Newsweek

Getting a Fecund Chance

More Israeli men are freezing their sperm before going off to war, and a growing number of parents are extracting semen from their loved ones after their deaths.
Asher and Irit with their son, Omri, who died in a car crash when he was 25, four years ago. The parents are now looking for a surrogate to carry his child.
10_21_Israel_02

Everywhere I look inside Irit and Asher Shahar’s house, I see their dead son: His face greets me from the framed photos on the wall, a bronze statue by the kitchen and on a medallion around Asher’s neck.

Four years ago, his parents learned of his death when a representative from the Israeli military knocked on their door in Kfar Saba, a town in central Israel. He came inside, put his hand on Asher’s shoulder and told the Shahars and their two daughters what had happened: Omri, an officer in the Israeli navy, had died in a car crash. He

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Newsweek

Newsweek1 min readInternational Relations
Senseless Strike
Mourners gather at Saif Abu Taha’s funeral on April 2. Taha and six other World Central Kitchen staff members were killed the prior night in an Israeli drone strike. The Israel Defense Forces took responsibility for mistakenly targeting the convoy, c
Newsweek6 min readInternational Relations
No End Game in Sight
ISRAEL HAS UNDOUBTEDLY WEAK-ened Hamas after six months of fighting in Gaza, but the short-term tactical gains against the group behind the October 7 attack may come at a significant cost to Israel’s long-term security, as well as complicating potent
Newsweek1 min read
The Archives
“Fewer than 14 percent of AIDS victims have survived more than three years after being diagnosed, and no victim has recovered fully,” Newsweek reported during the epidemic. AIDS, caused by severe HIV, has no official cure. However, today’s treatment

Related