HavdalahHappening - Temple Beth El of Boca Raton

neW member profile
Barbara Harper
Barbara Harper’s journey, which
began in rural Ohio, has branched
out into many directions. Raised on a
farm as a Methodist, Harper attributes
her maternal grandmother, an ardent
reader of the Old Testament, for
instilling in her a love of biblical
texts. With no objections from her
parents, Harper, the youngest of five
children, sought a rabbi and at age
17, began to formally learn Hebrew,
explore Torah and Jewish rituals.
Her immersion in the study and
practice of Judaism ultimately led to
Harper’s conversion. In later years,
she unraveled her father’s story and
discovered that he was the child of
German Jews. Orphaned at a young
age, her father had no awareness of
his Jewish identity. For Harper, this
familial connection to the Jewish
people makes a great deal of sense
given the spiritual path she has
chosen.
As a student at The Ohio State
University College of Nursing, from
1971 – 1974, Harper embarked in
a rigorous academic program that
would serve as the framework for
her professional career. It was a
turbulent time on college campuses
throughout the nation, and never
a passive observer, Harper fought
hard for her beliefs. Her political
activism did not distract her and she
graduated with a bachelor’s degree
in nursing, ready to face the next
challenge. She nursed in emergency
rooms, and with open-heart surgery
and neurosurgical patients. In 1984,
while working with mothers and
new-born infants at a Santa Barbara,
California hospital, Harper decided to
make obstetrical nursing her focus.
Once again she derived inspiration
from her maternal grandmother,
Estella Ethel Harper Lemonyon, a
nurse and midwife.
By LINda HOLTz
“My grandmother
was a great influence
and role model for me,”
said Harper. “As a child
I was very proud of
her strong work ethic,
knowledge and the
compassion made her
beloved throughout the
rural area where we
lived.”
Although determined to follow in
Lemonyon’s path, Harper took an
interesting turn in the road when
by chance she read an article about
waterbirths in Russia from a most
unlikely source – The National
Enquirer. Convinced of its benefits for
both mother and child, Harper began
to thoroughly investigate the concept
and eventually became trained in the
practice of waterbirthing. Unafraid
to challenge traditional medical ideas
and protocol, Harper was dogged in
her attempt to offer women a new
and less conventional approach to
childbirth.
In 1987, from what was then her
home base in Portland, Oregon,
Harper founded the non-profit
organization Waterbirth International
(www.waterbirth.org) so that she
could disseminate information about
waterbirthing to anyone who might
be interested. Now almost 25 years
later, as a nurse, midwife, doula, doula
trainer, child birth educator, and
mother of three, Harper has helped
families “discover the empowering
effects of laboring and giving birth in
water.”
Harper is affectionately known
as the world’s leading expert on
the subject. She has attended more
than 600 births in seven countries –
almost all of these births have taken
place in water. She has instructed
thousands of professionals and
traveled to 30 countries
to give courses on water
birthing. Her next stop
will be a 10-day rotation
in Viet Nam where she
will provide nurses,
midwives and doctors
with didactic and handson
training. A prolific
writer on the subject
of childbirth, Harper is the author
of Gentle Birth Choices, and the
soon-to-be published “The Complete
Guide to Waterbirth.” She is currently
working on “Embracing the Miracle:
How Pregnancy, Birth and the First
Hour Influence Human Potential.”
Her DVD, “Gentle Birth Choices,” has
been translated into seven languages
and is considered to be the biggest
selling DVD in the natural childbirth
movement.
Harper is new to South Florida.
A desire for warmer weather and
sunnier days brought her here from
the Pacific Northwest. She continues
to work in the field that she helped
discover, and continues to explore
her religious beliefs. Last year after
attending TBE’s Yom Kippur services
at FAU, Harper felt that she had found
just the right Jewish connection. She
became a member in February 2010.
“Throughout life’s journeys, God
has been by my side. God has
opened every door for me and has
always led me to the right place,” said
Harper. “Temple Beth El embraces
all three tenets of Judaism – God,
Torah and community. I feel well
supported here as I continue to delve
into Judaism through Torah study
sessions and prayer. I feel that God is
firmly planted in my heart. There is
great joy of developing a relationship
with God – to do this within the
context of a community makes this
joy even greater.”
May/June 2010 • T H E C H R O N I C L E 19