Acknowledgments  vii

Introduction  1

1 "The time arrived but the father didn't": A New Continuum of Israeli Conception  9

2 Not Mamzers: The Legislation of Reproduction and the "Issue" of Unmarried Women  64

3 Jewish and Gentile Sperm: Rabbinic Discourse on Sperm and Paternal Relatedness  87

4 Eggs and Wombs: The Origins of jewishness  112

5 Multiple Mothers: Surrogacy and the Location of Maternity  140

6 Consequences for Kinship  159

Conclusion: Reproducing Jews and Beyond  172

Appendixes  176

Notes  197

Bibliography  217

Index  223

Winner, 2000 National Jewish Book Council Award in Women’s Studies

Winner, 2001 Eileen Basker Prize

“Kahn’s extensive research has itself been fertile. The book is fascinating for those undergoing or considering the use of assisted conception and anyone interested in the ethical-religious issues. . . . Read this book . . . and it might change the way you think about the term ‘a Jewish mother.’ ”—M. Youval, The Jerusalem Post

“This is an unusual study of a subject that is both politically timely and socially complex. . . . Most readable with minimal use of technical terms; easily accessible and compelling enough to thoroughly engage general readers.”—L. D. Loeb, Choice

“A fascinating anthropological study of reproductive technology in Israel. . . . Anyone interested in reproductive technology will find this a spell-binding introduction to the subject from a Jewish viewpoint.”—Jewish Children’s Adoption Network Newsletter

“[Kahn] reviews in a very interesting manner various aspects of modern fertility technologies as well as the specific legal, social, and religious background of the subject. She raises the issues of Jewish and non-Jewish sperm donations, the problem of multiple mothers, surrogacy, the consequences of fertility technology for kinship, and more . . . . Because Reproducing Jews examines artificial reproduction technology through the many lenses of religion, history, law, and social values as well as, of course, science and medicine, it has something to offer physicians, allied health professionals, social workers, legislators, religious leaders, anthropologists, ethnographers, sociologists, historians, and educators.”—Avi Ohry, Medical Humanities Review

“Kahn offers an in-depth look at Israeli reproductive technology which has far-reaching implications. Kahn’s study is a milestone in attempting to understand the consequences of reproductive technology, not only for the Israeli polity but as a phenomenon which has potentially explosive consequences for women everywhere. It is an example of how a thorough and detailed analysis of what might seem to be initially a very particular case ultimately yields global conclusions.”—Leah Simmons Levin, Jewish Political Studies Review

“[A] very interesting and well researched study on an important phenomenon in Israeli life, combining cultural, social, religious, ethnic, and medical insights.”—Rachel Simon, Religious Studies Review

“[A] fascinating study of new reproductive technology in Israel . . . .[A]n intriguing, insightful study that fills a critical gap in a host of disciplinary contexts far beyond its geographical focus. Kahn’s analysis not only reanimates the age-old question, ‘Who is a Jew?’ but also advances the crucial dialogue between the politics of reproduction and the core of anthropological theory.”—Jeffrey D. Feldman, American Ethnologist

“[Kahn’s] research testifies to the complexity of Israeli Jewish culture and to the complexity of that culture’s implications for women and for their status in that culture.” —Einat Ramon, Ha’aretz

“[A]n excellent ethnographic description . . . . [F]ascinating. . . . I strongly recommend the book to scholars interested in Jewish and Israel studies, in the new reproductive technologies, and in how human beings in different cultural settings attempt to solve a profoundly human dilemma: infertility.”—Kaja Finkler, Journal of Anthropological Research

“Reproducing Jews is a fascinating and complex, yet unpretentious study of the intersection of new reproductive technologies and ancient religious cosmology in contemporary Israel. . . . [F]ascinating ethnography. . . . [A] thoughtful, sober account of the social implications of new reproductive technologies in a religious and strongly pro-natalist state.”—Ron Loewe, Social Science & Medicine

“Kahn has written a nuanced ethnography . . . . [A] detailed account. . . . [An] illuminating and eloquent ethnography."—Michal Rachel Nahman, Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology

“Reproducing Jews is particularly provocative . . . . [S]timulating . . . .”—Ricky Shufer, Hagar

"[A]n important addition to the medical anthropological literature on reproduction, the body, and women's health; it would also be of value to the reader interested in modern Judaism and Israeli society in general." —Larissa Remennick , Shofar

