Congregation Schaarai Zedek welcomes you to our Gift of Life Donor Circle.

Through our relationship with Gift of Life Marrow Registry, we can help save the lives of patients who are battling blood cancer including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and a range of inherited immune disorders and other diseases.

This incredible act of pikuach nefesh starts with a simple cheek swab kit. Your swabs will be tested to see if you’re a match for someone in need of a donor, and you’ll become part of the registry. If you aren’t a match right away, you could still save someone’s life years in the future.

The best chance of finding a donor match is with someone of the same genetic heritage or ethnicity, but it’s actually rare to match someone else’s tissue type. That’s why it’s important to join the registry – you may be the one person who can help someone battling blood cancer.

About Gift of Life

Gift of Life began in 1991 as a grassroots effort to save the life of 23-year-old Jay Feinberg, who was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors told Jay to enjoy the time he had left because there were not enough Jewish donors in the registry for him to find a lifesaving match. His parents would not accept this fate and from their dining table began a search for his donor. Over the next four years, more than 62,000 people were tested. Many other patients found donors among these volunteers, but Jay did not. As Jay’s health declined, one last hopeful drive was held. As the day was ending, a young volunteer decided she, too, wanted to be tested. She was the last person to be tested for Jay, and she was his matching donor. After his bone marrow transplant and recovery, Jay and his family founded Gift of Life Marrow Registry with the goal that every person should have a donor when one is needed.

Details about joining the registry

• Join the registry! Click on the blue "Join Registry" button.
  • If you are 18-35 years old and in general good health, we urge you to join. Donors over the age of 35 can also join the registry but we ask that you to please donate $60 to offset the lab fees – Click here to learn why. 
  • Eighty percent of donors requested by transplant centers are 18 to 35 years old for medical reasons – Click here to learn why Age Matters.
  • Donors can remain in the registry until their 61st birthday – Click here to learn why the registry has an Age Limit.
  • Certain medical conditions may mean you are not able to join the registry or donate – Click here to check the Conditions List. If you're not sure, a health history questionnaire is part of the registration process. 
• Sponsor a swab kit. Click on the orange "Give to Circle" button. Lab processing of every kit costs $60. Your contribution will help add new donors to the registry, who may be a match for a patient battling blood cancer or other life-threatening disease.  
• Spread the word. Use the social media links to the right to share Gift of Life in your Facebook and Twitter account. The more people who order a swab kit and join the registry, the more patients who are awaiting matches will find a donor.