About Gefen Fertility

Dr. Karen Friedman, psychologist, is the founding director of Keren Gefen, which facilitates Mind/Body Fertility projects in Israel. She is most proud of the Gefen Center, a beautiful space in the German Colony in Jerusalem, where fertility challenged women are nurtured and supported. The center serves as a teaching resource to share its unique vision and innovative programs with Jewish communities throughout the world.

Dr. Friedman is a CBT therapist, who has a Doctorate from Harvard University and completed Clinical Psychology training at Hadassah. "At Harvard, my Doctoral advisor, Professor Lawrence Kohlberg, taught me to challenge my thoughts and understand the thoughts of others. Professor Carol Gilligan taught me that woman have a 'different voice'. I have found that voice. It is a maternal voice, and my goal is to further the vision of Dr. Ali Domar to allow each woman to fulfill her fertility potential.

She made Aliyah from Los Angeles and resides in Jerusalem with her husband, Prof. Yedidia Stern and their eight children.

Kaden Harari is Program Director for KG and also heads the Yoga program. She is certified in Integrative Yoga, Pre/Post natal Yoga, Yoga for a Healthy Spine, Woman’s Life Cycle Yoga and she is also a Dimension Therapy Practitioner.

Kady coordinates all of Keren Gefen's programs and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization. She works closely with Dr. Friedman to ensure that all programs run smoothly and that participants receive the support they need.

Rhonda Adessky received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Following a predoctoral internship at Yale University School of Medicine and a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cognitive Behavior Therapy in the Department of Psychology at Yale University, she served as a member of the faculty and Associate Director of the training clinic at Yale Psychological Services. 

Since making aliyah in 2000, Dr. Adessky has directed the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy training program that she co-founded at Hadassah University Hospital, and has conducted ongoing research in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder at Hadassah. She is also clinical director of the Training Center for Mind-Body Skills, focusing on interventions for stress reduction and well-being. She has taught at Neve Yerushalayim in various capacities for the last ten years. She is currently teaching in the M.A. program in clinical psychology at Hebrew University.

Dr Jordana Hyman is a graduate of Monash University Medical School in Melbourne, Australia and completed her OB-GYN residency at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem. Dr Hyman went on to fulfil a two-year fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Mc Gill University, Canada in 2013. She has been working intensely in the field of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for over ten years and is currently a senior staff specialist in Shaare Zedek's IVF unit, as well as in fertility clinics in the kuppot cholim. 

Dr Hyman is active in research and teaching and also lectures widely. She is the medical director of Nishmat-Gefen Fertility Advisors course and has been a wonderful resource to Gefen staff members, providing professional assistance and advice. Dr Hyman is passionate about helping women and couples to become parents, seeing this work as a true calling, and a great privilege. She is highly regarded for her professionalism, her compassion, and her warm bedside manner.

Michal Lipschitz, MSW social worker, personal, couple and family therapist and health expert worked at Maccabi Health Services in the women's health centers, guiding students in the process of training them for social work. She has over 20 years of experience in treating women and couples facing fertility challenges, facilitates Mind-Body and CBT groups for women in various stages of their fertility journey.

Heidi Weissman, psychologist, received her PhD. in Clinical Health Psychology from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in New York. She is a trained CBT therapist and supervisor, accredited by ITA and the EABCT. She is an administrator in the CBT training program in the Hadassah University Hospital in Ein Karem, where she supervises and trains students, as well as teaches in the course. Over the past ten years, she has taught CBT in multiple training programs in Jerusalem. In addition, she is involved in PTSD research through Bar Ilan University. She is particularly interested in Women's Health, including the challenges of fertility, as well as perinatal and postpartum depression.

Rabbi Yisrael Cohn is the Director of Gefen-Adva Project for social programs and community support for fertility challenged couples. He has recently launched the Mens support group in Keren Gefen. Yisrael studied at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh and Yeshivat Hamivtar with Smicha from Rabbi Brovender, Rabbi Riskin and Rabbi Zalman Nechemya Goldberg. He has a Masters in Clinical Sociology from the University of North Texas. He has been working with young men, in preparation for marriage for the last 20 years.

Esther is a Registered Nurse and certified Aromatherapist. She completed her nursing studies at Machon Tal and worked for five years as a nurse in the Pediatric Oncology department at Hadassah Hospital, where she also pursued advanced training and specialization in oncology. During this time, she further expanded her expertise by studying Aromatherapy at Reidman College, becoming a certified Aromatherapist. Esther has utilized her knowledge and skills to support friends and family through their healing journeys with Aromatherapy. She is currently working as an Aromatherapist at the Gefen Center, providing personalized care and supporting women through the challenges of fertility.

Professor Meni Koslowsky received his Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University and is currently a professor in the Psychology Department of Bar-Ilan University in Israel, where he formerly served as chairman of the department (2010-2014). His main research areas include personnel selection, organizational behavior, the stress-strain relationship, methods of persuasion and their effectiveness, evaluation of programs, and research methodology. 

Professor Koslowsky has written over 100 articles, authored or edited five books, and has presented at more than 90 professional conferences over the years. He is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists and has been a visiting Professor at several universities in the United States.

Rivka provides deeply personalized, integrative care for women navigating fertility challenges, IVF, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and pregnancy loss. Her holistic approach seamlessly blends Sobada (pelvic and abdominal bodywork), specialized yoga therapy, and reflexology to support hormonal balance, physical comfort, and nervous system regulation. Working alongside conventional medical care, Rivka offers a compassionate, tailored presence to help women transform pain into possibility.

Sara Katz MS, RDN is a Women's Health Dietitian and the founder of Sara Katz Nutrition, a private practice specializing in infertility, PCOS, hypothalamic amenorrhea, pregnancy/postpartum, eating disorder recovery and disordered eating. Sara earned her Master of Science in Nutrition and Exercise Sciences from Queens College and completed her dietetic internship at LIU Post in New York. She is licensed in both Israel and the U.S.

Sara is passionate about helping women improve their health, restore their relationship with food, and support their fertility journeys. She considers it a true bracha to be part of helping women and families grow, and is deeply committed to providing compassionate, personalized support every step of the way.

Channah Koppel is a professional editor and writer who has been doing yoga

for over 40 years. While COVID-19 was raging, she took an intensive two-year yoga teacher

training course in the Vijnana style, which emphasizes mindful movement and pranayama

practice. She became a certified teacher in 2022 and has been teaching 2-3 classes a week

every since. About 6 weeks after the current war began, she opened a small home studio in

Efrat which enables her to teach classes of 4-5 women at a time, give them lots of

personalized attention, and create a sense of community.

Channah says, “In my classes I try to combine playfulness with postural awareness, inner

calm, and a lot of self-love. I’m looking forward to being a part of the Gefen team, and to

supporting women on their fertility journeys, wherever they may lead.”