Little Light Memorial launched online

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and fittingly, the Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN) marked its start by launching its Little Light Memorial, an online memorial wall for babies lost through miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant death.

The project began as a way to fill a gap in Jewish ritual and communal space around pregnancy and infant loss.

Jewish tradition has rich rituals to mark life and death, yet families who experience miscarriage or early loss, often find there is no clear place to acknowledge or hold their grief.

“Miscarriage and stillbirth can be an incredibly isolating experience, and unfortunately there is still so much stigma and silence around it, despite one in four pregnancies ending in loss,” AJFN head of support Jessi Cohen said.

“As Jews, we turn to ritual to honour life and mark the passage of time. But when it comes to pregnancy loss, the absence of ritual can leave people feeling even more alone.

“That was the motivation behind the Little Light Memorial, to create a dedicated space that offers a sense of ritual … somewhere families can come to remember, honour and grieve their babies.”

In Jewish tradition, a candle is lit in memory of those lost. The Little Light Memorial extends this tradition, creating a space where a candle can be lit for every potential life – one longed for and loved.

“We hope families and loved ones will always have a place to return to when they need a quiet moment of remembrance,” Cohen said.

The Little Light Memorial is dedicated to the memory of Stevie Dylan Mitchell, who was born sleeping at 37.5 weeks, and whose memory continues to inspire AJFN.

Stevie’s parents, Gabbi and Ari Mitchell, said, “One of our greatest fears when losing our daughter, Stevie, was the world forgetting she existed.

“Saying her name and giving other families an opportunity to light a candle and remember their babies too, is one of the greatest ways we can help families honour babies gone too soon.”

Surrounding families with 360-degree support

The Little Light Memorial is one part of a wider AJFN launch, which together, provides services that offer support that goes beyond remembrance.

There is AJFN’s online miscarriage and loss toolkit, which offers gentle, practical guidance for the days and weeks ahead, and a Guide to Dealing With Miscarriage – AJFN’s printed information booklet, available where people first turn for help, including in obstetrics and gynaecology rooms, mikvaot and shule offices.

New AJFN education program

Funding was recently granted to the AJFN to support an education program in genetic testing for young people exploring their fertility options, as well as financial support for embryo screening for known carriers.

AJFN and The Choice Foundation both believe that cost should never be a barrier to building healthy families.

This element of the program ensures that families who already face genetic risk are not excluded from safe and ethical reproductive options due to financial circumstances.

The education program is designed to ensure Jewish individuals and families in Australia are able to make informed, timely and financially accessible decisions about general health, fertility and genetics.

It is targeted at young Jewish Australians aged 23-35, and the embryo screening is for anyone who needs it, but is limited by funds upon assessment.

Families and community members are invited to visit ajfn.org.au/memorial to light a candle and take part in the

Little Light Memorial.

For more information about the genetic testing education program, email info@ajfn.org.au

A screenshot of AJFN’s online Little Light Memorial.

A beautiful message on the site’s homepage.