Zir Chemed - Our Doctors

Zir Chemed brings together a team of nine full-time professionals, all experts in their field, to meet the complex medical, religious and emotional needs of its clients. Heading the Zir Chemed team is Dr. Hava Yael Schreiber, Medical Director of the center, and Dr. Baruch Brooks, its Scientific Director.

Zir Chemed’s work is supported by the tireless efforts of dozens of volunteers in Israel, the United States, Canada and Europe. Volunteers organize special events, direct fundraising campaigns, and arrange informational parlor meetings in Israel and abroad.

Dr. Baruch Brooks, PhD - Scientific Director

Born in London, Dr. Brooks received his PhD in brain biochemistry from the London Institute of Psychiatry in 1973, specializing in the biochemical basis of affective disorders. Frustrated by a lack of progress in his field, he received a lectureship at the Westminster Medical School in London in biochemical pharmacology, studying diuretic agents and working closely with the pharmaceutical industry to develop new drugs.

In 1983, Dr. Brooks moved with his family to Israel. In 1990, Dr. Brooks was appointed Embryologist and Religious Supervisor of the newly created IVF Unit at Sha’arei Zedek hospital in Jerusalem, a position he holds until today, in conjunction with his duties as Scientific Director of Zir Chemed, which he assumed in 1995.

Dr. Brooks is an invaluable scientific resource for the Jewish community and travels extensively to provide personal counseling and diagnosis to couples in Israel, Europe and the United States.

Dr. Brooks is married to Roizel. They have eleven children and twenty three grandchildren to date.

Dr. Hava Yael Schreiber, MD, PhD - Medical Director

Born and educated in Paris, Dr. Schreiber completed her medical degree and gynecology and obstetrics residency at Internat des Hopitaux de Paris, France. She went on to earn a PhD in Gynecologic Oncology at the Albert Einstein Medical College (New York) in 1992, after which she immigrated to Israel and settled in Jerusalem.

Dr. Schreiber worked for several years at the Israeli Fertility Center, where she later served as Director of the Jerusalem branch. She also practiced at two of Jerusalem’s hospitals while developing a thriving private practice. One of the country’s leading fertility experts, Dr. Schreiber is especially known for her sensitivity – and success rate – in treating religious couples.

In 1997, Dr. Schreiber joined Zir Chemed as Medical Director, a position she holds until today. She quickly helped Zir Chemed develop its expertise in several areas, including infertility diagnosis and treatment within a halachic framework; supervision and delivery of high-risk pregnancies, and diagnosis and treatment of cervical lesions.

Beyond her outstanding professional accomplishments, Dr. Schreiber is also – and most importantly – a personal asset to Zir Chemed and its clients. She cares genuinely for each couple, spending hours during the diagnostic phase and personally overseeing every treatment.

A Personal Note... By Dr. Hava-Yael Schreiber / Medical Director of ZC (Summer 04)

Rosh Hashana last year I cried… for all these years of prayers, of silent despair, of internal suffering, when I was supposed to cheer and encourage everybody, to treat, help and support, while feeling broken inside. I asked Hashem to give me the strength to accept His will, since it looked like I would never know what childbearing/childbirth would be like.... or so I thought!

Hashem had in store for me a tremendous gift, the gift of life, life growing inside me. When I found out "the news", I remember I said that I just wanted to stop the clock, to arrest the time on that "minute of perfect absolute happiness". How I feared that worries and even disappointments might come later. I just wanted to share with my husband a few moments of sheer intense joy....

But actually the happy moments just piled up on top of each other: the first ultra-sound, where we see a teeny-tiny heartbeat, the gift of life is growing... the first movements inside me; the "morphologic" ultra-sound where I could finally relax and see that "all looks normal"....
Beautiful, radiant, blossoming, utterly feminine: that's what I felt during my pregnancy. I cherished every little "Tsures", like bleeding hemorrhoids, joking: "ah, now I know what it is!" I was accepted into "the club", I got through the initiation process.

Dr. Hava-Yael Schreiber with her husband,

Then, the birth.... Big worries, the desire to "experience it all" and also to "get it right", to fully appreciate the meaning of that other rite of passage, not accepting the too easy "elective cesarean" that most doctors were so eager to administrate, given my age and the "preciousness" of this pregnancy (aren't they all?)... I ended up having a cesarean anyway, but at least we tried, and I feel I grew tremendously, having been through "real labor" nevertheless.

Now I have this gorgeous perfect little human being in my total care, I revel in his abandon and trust, I enjoy the intimacy of these night feedings, he is all snuggled against me, sucking intensely, but eyes closed, looking so content. He is so soft, so sweet, so adorable.... I know, probably all mothers feel the same, still, he is SOOOOO cute!

This year on Rosh Hashana, I brought him with me to Shul, in the Snuggli, cuddling up to me. I cried again… with joy and Hakarat Hatov for HaKadosh Baruch Hu, who showered with such goodness. Now I am full of love and compassion for the rest of humanity again, bitterness has deserted me. And I pray that Kol Bat Israel should be blessed, -bekarov!, with Bessorot Tovot and all Tefillot should be answered.

I will have to go back to work soon, and deal with the difficult balance of juggling the needs of the Tsibur, and the needs of my little Schmuel-David, trying to give my best to each. I will try, B"H.