On March 27, 2008, Gift of Life had a celebration to recognize and pay tribute to its dedicated volunteers in Israel. The honorees gathered in the bet midrash of Shir Hadash, a popular synagogue in Jerusalem. It was a time to say “thank you” to the volunteers who help run donor drives to find bone marrow matches for patients in need of transplants.

A show with magician Eugene Weissberg celebrated the magic of miracle matches. As Eugene made things disappear and reappear the audience realized that even things that seem impossible or hard to believe can happen. Miracles do happen and matches are found. Tzivia Cohen gave a heart warming account of her experiences as a donor. One week earlier Tzivia attended the bar mitzvah of Alon, the little boy to whom she donated stem cells a few years ago.

The audience was moved by pictures of Alon at his bar mitzvah. “It was amazing to see that we are helping real people and that real people are continuing normal lives and enjoying milestones such as bar mitzvah thanks to Gift of Life,” said Esther Edel. Rachel Hirsch also shared her experiences as a donor and told the story of meeting her recipient. Rachel moved us from laughter to tears.

It was a beautiful evening showing Gift of Life’s appreciation to its volunteers as well as giving them a taste of the fruits of their labor.