Judy Siegel-Itzkovich

Judy Siegel-Itzkovich is the health and science reporter at The Jerusalem Post. She has been writing for the paper since February 1973.

She has published over 31,000 news stories, features and columns as a Post journalist – more than any other journalist in the world. A Master's degree graduate of Columbia University in New York who made aliyah immediately after completing her studies and within weeks joined the paper, she has a strong background in biology but received her BA and MA in political science because she could not bear to kill animals for lab experiments.

She ravenously reads professional medical and science journals. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University – the first Israeli newspaper reporter to do so – in November 2015 and has received numerous awards such as the Hadassah Women’s Organization Women of Distinction Award in the Knesset, Yeshiva University in Israel’s community service award and Tishkofet’s public service award. She is also a fluent English and Hebrew translator and editor in her specialized fields.


A HEBREW UNIVERSITY team discovered that when one experiences acute pain, the brain has a built-in way to dial down pain signals – like pressing the brakes – to keep them from going into overdrive.

New Jerusalem research reveals why acute and chronic pain are so different

 DISPOSABLE PLASTIC tableware are on display at the Osher Ad Supermarket branch in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem.

How a tax opposed by Shas sparked climate backlash in the ultra-Orthodox community

 Prof. Tulchinsky at the 2019 conference on micronutrient conditions in the population and sponsored by Israel’s Health Ministry of Health, the Association of Public Health Physicians of the Israel Medical Association, and Ashkelon Academic College.

Health professionals issue appeal: Palestinians, Israelis can work together on public health


Tired from Israel-Iran war: A good snooze is not a luxury

“This research underscores that war reaches far beyond the battlefield,” said the researchers. “Even those not in direct danger face deep and lasting impacts – sleepless nights being among them.”

 ‘INADEQUATE SLEEP raises the risk for numerous health conditions, including heart attacks, diabetes, obesity, and cancer, and too little sleep is also linked with an increased likelihood of developing mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and even suicidal tendencies.’

A tragedy for science: Weizmann Institute mourns irreplaceable research losses from Iran attack

Last week, a ballistic missile assault from Iran severely damaged the Weizmann Institute, and life-saving scientific research was lost with no return.

A building at the campus of the Weizmann Institute of Science remains damaged following an Iranian missile strike on Sunday, in Rehovot, Israel June 19, 2025

Why paracetamol – one of the world’s most common painkillers – works

A new Israeli study reveals that paracetamol doesn’t function only in the brain; it also blocks pain at its source by acting on nerve endings in the body.

 Boxes of paracetamol are pictured on the production line for UPSA brand of Bristol-Myers Squibb Group at the company's factory in Le Passage, near Agen, France March 29, 2018

New Israeli-developed bioengineered skin could heal burn wounds twice as fast

Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich told The Jerusalem Post that it could take five to 10 years to be able use their technique on burn patients.

 Doctor bandaging patient's burned hand at table (illustrative)

Israel's forests burn while gov't continues to underfund Fire and Rescue Authority

Our forests are burning, yet the government is stoking the conflagration by cutting budgets.

 A forest fire is seen burning in Israel.

Leket Israel adapts strategy, buys, distributes meals for the needy amid Iran war

By mapping food insecurity in real time with nonprofit and municipal partners, Leket responds to the evolving crisis, ensuring continued delivery of food to those in need.

 Volunteers help sort and package food for those in need.

'This is what a war crime looks like,' health workers at hospital targeted by Iran say

After the unprecedented Iranian missile attack on Soroka, there has been serious physical damage, but no deaths or serious injuries.

 A view shows damage in Soroka Medical Center, at an impact site following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel June 19, 2025.

Iran missiles severely damage Weizmann Institute labs, 'irreplaceable' samples destroyed

One of the labs destroyed by Iran was of a cancer researcher in the Faculty of Biology, whose lab team consisted of 12 scientists.

A building at the campus of the Weizmann Institute of Science remains damaged following an Iranian missile strike on Sunday, in Rehovot, Israel June 19, 2025

New study reveals the cellular network behind food tolerance and allergies

Weizmann scientists uncover why our immune system lets us eat without harm, how it tolerates food—and why it sometimes fails.

 The Weizmann Institute is set to open a medical school in October of 2025.

After October 7, 2023: Israel’s smoking rates rise, worsening COPD risks

Smoking rates are growing among young Israelis, said Fridlender, an internationally renowned researcher of neutrophil white blood cells of the immune system, especially their role in lung cancer.

 TOBACCO SMOKING and second- and third-hand smoking (exposure to other’s smoke or toxins on rugs, curtains, and furniture) accounts for over 70% of COPD cases in high-income countries, with symptoms including coughing, sometimes with phlegm, difficulty breathing, wheezing, and tiredness.