Jay Feinberg has been stepping out and speaking to young people about the value of giving back to their community and helping to heal the world. Among his visits was Yeshiva University in New York City.

On November 27th, Yeshiva University’s Student Medical Ethics Society in conjunction with the Center for the Jewish Future sponsored a lecture entitled “The Halachik Hero: How Far Must One Go to Save the Life of Another?” It featured Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman, director of emergency medicine at The Montefiore Medical Center, who spoke about a Jew’s requirement to save the life of another. After Dr. Reichman’s lecture, Jay spoke to the students, saying “Tonight I’m wearing two hats; the first is that of a leukemia survivor and bone marrow transplant recipient and the second as Director of a bone marrow registry.”

Jay went on to introduce some of the heroes in attendance that evening. (Yeshiva University has a wonderful history with Gift of Life and more than 20 donors have come from drives held at YU over the years.) At the lecture was Avi Amsalem, recent blood stem cell donor, WHYS alumni and YU Drive Coordinator and Rachel Hirsch, blood stem cell donor in 2002. Rachel told the attendees about meeting her recipient at Gift of Life’s Partners for Life Gala the following year. “She said to me after we got off the stage, ‘Before I had cancer, I had straight hair. Now I have curls. I didn’t know where I’d gotten the curls from’ and she touches my hair, ‘now I know!’”

For the next two days YU and Stern campuses held bone marrow drives yielding a total of 381 potential bone marrow donors! “It speaks volumes about these students,” said Feinberg, who was very impressed with how they organized the presentation and drive. “Avi Amsalem cared enough to save the life of a stranger and then cared enough to get others to join the registry. People like Avi are true heroes.”