Dozens of babies were born in hospitals across Israel on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning as Jews welcomed the New Year.
Right after the holiday began, at 6:50pm, Sigal and Yariv Guttliv welcomed a baby girl at the Liss Maternity Hospital in Tel Aviv. Weighing 3.88kg, the adorable little girl is likely the first baby to be born in the new Jewish year. The emotional couple asked to wish the people of Israel “Shana Tova”—happy new year.
Tal and Zvika Schwartz from Tel Aviv celebrated the birth of their second son at the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba. “I got the best gift I could receive for the New Year,” Tal said. “I had an amazing experience. I’d like to thank Fiona Cotner, the amazing midwife who accompanied us during our special experience.”
At Afula’s HaEmek Medical Center, Shlomit and Shalom Bar welcomed a son at 10:45pm. The couple was very excited by the birth of the new baby, a brother to twin girls Shira and Hila. “We hope the New Year will be better than the one before, and happy holidays to the people of Israel,” the couple said.
Gali and Elad Yemini from Hadera welcomed their first born son shortly before 11pm at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in the city. The baby, weighing 2.68kg, was born two weeks early. “Our holiday dinner was on my husband’s side of the family, even though my mother was supposed to host it, because she was with us at the hospital,” Gali said, adding they were happy about the baby’s date of birth at the start of the New Year, even though he was born early.
At the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, Chen and Yakir Levy from Kiryat Shmona welcomed a baby girl weighing 3.1kg. The couple has an older son, 20-month-old Daniel, who was waiting excitedly at his grandmother’s home for his mother’s return from the hospital with his new baby sister.
“This is the most amazing gift one can get for the New Year,” Chen said. “I came to the Ziv maternity ward in the afternoon with contractions, and realized I was staying there to give birth and will miss the family holiday dinner. The medical staff was wonderful, attentive and supportive. There is no doubt this is a very special and joyous Rosh Hashanah for us.”
Sivan Alaluf, 33, from Be’er Sheva, gave birth to a baby girl close to 2am Thursday at the Saban Pediatric Center at the Soroka Medical Center. This is Sivan’s third child. “I wish my daughter and all of the people of Israel the sweetest year there is, happy and good life, joy, and may everything you desire comes true,” she said.
At the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Tal and Omri Zloski from Kibbutz Harel welcomed their first daughter shortly after the holiday began. “Labor wasn’t easy, but it’s a special experience,” Tal said this morning. “I wish everyone a happy new year, filled with experiences, smiles, joy and love. Thank you to the hospital’s amazing staff.”
About half an hour after midnight, Yuliya and Dennis from Ashkelon celebrated the birth of their first daughter, weighing 2.65kg, at the Barzilai Medical Center in the city. The excited couple said, “We wish ourselves to raise our daughter in health and comfort, and we wish everyone would receive such a beautiful gift on holiday eve.”
Liza Haniya, 34, from Tiberias, gave birth to her fourth child at the Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya in the city. Liza and husband Matan, 38, welcomed a son weighing 2.4kg. The baby was born on week 35, long before his due date.
“I guess the baby just wanted to come on the eve of the New Year,” she said. “It caught us by surprise, I didn’t even bring an overnight bag. Just as I finished cleaning for the holiday, my contractions started, and I said we should go to the hospital. We haven’t picked a name for the child yet. I wish the people of Israel a fruitful year, a year of new beginnings. I’d also like to thank the medical staff.”
At the Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center, formerly the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Mital and Ahikam Cohen-Levy from Ness Ziona welcomed their first born son, weighing 3.095kg. The couple wished the people of Israel a happy, healthy and sweet new year.
At 6:22am Thursday, Shiran and Daniel Conforti from Gan Yavne welcomed their second son, brother to 1.5-year-old Gabriel, at the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot. “We wish everyone joy, health, livelihood, love and a good life,” the couple said.
Eleven babies, six boys and five girls, were born at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya since the beginning of the holiday. Yuliya Kares, from Kibbutz Shomrat in the Galilee, gave birth to her first born daughter, weighing 2.945kg.
“I want to thank the warm and supportive medical staff at the delivery room, the maternity ward and the nursery, who is accompanying me,” she said. “It’s very exciting to open the New Year like this. I congratulate all of the other new mothers and wish everyone a successful year, with a lot of good, happy things.”