Jerusalem Family Welcomes 18th Child
Talk about being fruitful and multiplying!
A Jerusalem family has just greeted its 18th child, the Jewish Chronicle reported today. The arrival of the Hasidic baby boy brings the family total to nine sons and nine daughters, and should provide yet one more reason for the clan’s two washing machines to continue working “non-stop.”
The London-based Chronicle didn’t identify the family, other than to give the first name and age of the mother, 44-year-old Rivka. Rivka described her household as loud and messy, but said her husband helps out by making sandwiches for the children each morning – a task that takes nearly an hour. (Making sandwiches strikes The Shmooze as the least he could do, but then, The Shmooze has never attempted to raise 18 kids.)
Potential playmates for the newcomer include his older sibling’s children – he’s already an uncle to two. Being fruitful appears to run in the family. Rivka herself has 15 brothers and sisters.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
