A Russian news program recently reported that a first-time mother gave birth to 10 babies. According to this news report, the mother did not see a doctor during her pregnancy, which explains why there was such off-the-charts shock when she gave birth to 10 babies.
According to the report, the husband fainted when he realized that he had been transformed overnight into a father of 10. The hospital nurses say they were in shock when one baby after another were coming out of this woman. The mother is just doing everything she can to keep the names straight of her 5 newborn sons and 5 newborn daughters.
I was just laughing when I watched this, it just seems so unbelievable. But is it unbelievable/incredible or un-believable/I just don’t believe this?
I’m leaning now to thinking this is a made-up story…Watch this video and vote in the poll below what you think the truth is…
This was the first video I ever made a little over three years ago, and I think it’s still my absolute favorite. It’s so cute to see my big-boy Yoel as such a little baby, almost the same age as my little Tsofia Batsion is now- wearing that same fluffy blue coat, falling asleep in the same plastic crib, playing with that same brand of baby wipes. Ahhhh! Memories…
Yesterday I posted something about the Bateses of Tennessee with their 18 children, but I realized that it’s a shame to post only about a Christian family when there are so many JewishMOMs out there blessed with jumbo-sized families.
And then I remembered the legendary Sima Zalmanov of Tsfat and her 19 children. I love this lady. She is such an inspiration.
More than anything else, I love Sima Zalmanov’s clarity about the tough-ness of pregnancy and birth vs. the priceless gift of a new baby. Or, as Sima Zalmanov challenges her interviewer, “Tell me, if someone told you that you would have a difficult month, but that at the end of that hard month you would receive a million dollars, would you agree to it?
I also love when she says, “Whatever the Holy One gives, we are happy. He knows what is best for us.” Simple but infathomably wise advice for all situations in life.
Here is a news report about Sima Zalmanov and her family, with English translation provided below. Enjoy!
An English translation of the video:
Anchorman: Sima Zalmanov is 47 years old, and she already has 19 children and 7 grandchildren.
Are you confused? Eliran Tal is too…
Interviewer in voice over: Anyone who thinks that “full house” is just a term used in poker apparently has never met the Zalmanov family from Tsfat. Father Yosef and mother Sima (who is only 47-years old and is a school principal) have no less than 19 children, and the youngest of the crew was born this past weekend. (CJW: this video is from 2 years ago)
The interviewer asks Sima: My wife is in her eighth month of pregnancy and she complains: “It hurts me! it’s hard for me!” and that’s just a first pregnancy. You’ve been through 19 pregnancies, how did you do it?!”
Sima Zalmanov: Tell me, if someone told you that you would have a difficult month, but that at the end of that hard month you would receive a million dollars, would you agree to it?
Interviewer: But pregnancy is nine months!
Sima Zalmanov: If you had to suffer a bit for 9 months, would you do it for a million dollars?
Interviewer: So you have 19 million dollars?
Sima Zalmanov: At least! More!
Interviewer in voice over: So the question is, how is it possible to raise 19 children and host 7 grandchildren in a 4-room apartment that is not especially spacious. And what do the children do in their
free time in a home without a computer or television? The Zalmanov family proves that this is a difficult mission, but that it’s definitely possible. All you need is 3 refrigerators, a 3-meter long kitchen table, a bit of faith, and, more than anything else, a good memory.
(CJW: If I had been the interviewer, I, of course, would have changed this last sentence to “All you need is…a good memory, and more than anything else, a whole lot of faith.)
Interviewer asks: Do you remember all of your children’s birthdays?
SZ: Of course.
Interviewer: What about Estie?
SZ: Estie’s birthday is on the 16th of Adar
Interviewer: What about Yisrael?
SZ: On the 4th of Adar
SZ (pointing to fridge) We have a rotation system. This chart says who is bringing the younger children to nursery school. And this chart is for the sandwiches for school. So that there won’t be any questions,
each child said what he or she likes and doesn’t like…
Interviewer in voice over: By the way, even though it’s difficult at times, there are definitely plans for the future…
Interviewer asks: Do you have plans for a 20th child?
SZ: Whatever the Holy One gives, we are happy. He knows what is best for us. Whatever He does, we will be overjoyed.
I was really shocked yesterday to hear that a recently married woman I know gave birth last Wednesday to a baby at 27 weeks! I later found out babies born even at 24 weeks can survive outside the womb.
Nitsania Tova is teensy (1.7 pounds) but is doing well and appears to be healthy. Please pray for teensy Nitsania Tova bat Shayna Liebe that she should continue growing and will healthy and strong.
I found this video of another baby born at 27 weeks, to give you a sense of what such an extreme preemie looks like. May we hear a lot of good news from Nitsania Tova and her parents Shayna and Shaul David Judelman!
My baby daughter, Tsofia, is only 3 months old, but I think I might have already found the perfect match for her. Little Nachman looks like just the kind of Torah scholar we dream of her marrying;) Enjoy!
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