concern,
We are pleased to write a letter of recommendation for Rabbi Avrohom Zilberberg. We know Rabbi Zilberberg for many years in working partnership in the field of fertility. The Rabbi closely accompanies couples during the time of their treatments and examinations and helps them to navigate successfully this difficult period in the most successful manner. The Rabbi accompanies the couples in both the medical areas and also in the emotional areas.
Regarding the medical issues, the Rabbi has vast knowledge of fertility treatment options and his assistance directs couples to the relevant places for their infertility problems and invests many hours in order to explain to the couple the medical terminology to make it easier on them to fully understand all the details of their treatment. In addition, the Rabbi serves as an intermediary between the couples and medical staff that is treating them, and therefore creates cooperation that brings more exacting treatment and more success for the couple.
In the emotional areas, the Rabbi accompanies the couples with a great amount of dedication, investing long hours and making them feel that they are not alone in this process. This accompaniment is much needed and the Rabbi is tremendous emotional lifesaver for these couples.
Rabbi Zilberberg carries out this holy work with a great amount of professionalism to couples in fertility treatment and we wholeheartedly appreciate his efforts.
Respectfully yours,
Professor Benjamin Bartoov and Dr. Reut Bartoov, Bartoov Center for Male Fertility
Dr. Shlomi Barak
Fertility Specialist Gynaecologist & IVF Specialist / Andrologist, Tel Aviv
To whom it may concern,
I would like to recommend my friend Mr. Avroham Zilberberg, whom I have known for several years and with whom we have a collaboration for the benefit of the patient couples. Rabbi Zilberberg accompanies the couples through all stages of their fertility treatment.
It should be noted that Rabbi Avraham has extensive knowledge in the field of female and male fertility. I see great benefit in his ability to bridge the gap between the couple’s doctor and Rabbi during complex treatments, a fact that brings great benefit and relief to the patients.
I recommend that every couple stay in touch with him to receive the best advice and support.
Best regards,
Dr. Shlomi Barak
Dr. Micha Baum
Obstetrician, Gynecology and Fertility, Tel Aviv
To whom it may concern,
We have the privilege to celebrate the collaboration between our clinic and Rabbi Avroham Zilberberg.
Avroham Zilberberg helps couples who are in stressful situations of uncertainty and lack of knowledge as they deal with the difficulty of conceiving and establishing a home and family in Israel.
This is a broad and professional activity that the Rabbi provides, which includes guidance, counseling, support and close accompaniment for the couple.
The contribution is expressed in the combination of both the halakhic and the medical parts.
For all of this, the Rabbi deserves recognition and appreciation.
Respectfully yours,
Dr. Micha Baum
Professor Benjamin Reubinoff
Director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology department, Hadassah University Medical Center, Jerusalem
To whom it may concern,
I am pleased to confirm that we have been working together for many years in the field of fertility treatment with Rabbi Avrohom Zilberberg, who accompanies couples with fertility problems, especially in the chareidi population.
Rabbi Zilberberg is a top medical expert in the area of fertility, helping couples and supporting them in their fertility treatment decisions.
In addition, Rabbi Zilberberg aides Rabbis in explaining to them the medical treatments procedures in layman’s terms.
Many blessing on the donor’s partnership in reaching the goal of bringing children into the world.
With blessings,
Professor Benny Reubinoff
HOW you can make the difference
More than 500 new couples come to Shleimut each year seeking expert advice, fertility testing and connections to bring their dream of parenthood into reality.
The average cost to help each couple get the support, guidance and treatment that they need is $1,600.
Become a monthly donor and have a share in the priceless merit of bringing precious Jewish children into the world.
Israel Select Charity Fund, Inc.
New York Office
144-16 68th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11367
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Phone: (646) 568-9567
Email: office@israelselect.org