Avraham Yeshayahu Heber, 55, Helped Hundreds Of Israelis Find Kidney Donors
(JTA) — Avraham Yeshayahu Heber, an Israeli rabbi whose charity facilitated hundreds of kidney transplants, died of the coronavirus.
Heber died April 23 in Jerusalem. He was 55.
Heber was the founder of Matnat Chaim (Hebrew for “gift of life”), an organization started in 2009 that matches kidney donors with transplant patients. The organization is believed to be responsible for facilitating 800 kidney transplants.
Born in Tel Aviv, Heber was working as a yeshiva principal when he was inspired to start Matnat Chaim while receiving dialysis treatments in 2007, according to the organization’s website. In the hospital, he met an 18-year-old man named Pinchas who died while waiting for a kidney donor, prompting Heber to set up a nonprofit that would help expedite transplants. In 2014, Heber was honored by Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin for his efforts.
Heber, who received a kidney transplant himself a decade ago, was hospitalized on April 13 with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. His condition deteriorated despite multiple interventions, including ventilation, until his vital systems collapsed on Thursday night, Maariv reported. He is survived by his wife, Rachel, and their two children, Channel 13 reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the dozens of politicians who eulogized Heber, saying he was “deeply sorrowed” by his death.
The post Avraham Yeshayahu Heber, 55, helped hundreds of Israelis find kidney donors appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
