“I Was Part of Opening the Door”: Suhaila Ghanem, One of Israel’s First Druze Midwives, Retires

Suhaila Ghanem (62), one of Israel's first Druze midwives, is retiring after 40 years at Ziv Medical Center in Safed. She plans to continue accompanying women in pregnancy privately, open a clinic for pregnancy support and birth preparation, and promote screening tests for religious Druze women. Ghanem recounts her journey, including coping with social and family conventions, and being part of opening the door for Druze women in the profession.

Suhaila Ghanem (62), one of Israel's first Druze midwives, is retiring after four decades in the delivery room at Ziv Medical Center in Safed. She says the retirement feels good because it comes from within, and she plans to continue her professional work: accompanying women privately, opening a clinic for pregnancy support, birth preparation, and emotional support, and reaching out to religious women in the Druze community to provide them with medical information and promote screening tests such as cervical cancer screenings. Ghanem, who is also certified as a CBT therapist and health coach, tells of her journey: in 1982 she was accepted to medical school but stayed home at her father's request. The change came when a first course for Druze women opened at Ziv Hospital, and after completing it, she enrolled in the first midwifery course at Ziv, and together with a friend from Isfiya, they became the first Druze midwives in the country. She describes the social and family challenges of working night and evening shifts, and the pride in being part of opening the door for Druze women. During her work, she also cared for women from the Haredi community in Safed, and despite the initial difficulty, she went to the homes of the Hasidim and prepared women for birth. Ghanem emphasizes the importance of human care for birthing women, saying: "When you give – you receive back."