Dorot Institute – Center for Fertility, Medicine, and Halakha

The Dorot Institute – Center for Fertility, Medicine, and Halakha (Hebrew: מכון דורות – המרכז לפוריות רפואה והלכה) is an Israeli organization that bridges Jewish religious law (halakha) and modern reproductive medicine. It provides medical counseling, financial assistance, emotional support, and halakhic guidance to couples and individuals facing fertility challenges, working primarily within the religious-Zionist and Sephardic (Mizrahi) halakhic tradition associated with the rulings of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The institute is based in Or Yehuda and operates nationwide in Israel, collaborating with leading hospitals and medical centers. The institute was founded by Rabbi Zion Cohen, the rabbi of Or Yehuda, who himself experienced years of infertility after his marriage. According to the institute's account, he and his wife waited eleven years after the birth of their first son before a further child was born, following difficult and painful fertility treatments. In their distress they turned to the leading Sephardic authority Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, whose blessing they credit with the eventual birth. This personal experience drove the creation of an organization dedicated to giving other couples the strength and hope they had lacked. The institute is now led by Rabbi Zion Cohen's son, Rabbi Itai Yosef Cohen, together with Rabbi Aharon Botbol, head of the 'Yabia Omer' halakhic ruling court and son-in-law of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The Dorot Institute describes its work as a "complete and comprehensive envelope" around fertility, comprising several pillars. Its medical counseling draws on years of experience and maintains close, continuous contact with leading physicians across Israel. Its financial assistance addresses the heavy cost of fertility treatments, which are often only partially covered by Israel's national health basket, on the principle that money should not prevent anyone from holding their own child. Its emotional support network consists of trained women counselors, many of whom have themselves undergone fertility treatments, offering a listening ear and encouragement. It also provides fertility-preservation guidance, covering both the halakhic and medical-professional dimensions, including close supervision within hospitals. A distinctive service is its team of supervisors (mashgichot) stationed inside IVF laboratories, monitoring the test tubes to ensure that the correct embryo is returned to the correct mother and that no halakhic problems of lineage (yichus) arise. The institute maintains extensive professional ties with hospitals and medical centers throughout Israel and abroad, consulting with senior physicians and department heads. On the halakhic side, its rabbis consult with leading decisors on every step, bringing complex questions before them; the institute's work has generated new halakhic rulings, directives, and precedents that serve rabbis and halakhic instructors worldwide. It operates a dedicated department for medical-halakhic research, systematically examining issues in modern medicine — particularly fertility, gynecology, and genetics — and publishing its findings. It holds an annual medicine-and-halakha conference attended by hundreds of rabbis and medical experts, runs courses for rabbis and halakhic instructors, and publishes an annual volume of research and responsa. According to the institute, it receives thousands of inquiries each year, and its counseling is provided free of charge. The Dorot Institute has also attracted public controversy. In April 2023 a conference it organized on women's medicine drew protest because not a single woman was among its speakers; in response, the Clalit health fund withdrew its sponsorship and all the doctors cancelled their participation. The institute remains active, holding its seventh annual conference in 2026 on the subject of ovarian transplantation, following halakhic debate that arose in 2024 over maternal identity under Jewish law.

