Session 1: Introduction to a Jewish Couple’s Experience of Women’s Health and Jewish Law

Session Faculty: Matthew Cohen, MD, Yoetzet Halacha Dena Block
Date: October 28, 2019
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe overview of the real lived experiences of couples keeping Jewish Family Life laws.
• Summarize halachic (Jewish Law) texts regarding using clinical language
  • Understand why couples may/may not be used to talking about anatomy, physiology
• Summarize Talmudic discussions of female reproductive anatomy and discuss different approaches toward discrepancies between Talmudic descriptions and modern medical approaches.

Session 2: The Impact of Menstrual Staining on Women’s Observance of Jewish Law

Session Faculty: Deena Zimmerman MD MPH, Dena Block
Date: November 4, 2019
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Contrast Biblical and Rabbinic laws of uterine bleeding.
• Recognize ramifications of menstrual staining on couples keeping Jewish Family Life laws.
  • Recognize the practical implications of distinguishing between a menstrual period and staining.
  • Describe the Jewish Law leniencies related to staining
  • Illustrate use of hormones and resulting staining and the struggle this poses for women.
  • Evaluate ramifications of staining/bleeding at various other stages of life or caused by menstrual abnormalities

Session 3: Preparing for Mikveh (Ritual Bath) Immersion

Session Faculty: Deena Zimmerman MD MPH, Dena Block
Date: November 11, 2019
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the laws that pertain to preparing for ritual Mikveh Immersion.
• Assess whether a couple is experiencing “Religious Infertility” and determine protocol(s) to follow to ensure ritual immersion before ovulation.

Session 4: Mikveh Immersion

Session Faculty: Deena Zimmerman MD MPH
Date: November 18, 2019
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the Jewish law ramifications of medically needed equipment that may form a barrier to immersion (e.g. stitches, casts, ostomies, prostheses, dental work).
• Describe required preparation for ritual immersion.
  
• Summarize the challenges of Scrupulosity/ Religious Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and suggested modifications in addressing this population.

Session 5:  Understanding Patients’ varied attitudes on Sexuality and Intimacy

Session Faculty: Bat-Sheva Maslow MD, Rachel Hercman, LSCW,  Dena Block
Date: November 25, 2019
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Contrast conflicting opinions on the permissibility of sexual pleasure in Jewish marriage.
• Illustrate a healthy Jewish sexual ethic.
• Describe the impact of halachic observance of sexual and intimacy abstinence rules on single adolescents and young adults.
• Evaluate what can and cannot be done in sex therapy.
• Understand when brides are/are not encouraged to see gynecologist before marriage.

Session 6: Impact of Childbirth and Medical Procedures on Women’s Observance

Session Faculty: Matthew Cohen MD, Dena Block
Date: December 2, 2019
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the transition to Niddah status during childbirth, and the impacts and options for the couple.
• Evaluate medical procedures’ ramifications on a woman’s ritual status.

Session 7: Peripartum 

Session Faculty: Deena Zimmerman MD MPH
Date: December 9, 2019
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the postpartum experience for a woman keeping Laws of Family Life.
• Identify Jewish Law’s perspective on breastfeeding.
• Illustrate Jewish Law’s perspective on peripartum mental health.
• Summarize the rules regarding pumping breastmilk on Sabbath.
• Describe the rules of fasting as applicable to pregnant and breastfeeding patients.

Session 8: Other Medical Conditions

Session Faculty: Deena Zimmerman MD MPH and Dena Block
Date: December 16, 2019
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe the rules relating to the origin of bleeding (uterine, cervical, vaginal).
• Determine when a medical examination is necessary to determine the origin?
• Evaluate breast and ovarian cancer prevention and treatment in Jewish law.
  • BRCA Testing
  • Religious impact of cancer treatments
  • Reconstructive surgery

Session 9: Family Planning

Session Faculty: Bat-Sheva Maslow MD, Dena Block
Date: January 6, 2020
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Contrast the varying perspectives on when contraception is permitted.
• Describe permitted and prohibited contraceptive methods.

Session 10: Premarital Counseling of an Observant Couple

Session Faculty: Bat-Sheva Maslow MD, Dena Block
Date: January 13, 2020
Time: 8:30-10 PM EST
Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe relevant considerations regarding the timing of menstruation in relation to the wedding.
  • Study when it would be appropriate to consider hormone usage for cycle scheduling.
• Illustrate the impact of hymenal bleeding on a woman’s ritual status.

Session 11: Anticipating Menstruation with and without Hormonal Contraceptives

Session 11: Prenatal Testing and Anticipating Menstruation with and without Hormonal Contraceptives

Session Faculty: Bat-Sheva Maslow MD, Dena Block

Date: January 27, 2020

Time: 8:30-10 PM EST

Target Audience: medical and mental health professionals

Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to: 

• Describe Jewish Law on premarital genetic testing and prenatal testing.
• Describe Jewish Law perspectives on pregnancy termination.
• Describe anticipating menses in Jewish Law:

○        The impact of hormone use on the rules of anticipating menses
○        The impact of increased medical knowledge of physiology on Jewish law

• Summarize rules of conduct while Niddah:

○        Quick overview
○        How these laws are affected in situations of chronic illness, disability, or temporary illness (mild to severe)

Session 12: The Fertility Journey and Jewish Law Part 1

Session 13: The Fertility Journey and Jewish Law Part 2

• • Procuring sperm samples
  • Must the woman undergo testing before the man, or may they begin diagnosis simultaneously?
  • Treatments on Sabbath 

Session 14: The Fertility Journey and Jewish Law Part 3