Asked for maternity leave, university says training will be delayed by a year

Yuval, an occupational therapy student at the Hebrew University, is due to give birth in December and asked to start her practical training earlier or complete hours after a short break. The university rejected the request, citing the need for 13 consecutive weeks of training, and her graduation will be delayed by a year. The family turned to the Women's Lobby, and Yuval was summoned to an exceptions committee, but the answer remained negative. The university stressed that there is no connection to the birth, and that continuity is essential for clinical training.

Yuval (23), an occupational therapy student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was supposed to enter her practical training year—the fourth and final year of her degree. Following her pregnancy, the university informed her that she would have to freeze her training year, delaying her graduation by a full year. Yuval, who is due to give birth at the end of December, requested two alternatives: to start the training earlier, or to take a three-week break around the birth and make up the missing hours later. The university rejected the requests, stating that the training requires 13 consecutive weeks and cannot be interrupted. Yuval's mother, Esti, a midwife, said the university asked, 'And where will you leave a one-week-old baby?' The family turned to the Women's Lobby, which provided legal counsel and sent a letter to the university, after which Yuval was summoned to an exceptions committee. In the response, she was told that the training requires a continuous period of 13 weeks, and no option was found to conduct training meeting the required standards. The university responded that the difficulty does not stem from the birth but from the unique nature of the training, and that continuity is essential for clinical learning and professional responsibility toward patients. The school will continue to support Yuval and help her build a suitable path forward.