Chana charity brings Wave of Light Campaign to Barnet Town Hall
The council's civic centre was lit in pink and blue to mark awareness of baby loss through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death
Jewish fertility organisation Chana brought the national Wave of Light campaign to the heart of north west London on Thursday 15 October, lighting up Barnet Town Hall in pink and blue in memory of every baby loved and lost.
The council pledged its support to back the charity’s initiative to represent all local communities, highlighting that baby loss, whether miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death, affects one in four pregnancies.
Dr Romy Shulman, psychologist at Chana said: “Loss in pregnancy and stillbirth can be described as ambiguous loss – because it is the loss of the dreams and expectations that existed in the minds and hearts of the parents; a private reality that begins at the moment of a positive pregnancy test. This can be difficult to express and share with others.”
The charity notes that in Jewish law there is generally no formal shiva or mourning process for a baby that survived for less than 30 days, making clear “this does not take away from the immense personal and often private mourning that parents suffer. Without the formal mourning structure parents can feel isolated and lonely, and others can find it difficult to know what to do or say to support them.”
The evening also marked the launch of a remembrance tree, a new initiative created by Chana volunteer, Gina Brodkin, where couples were invited to honour their baby by writing their name, significant dates, or a message on a pink or blue ribbon and placing it on the tree.
Dr Veronique Berman, scientific advisor at Chana said: “The response from our community, and from our local councillors and authorities, is a powerful acknowledgement of how much this topic matters.”
The London-based organisation, the only UK charity offering holistic fertility and reproductive health support to the Jewish community, particularly thanked Cllr Alex Prager and Barnet Council, as well as Sergeant Amanda Gallagher and the local police “for their tremendous support in making this event possible. It was also an honour to have the full Conservative councillor group in attendance, a visible show of support from local leadership for a cause that affects so many in our community.”