Ezer Mizion partners to save lives

Ezer Mizion is running its annual campaign to raise funds for its bone marrow donor registry. To date, nearly 3,000 people have been saved by Ezer Mizion’s registry, 346 of them in the Jewish year that has just now ended.

In the course of 5778, Ezer Mizion’s registry facilitated 346 life-saving stem cell transplants. The organization is currently running a special campaign to rally donations needed to fund lab testing for IDF recruits who join the registry as part of their army induction.

“Every shekel donated is a partnership in saving lives,” said registry director, Dr. Bracha Zisser.

Ezer Mizion’s registry was established 20 years ago. In 2005, the IDF joined Ezer Mizion’s life-saving efforts and agreed to have every IDF recruit join the registry as part of their induction.

Every year, about 50,000 IDF recruits join the registry. Today there are close to 920,000 active members in the registry, making it the world’s sixth largest registry and the largest Jewish registry anywhere.

The biggest challenge facing Ezer Mizion is funding lab testing for new registry members. Each lab test costs NIS 180 ($50), bringing the annual expense of lab testing alone to about NIS 10 million.

“Every time I take part in a first-time meeting between a stem cell donor and the patients whose life s/he saved, I am gratified to be privileged for a share in this miracle,” Zisser said. “Every person who supports the registry has this privilege too! Ezer Mizion’s registry is an eloquent expression of the Jewish nation’s mutual responsibility which is a basic organizational value at Ezer Mizion.”