When Amanda Moskowitz arrived at Midreshet Harova, she looked forward to her studies, to making new friends and to strengthening her connection to Israel. She never thought that her time spent there might result in saving another person’s life. But that is just what she did.

Midreshet Harova is a women’s seminary program. Rav Ari Shames commented, “Students come to study, but also to explore and to do mitzvot. We provide them with the opportunity to make their time here memorable.” Listening to the announcements one morning, the students were informed that Gift of Life would be conducting a bone marrow drive on campus, and that their assistance was needed at the drive. So Amanda decided to show up and volunteer. Once at the drive, and seeing how easy it is to register, she too was swabbed. “I had no thought or expectation that I would ever hear from Gift of Life afterward,” Amanda remarks.

But in March of 2009, Amanda did receive the call from Gift of Life, and today she is so glad that she returned the call, although she does admit that fearful at first, she had her husband Avi make the initial call. She was identified as a possible match for a 53 year old man with leukemia. At this point she knew she would do her part to save a life. She was told that the patient’s transplant physician requested she donate stem cells from her peripheral blood. About 80 percent of donors are asked to donate that way. As her collection was taking place, she remembers thinking, “In just five hours, I have given, not to sound cliché, the gift of life…”

On June 3^rd, the day following her collection, Amanda wrote a letter to Rav Ari Shames. With gratitude to the Midreshet program for the inspiring experience she wrote, “I hope that you continue to have Gift of Life return to get more girls into the registry, and please encourage the girls to do so, it is such an easy way to help another person.”