ABOUT BARA
Bara: The Jewish Birthing Network brings Jewish birthers together to learn how to empower, enrich, and educate themselves in all things birth. From prenatal birth education to Jewish postpartum rituals, allow Bara to elevate your birth journey. Birthers deserve to celebrate these moments, while feeling seen, heard, and supported by the Jewish community and beyond. We are here to be that space.
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים
“In the beginning, God created…” (Genesis 1:1)
Birthing is one of the oldest stories in the book. Literally! The very first sentence of the Torah tells God’s very own birth story. In the beginning, there is chaos and wind, darkness and light, day and night, and everything in between. Just as God wrestles with birthing and creating, so do we. When we birth our babies, we also birth ourselves anew again. Lean into thousands of years of wisdom from our matriarchs through Bara: The Jewish Birthing Network.
Meet the Founder
Our Core Principles
Education
We provide comprehensive, evidence-based birth and postpartum education that integrates Jewish values and customs, ensuring that expectant parents are well-prepared for the challenges and joys of parenthood within a Jewish context.
Community Building
We foster connections, both personal and communal, by offering a variety of social programs, gatherings, and events that celebrate the Jewish calendar, rituals, and traditions. These moments of shared joy and connection strengthen the bonds within our Jewish family.
Mental Health and Well-Being
We prioritize the mental health of expectant parents and new families by offering compassionate and culturally sensitive mental health support and initiatives. We believe that emotional well-being is essential to a healthy start for both parent and baby. As midwife and women’s health advocate Jeannine Pavarti Baker astutely declared, “peace on earth begins with birth.”
Spiritual Nourishment
We offer opportunities for expectant and new parents to explore and deepen their spiritual connections to Judaism, through meaningful workshops and resources that draw from Jewish teachings and practices. These experiences provide support, inspiration, and guidance during this profound life transition.
Resource Hub
We serve as a comprehensive resource hub for expectant parents, providing access to a wide range of Jewish resources, including expert (non-medical) parenting advice, Jewish text studies, birth and postpartum professional support, and community connections. Click HERE to access the resources.
MEET THE FOUNDER
Rabbi Anna Calamaro
Fascinated and inspired by birth, I became a certified birth and postpartum doula during my third year of rabbinical school.
By the time I became ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, I had dedicated much of my time to studying ancient Jewish birth and postpartum ritual and practice.
Through my company, TzimTzum Doula, I witnessed, firsthand, not only the incredible potential for Jewish connection and learning in the midst of pregnancy and postpartum, but also the critical need for supporting Jewish parents as they journey through these often difficult, lonely, and anxious life moments. As a result, I created a Jewish birth and postpartum workbook to accompany Jewish parents through their birthing experiences in a spiritually rooted modality. My clients have reported enjoying positive, informed, and inspired birth and postpartum experiences that have helped them to feel closer to their Jewish identities, ancestors, and community.
I’m currently an ATRA Fellow with The Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurs (FRE). This one-year fellowship supports early-career rabbis as they build and launch the communities they wish to serve. Bara: The Jewish Birthing Network was born from the encouragement and guidance of this fellowship.