'The Rabbi Said It Was OK': Hasidic Mother of 10 Becomes Doctor

[Demovictory9]

‘The Rabbi Said It Was OK’: Hasidic Mother of 10 Becomes Doctor
An ultra-Orthodox mother navigated strict cultural norms to become one of the few Hasidic female doctors in the country.


Alexandra Friedman, who graduated from medical school last month, with nine of her 10 children. She did not want their faces shown online for privacy reasons.Credit...Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for The New York Times





It seemed like an impossible goal for a Hasidic woman in Monsey, N.Y., a predominantly Orthodox Jewish enclave some 30 minutes north of the city that is home to some of the strictest Orthodox communities.

Many women marry young, and their lives revolve around caring for children, speaking Yiddish and abiding by inflexible lifestyle and dress guidelines to adhere to Hasidic traditions.

She and her husband, Yosef, have 10 children, ranging in age from an 8-month-old son to a 21-year-old daughter.

But last month, she became an anomaly in Monsey by graduating from medical school and obtaining a residency in pediatrics. Dr. Friedman’s graduation makes her one of the few female Hasidic doctors in the country, said Dr. Miriam A. Knoll, president of the Jewish Orthodox Women’s Medical Association.

“It’s unusual for medical students to have any children, let alone 10 children,” Dr. Knoll said. “So to come from a conservative background and have that many children, you’re fighting an uphill battle, one that just takes extraordinary drive and commitment.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/24/nyregion/orthodox-jewish-mother-medical-school.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage

[Haggard Celine]

1. She must have one hell of a memory to be

able to study and handle 10 children! I have no idea how she did that. The article is behind a paywall, so I wasn't able to finish it, but however she did it, that's amazing.

[Demovictory9]

2. seems to be a superstar with a superstar husband (he worked nights to care for kids in day)

she studied during labor.

studied at home with kids around her.

[Haggard Celine]

3. Good God! That's determination.

[marybourg]

4. And came in at the head of her class.

I read the entire article. She had 2 pregnancies during medical school, delivering 3 children