The Taglit-Birthright Israel program, which provides the gift of free first time trips to Israel for Jewish young adults, is often described as the opportunity of a lifetime. Each year, thousands of participants from as many as 45 countries spend 10 days touring the country and connecting with their Jewish homeland. Gift of Life has been thrilled to present these lucky travelers with another rare opportunity- the chance to save lives by joining its registry of volunteer bone marrow donors.

Incredibly, thanks to donor drives held in conjunction with Taglit-birthright israel trips, four transplants have been faciliated, and over 2,300 young adults from North America have been tested to join the registry.  Thousands more have been exposed to our life-saving mission. According to Gift of Life's Associate Director, Barby Sloven, who has traveled to Israel to help with the recruitment effort, "Many of the Birthright participants who were tested told me they felt that the trip to Israel was a gift, and that this was their chance to give something back to the Jewish community. They were very touched by our mission and anxious to participate."

The program came about in large part thanks to Lorne Klemensberg, Director of Israel Programs for Canada Israel Experience (CIE)/ United Israel Appeal of Canada (UIA). Lorne first learned about Gift of Life when a tour group he was leading was visited by two of Birthright Israel's founders, Charles and Andrea Bronfman, and Jay Feinberg, Gift of Life's Founder and Executive Director. Jay spoke to the group about his experience as the recipient of a bone marrow transplant and the four year search for his donor that resulted in matches for hundreds of other patients around the world. He also spoke about Gift of Life's unique mission to increase the representation of Jewish donors in the worldwide donor pool, a need that arose after the Holocaust severed bloodlines and made the search for matches for Jewish patients difficult.

Lorne was inspired by Jay's words and realized that his constant interaction with young Jewish people from all over the world afforded him the unique opportunity to spread the word about Gift of Life to a captive audience and inspire many to get tested.

Lorne is happy to report that program participants have responded well to the idea of becoming donors.  He has been impressed by their thoughtful questions and the fact that they take the commitment of joining the registry seriously. Lorne admits, "At first I was disappointed that only about 70% decided to proceed with the testing, but the more I thought about it, I was glad to know that those who did get tested, did so with the commitment that they would truly proceed with the donation if they were called as a match."

Lorne sees joining Gift of Life's registry as a way for Birthright Israel participants to give back and show their appreciation for the gift they have been given. He said, "Thousands of young adults have been tested already, and many thousand more are still yet to come to Israel." He continued, "There is a tremendous potential to test these people, but we need funding to continue."

Ultimately, the goal of testing young Birthright Israel participants is to save lives. Lorne says, "I feel genuinely honored to be involved in this project. Taglit-Birthright Israel is 'a gift from one generation to the next' and we hope that together with Gift of Life, we can share this gift and save lives."

Gift of Life donor drives are held in Israel each winter and summer during Birthright israel's "Mega Event," high energy and impressive gatherings held at the Jerusalem International Convention Center and Latrun Ampitheatre.  Thanks to Halana Rosenfield, who made aliyah in 2000 and now oversees Gift of Life's recruitment activities in Israel, donor drives have remained an important fixture at the Mega Event and will continue to do so for many years.  Halana said, "I test everyone I can because I always think of Jay's story and it reminds me that just one more person is so important.  He or she could be the next one to save a life."

For more information about Canada Israel Experience (CIE) or Taglit-Birthright Israel, please visit www.canadaisraelexperience.com or www.birthrightisrael.com.