The Dorot Institute was founded by Rabbi Zion Cohen, the rabbi of Or Yehuda, who personally experienced infertility after his marriage. According to the institute's own account, he and his wife waited eleven years after the birth of their first son, Itai, before another child was born; the fertility treatments they underwent were difficult and painful but unsuccessful. In their distress they turned to the leading Sephardic authority Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, whose blessing they credit with the eventual birth. This experience led to the creation of an organization dedicated to giving other fertility-challenged couples the strength and hope they had lacked. The institute was established in cooperation with the Hadassah Medical Centers, which placed at its disposal senior physicians from their fertility and IVF departments; it also maintains close ties with other hospitals in Israel. According to the Hebrew Wikipedia account, the institute arose in response to a lack of adequate halakhic answers on fertility according to Sephardic rulings, following an approach by Professor Alex Simon, director of the IVF unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem, to Rabbi Zion Cohen to create a body that would provide halakhic responses within modern medicine. The institute's rabbi is Rabbi Aharon Botbol, who consults extensively with Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef. The institute received the endorsement and blessing of numerous leading rabbis, including Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, Rabbi Shalom Cohen, Rabbi Bakshi Doron, Rabbi Shimon Baadani, Rabbi Moshe Maya, Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, Rabbi Zamir Cohen, Rabbi Avraham Yosef, Rabbi Shlomo Ben Shimon, Rabbi Nissim Ben Shimon, and Rabbi Yigal Cohen. The institute is now led by Rabbi Zion Cohen's son, Rabbi Itai Yosef Cohen, together with Rabbi Aharon Botbol. It has built a broad professional network with hospitals and medical centers throughout Israel and abroad, consulting with senior physicians and department heads. On the halakhic side, its rabbis consult with leading decisors on every step, bringing complex questions before them; the institute's work has generated new halakhic rulings, directives, and precedents that serve rabbis and halakhic instructors worldwide. A distinctive feature of the institute's work is its team of trained women who provide emotional support to women undergoing fertility treatments; most of them have themselves undergone difficult fertility treatments and thus understand the experience. The institute also provides financial assistance to couples facing economic hardship, whether because they lack funds from the outset or because they must undergo expensive medical treatment not included in the national health basket. According to the institute, it receives thousands of inquiries each year, and its counseling is provided free of charge. Alongside its ongoing counseling and assistance, the institute operates a dedicated department for medical-halakhic research, systematically examining issues in modern medicine and their halakhic implications, particularly in fertility, gynecology, and genetics. The research is conducted by a team of rabbis with knowledge and training in both halakha and medicine, reviewing current medical literature and halakhic sources. Its findings are published periodically in the institute's professional publications and serve as a source of knowledge and halakhic guidance for halakhic courts, as well as a tool for physicians seeking to understand the halakhic aspects of medical treatment. The institute holds an annual medicine-and-halakha conference attended by hundreds of rabbis and medical experts. In 2017 the founding conference and study day on medicine and halakha was held by the Dorot Institute in cooperation with the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, at Hadassah Ein Kerem, with the participation of rabbis, judges, and halakhic instructors. In April 2023 a public protest arose over a conference the institute organized on women's medicine because not a single woman was among its speakers; in response, the Clalit health fund withdrew its sponsorship and all the doctors cancelled their participation. The institute's seventh annual conference was held in 2026 on the subject of ovarian transplantation, following halakhic debate that arose in 2024 over maternal identity under Jewish law; the discussions combined medical and halakhic perspectives, with participation by rabbis, decisors, and experts in fertility and genetics, including Professor Dror Meirow, Dr. Yechiel Brok, and Professor Uri Dior. The institute also runs annual courses for rabbis and halakhic instructors to provide them with medical and halakhic knowledge on these topics, so that they can give initial responses to those who approach them before referring them to the institute; some graduates join the institute's team of rabbis. The institute publishes an annual book of research on fertility, genetics, and related topics. Its publications include 'Fertility Tests and Treatments in Practice' (2018) by Rabbi Itai Cohen, a 44-page practical guide; 'Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth – Responsa and Rulings' (2019); 'Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth and Marital Issues – Responsa and Rulings' (2022); 'Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth, Marital and Purity Issues' (2025, 5785), ahead of the sixth annual conference; and the 'Seventh Conference Volume – Fertility, Lineage and Gynecology' (2026, 5786), ahead of the seventh annual conference.

• Founding conference and study day on medicine and halakha held by the Dorot Institute in cooperation with Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, at Hadassah Ein Kerem

• Publication of 'Fertility Tests and Treatments in Practice' by Rabbi Itai Cohen

• Publication of 'Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth – Responsa and Rulings'

• Publication of 'Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth and Marital Issues – Responsa and Rulings'

• Public protest over all-male speakers at women's medicine conference; Clalit withdraws sponsorship and doctors cancel participation

• Publication of 'Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth, Marital and Purity Issues' ahead of the sixth annual conference

• Seventh annual conference held on ovarian transplantation; publication of the 'Seventh Conference Volume – Fertility, Lineage and Gynecology'

A nonprofit religious-medical institute offering a complete support envelope for fertility within the Sephardic halakhic tradition, combining free counseling, financial aid, emotional support, and halakhic guidance.

• Fertility Tests and Treatments in Practice (2018)

  A 44-page practical guide by Rabbi Itai Cohen covering fertility and gynecology tests and treatments, medical tests and treatments, standard physician examination, and ultrasound.

• Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth – Responsa and Rulings (2019)

  Published by the institute at its annual conference; contains responsa and halakhic clarifications on fertility treatments in the modern era.

• Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth and Marital Issues – Responsa and Rulings (2022)

  Published by the institute at its annual conference; contains responsa and halakhic clarifications on fertility treatments in the modern era.

• Halakha and Medicine – Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth, Marital and Purity Issues (2025)

  Published ahead of the sixth annual conference; contains responsa from various rabbis on topics addressed by the institute.

• Seventh Conference Volume – Fertility, Lineage and Gynecology (2026)

  Published ahead of the institute's seventh annual conference.

• April 2023 controversy over all-male speakers at women's medicine conference

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1. 1עמוד בית - מכון דורותmachon-dorot.org.il
2. 2אודות - מכון דורותmachon-dorot.org.il
3. 3Dorot Institute – Center for Fertility, Medicine, and Halakha (Wikidata)wikidata.org
4. 4מכון דורות (Hebrew Wikipedia)he.wikipedia.org