Haredi Public Shortchanged by Formula Freebies

Q: How was the haredi public mekupach (shortchanged)? A: Because Superpharm, the drugstore chain, included only regular dairy infant formula in its giveaway for new parents. Haredi parents require mehadrin formula, produced under a higher level of kashrut supervision. Readers reported this … [Read more...]

A View from Sweden: Covering as a Health Risk for Girls and Women

This comment came to me from Maria Gellert, a Swedish reader, in response to The Problem with Putting Veils on Little Girls. I also found this article from Scientific American outlining the issues surrounding autism and Vitamin D (link no longer active). If the theory that lack of Vitamin is … [Read more...]

Reports: Widespread Damage to Remedia Babies 7 Years Later

In November 2003 three Israeli babies died after having been fed Remedia soy formula, which turned out not to contain the essential vitamin B1. Dozens of other children suffered severe damage, with a third dying just two weeks ago. (The article that mentioned the recent death said it was the third … [Read more...]

Sending Sick Children to School: New Guidelines by Israeli Pediatric Association

The Israeli Pediatric Association has issued new guidelines about sending kids to school or daycare when they are sick. We all know there are some parents who let their sick kids infect everyone else. There are also gananot (kindergarten teachers) who send children home over minor issues. With their … [Read more...]

Diabetes, Genetics and Shidduchim

It's time for Part X in a series on dating and marriage in the religious Zionist community. Last week's edition of Torah Tidbits contained an article entitled "Diabetics and Shidduchim" by the Puah Institute for Fertility and Gynecology in Halacha. The article strongly discourages marriage to a … [Read more...]

Tipat Chalav Survival Guide for Parents

On Twitter, @mrsroth mentioned how a nurse handed her 18-month-old a cup and spoon. The little girl started to "stir" with the spoon, but failed that developmental task because she was supposed to pretend to eat from the bowl. Everyone loves to complain about Tipat Chalav, the network of … [Read more...]

Junk Food in Gan as a Form of Neglect

Yosefa writes: I've been reading your old posts under the "olim" (immigrants) section [in my new menu at the top of the page]. I was thinking about the ganenet (preschool teacher) saving NIS 800 a month. Maybe she should have used it to buy higher quality food.  At both my kids' schools, they … [Read more...]

How I Do It All (Sometimes)

Image by epSos.de via Flickr My friend asked for a few posts on time management. “I don’t understand how you find time to cook, raise children, manage the house and write so much.” The subject has been on my mind since I was asked to speak on time management at the Kishor Social Media … [Read more...]

The Walking Schoolbus

This morning on the radio, a father from Kiryat Ono was interviewed about a project in his school called Ha-Otobus Hamehalech, or the walking bus. Instead of having each parent walk, or more likely drive, their children to school each day, parents formed a cooperative to walk large groups of … [Read more...]

Heart Attacks: Are Men from Mars and Women from Venus? Guest Post by Dr. Roy Schwartz

A few weeks ago my friend went to the doctor because of transient pain and shortness of breath. She was hospitalized for a few days, and thank God, all tests came back normal. The doctors explained that they are extra cautious with women because their symptoms of heart disease are atypical. I met … [Read more...]