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Why Can’t Breastfeeding Mothers Just Be Nice?

April 29, 2012 by 138 Comments
Mom nursing baby discreetly while husband looks on.

When someone posted a picture of a Jewish TV celebrity breastfeeding on the subway, it prompted a hot Twitter debate about whether breastfeeding in public is inconsiderate. Seeing a mother breastfeeding, even if nothing shows, makes some people uncomfortable. That feeling is unlikely to change, at least in the short term. I believe this happens when people grow up without seeing breastfeeding as part of daily life.  Our culture associates breasts with sex, not with feeding babies. Even if the mother exposes more than necessary, the uproar over public breastfeeding exceeds concern over women who wear skimpy outfits. Clearly the breastfeeding itself sets people off. While … [Read more...]

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Rabbi Eliyahu Against Breastfeeding in Bathrooms

October 19, 2010 by 12 Comments
Responsum forbidding nursing in bathrooms.

The alon Olam Katan has a regular feature called shu”t cellulari, or responsa via SMS. Readers can text halachic questions and get answers fairly quickly, from either Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu or Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. My daughter alerted me to one of last week’s questions: Is there a problem of tumah (impurity or uncleanness) to nurse in a public bathroom, when there is no other place, or is it better to nurse where there are passersby and cover up? Rabbi Eliyahu: It's preferable to cover yourself well and nurse in a place with passersby. I don't know what he would say about nursing in public even if there are other options. But at least he made it clear that a bathroom is not a place to … [Read more...]

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Is Public Breastfeeding Immodest? An Orthodox Jewish Perspective

July 8, 2010 by 63 Comments
breastfeeding baby shadow

Welcome to the July 2010 Carnival of Nursing in Public This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Nursing in PublicNursingFreedom.org. All week, July 5-9, we will be featuring articles and posts about nursing in public ("NIP"). See the bottom of this post for more information. *** Nursing in public is controversial in today's Jewish world. A guest post I wrote on a liberal Orthodox Jewish blog, advocating acceptance for woman nursing in the women's section of the  synagogue, drew hundreds of mostly negative comments.  But there is no evidence that Jewish texts and tradition prohibit breastfeeding in public. And rabbis never viewed breastfeeding as too "unholy" for the … [Read more...]

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The "Cringe" Factor

July 23, 2008 by 38 Comments

In response to my post on the Modiin Mall story, Frumhouse described how she has handled nursing in public. Therapy Doc left the following comment: The problem is the cringe factor, and ignoring that is ignoring anything that makes people cringe. If you know you're making someone cringe, whaddaya do? Make 'em suffer? Hit 'em over the head with your ideas? Or move away. You can say that nobody's forcing anyone to watch, but face it, the baby's the draw. Maybe a sign over the breast that says, Look away if this (arrow down) makes you uncomfortable? My response to TD got too long, so I decided to post it here. It disturbs me to see nursing associated with "hitting someone over … [Read more...]

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The Truth about Nursing in the Ezrat Nashim

September 18, 2007 by 14 Comments

Which of the following situations is disturbing, distracting, or inappropriate in shul? Cracking open a bag of Bamba for a toddler, who proceeds to distribute the contents around the shul Hansel and Gretel style. Shoving chairs right and left while pushing a monster stroller through the aisle. Blocking the shul entrance with an unattended stroller. Chatting loudly. Repeatedly shushing noisy and restless preschoolers. Allowing preschoolers to run back and forth among their friends. Remaining with a crying baby in shul, even during the shofar blowing (the central observance of Rosh Hashanah). Standing quietly in place, noting that the baby is getting restless, and discreetly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Babies, Breastfeeding, Holidays, Israeli Living, Judaism, Motherhood, Shabbat, Synagogue, Toddlers, Tzniut/Modesty Tagged With: , , , , , ,