Winner, 2000 National Jewish Book Council Award in Women’s Studies

Winner, 2001 Eileen Basker Prize

“Kahn’s extensive research has itself been fertile. The book is fascinating for those undergoing or considering the use of assisted conception and anyone interested in the ethical-religious issues. . . . Read this book . . . and it might change the way you think about the term ‘a Jewish mother.’ ”—M. Youval, The Jerusalem Post

“This is an unusual study of a subject that is both politically timely and socially complex. . . . Most readable with minimal use of technical terms; easily accessible and compelling enough to thoroughly engage general readers.”—L. D. Loeb, Choice

“A fascinating anthropological study of reproductive technology in Israel. . . . Anyone interested in reproductive technology will find this a spell-binding introduction to the subject from a Jewish viewpoint.”—Jewish Children’s Adoption Network Newsletter

“[Kahn] reviews in a very interesting manner various aspects of modern fertility technologies as well as the specific legal, social, and religious background of the subject. She raises the issues of Jewish and non-Jewish sperm donations, the problem of multiple mothers, surrogacy, the consequences of fertility technology for kinship, and more . . . . Because Reproducing Jews examines artificial reproduction technology through the many lenses of religion, history, law, and social values as well as, of course, science and medicine, it has something to offer physicians, allied health professionals, social workers, legislators, religious leaders, anthropologists, ethnographers, sociologists, historians, and educators.”—Avi Ohry, Medical Humanities Review

“Kahn offers an in-depth look at Israeli reproductive technology which has far-reaching implications. Kahn’s study is a milestone in attempting to understand the consequences of reproductive technology, not only for the Israeli polity but as a phenomenon which has potentially explosive consequences for women everywhere. It is an example of how a thorough and detailed analysis of what might seem to be initially a very particular case ultimately yields global conclusions.”—Leah Simmons Levin, Jewish Political Studies Review

“[A] very interesting and well researched study on an important phenomenon in Israeli life, combining cultural, social, religious, ethnic, and medical insights.”—Rachel Simon, Religious Studies Review

“[A] fascinating study of new reproductive technology in Israel . . . .[A]n intriguing, insightful study that fills a critical gap in a host of disciplinary contexts far beyond its geographical focus. Kahn’s analysis not only reanimates the age-old question, ‘Who is a Jew?’ but also advances the crucial dialogue between the politics of reproduction and the core of anthropological theory.”—Jeffrey D. Feldman, American Ethnologist

“[Kahn’s] research testifies to the complexity of Israeli Jewish culture and to the complexity of that culture’s implications for women and for their status in that culture.” —Einat Ramon, Ha’aretz

“[A]n excellent ethnographic description . . . . [F]ascinating. . . . I strongly recommend the book to scholars interested in Jewish and Israel studies, in the new reproductive technologies, and in how human beings in different cultural settings attempt to solve a profoundly human dilemma: infertility.”—Kaja Finkler, Journal of Anthropological Research

“Reproducing Jews is a fascinating and complex, yet unpretentious study of the intersection of new reproductive technologies and ancient religious cosmology in contemporary Israel. . . . [F]ascinating ethnography. . . . [A] thoughtful, sober account of the social implications of new reproductive technologies in a religious and strongly pro-natalist state.”—Ron Loewe, Social Science & Medicine

“Kahn has written a nuanced ethnography . . . . [A] detailed account. . . . [An] illuminating and eloquent ethnography."—Michal Rachel Nahman, Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology

“Reproducing Jews is particularly provocative . . . . [S]timulating . . . .”—Ricky Shufer, Hagar

"[A]n important addition to the medical anthropological literature on reproduction, the body, and women's health; it would also be of value to the reader interested in modern Judaism and Israeli society in general." —Larissa Remennick , Shofar

“This is a deeply compelling and timely book situating Israeli debates about the use of reproductive technology within the context of kinship theory.”—Sarah Franklin, author of Embodied Progress: A Cultural Account of Assisted Conception

"Susan Kahn has given us a first class example of how contemporary ethnography can illuminate the cultural dimensions of the brave new world of new reproductive technologies. Reproducing Jews offers a very different way of conceiving of the relationship between technological change and social life. Sophisticated and well-written, it will be welcomed not only by scholars in a number of fields—anthropology, sociology, feminist studies, Jewish studies, medical anthropology, bioethics—but by those who are curious as to how science, religion, and the desire for children intersect within a particular context."—Faye Ginsburg, New York University

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