Israeli Journalist Nitsa Aviram Chronicles Complex Coexistence in Debut Novel Featuring Arab Gynecologist
Nitsa Aviram, a veteran Israeli journalist, has published her debut novel "Strong Belly," inspired by her daughter Maya's complicated pregnancy involving a rare and dangerous placenta accreta condition. The condition, where the placenta embeds into the uterine muscle, posed a serious risk of hemorrhage and potential hysterectomy during delivery. After a tense cesarean section, Maya and her baby survived, an experience that deeply influenced Aviram's writing.
The novel centers on Dr. Ali Hussein, an Arab gynecologist from Issawiya, a Palestinian neighborhood near Jerusalem's Mount Scopus, who works in the obstetrics department at Hadassah Hospital. Hussein navigates the challenges of balancing his traditional family life with his professional ambitions, while facing skepticism and prejudice from some Jewish patients and staff. One storyline involves a pregnant Haredi woman with placenta accreta whose family is uneasy about being treated by an Arab doctor.
Aviram, who lived for 37 years in a Jerusalem neighborhood adjacent to Issawiya, shares her personal journey of overcoming fear and prejudice. Despite early anxieties about hospitals stemming from her mother's complicated gynecological surgery, and the violent tensions during the First Intifada, she maintained empathy for her neighbors in Issawiya. Her career as a journalist exposed her to diverse communities and medical environments, shaping the novel's themes of coexistence, identity, parental guilt, and professional challenges.
The book's title reflects the visceral experience of anxiety and intuition felt in the belly. Aviram began writing the novel during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on a screenplay she co-wrote about medical negligence and the struggles of an Arab doctor living near a Jewish neighborhood. The story explores complex social realities, family bonds, and the search for love and belonging in a fractured society. Aviram infused the protagonist with her own fears, superstitions, and behaviors, making the character a reflection of herself.
"Strong Belly" was published by Ipevalish and offers a nuanced portrayal of life at the intersection of cultures and identities in Jerusalem, highlighting the human stories behind political and social divides.
