Inspiration for the Nation with Yaakov Langer
Inspiration for the Nation with Yaakov Langer

Tamar & Gidon Ben Tzvi: 10 Years. 11 IVF Retrievals. 6 Miscarriages... Then a Miracle

September 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

When Tamar Ben Tzvi was a child, her father, a top doctor who had attended Princeton and Harvard, died of stomach cancer just two weeks after his diagnosis. She was eight years old. Her mother remarried a widower with three children, creating a "Brady Bunch" household of six kids, and Tamar was thrust into an Orthodox school from a Conservative background while managing congenital hypothyroidism and a later diabetes diagnosis. She developed severe depression and suicidal thoughts. Then, after 11th grade, at Camp Ask, a friend reported that Tamar was planning to take extra pills. She was kicked out of camp for four days. Those four days, she says, changed her life. She realized she had to focus on the positive days rather than the lonely nights, and she began to heal.

Gidon Ben Tzvi, by contrast, grew up in a stable, typical modern Orthodox home in Rockville, Maryland. He went to yeshiva in Israel, then to Yeshiva University. The two met on October 30, 2015, in Israel, where Tamar had been wandering aimlessly after graduation. She knew instantly he was her husband. They married in 2016, and their 10-year wedding anniversary arrives this September — the same month they will be 36 weeks pregnant.

The Decade of Waiting

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What you'll learn

  • 1 Timestamped Outline
  • 2 (00:02) **Opening: The Ten-Year Journey** - The couple introduces their infertility story: 11 IVF retrievals, 16 transfers, 6 miscarriages, and a current pregnancy at 36 weeks on their 10th anniversary
  • 3 (01:48) **Childhood Backgrounds: Two Very Different Upbringings** - Gideon describes a typical childhood in Rockville, Maryland, while Tamar shares a story of sudden loss and blended family
  • 4 (07:26) **Tamar's Childhood Health Struggles and Depression** - She describes congenital hypothyroidism, developing diabetes, intense depression, and suicidal thoughts from 7th through 11th grade
  • 5 (12:08) **Meeting and Marriage** - The couple met on October 30th after Tamar's year of wandering in Israel; Tamar knew instantly "you're my husband"
  • 6 (15:33) **The Infertility Journey Begins** - Tamar explains she drew strength from her childhood trauma, but watching Gideon suffer was unbearable because "he hasn't been through enough baggage yet"
  • 7 (19:22) **The Timeline of Treatment** - The couple walked through their decade of attempts, from IUIs to IVF, switching doctors, and discovering hidden problems

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Ten years. Eleven IVF retrievals. Sixteen transfers. Six miscarriages. For a decade the answer was always no, and Tamar and Gidon Ben Tzvi never stopped holding on to each other and to Hashem. This is what waiting really looks like, and what it looks like when the wait finally ends.


Please note: this conversation is intended for adults. Tamar and Gidon speak very openly about their infertility journey.


IG: https://www.instagram.com/talesoftamar


✬ SPONSORS ✬


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✬ IN MEMORY OF ✬


This episode is in memory of:

  • ​ Shimon Dovid ben Yaakov Shloima
  • ​ Miriam Sarah bas Yaakov Moshe


#jewishpodcast #judaism #infertility #ivf #IFTN #israel

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