Israeli NGO Nitzotzot Inbar held its annual conference on Sunday to mark Stillbirth Awareness Month, convening bereaved families, medical professionals, and community leaders for an evening focused on recognition, healing, and long-term support for parents who have experienced stillbirth.
The event featured artistic and musical performances, culminating in a live set by singer-songwriter Akiva, whose songs were inspired by themes of grief, remembrance, and hope. Organizers described the evening as an effort to break the silence surrounding stillbirth and provide families with a space where their loss is acknowledged and their stories are heard.
Founded by siblings Tzachi and Chen Neuman together with Ella Neuman, in memory of Tzachi and Ella’s daughter Inbar, the organization now operates in 22 hospitals nationwide. Its work centers on expanding public awareness of stillbirth, legitimizing grief, and building a supportive community for parents confronting this form of loss.
Services include hospital-based volunteer support, emotional and couples’ counseling, peer groups, and training for medical teams.
In the past year alone, Nitzotzot Inbar trained 520 medical staff members and distributed roughly 1,000 immediate-care kits to parents leaving the hospital without their babies.
According to data provided by the organization, approximately 1,500 couples in Israel and an estimated 2 million families worldwide experience stillbirth each year. Research indicates that about a quarter of women who undergo stillbirth develop post-traumatic symptoms. However, with early, specialized intervention, 65 percent experience significant healing and emotional recovery.
'A loss that hits you every day'
One of the evening’s most emotional moments came from Lt. Col. (res.) Maor Cohen, known as the “Lego Man” of Ezer Mizion, who publicly discussed his own stillbirth experience for the first time.
Cohen described losing twins after years of fertility treatments and recounted the intense emotional aftermath: “They call it a stillbirth? There was nothing still about it,” he said. “I didn’t say Kaddish, we didn’t give them names, and we don’t know where they are. It is a loss that hits you every day.” Cohen said the absence of traditional mourning rituals and the lack of closure left him with a daily sense of longing, despite his public accomplishments and recognition. He concluded by noting that he and his wife are now parents to four healthy children.
Ella Neuman, chair of the nonprofit, a mother of five who has experienced a stillbirth herself, said the organization’s aim is to address the profound isolation many families face. “For families who have experienced a stillbirth, the world stops. But society moves on,” she said. “Our goal is to remind everyone that all pain is legitimate, that every story deserves to be heard, and to offer parents the support and empathy that allow them to return to life, slowly and with love.”
The organization said it plans to expand its hospital presence and professional training programs in the coming year, citing sustained demand and the need for more standardized support protocols across the healthcare system.