Recovered From COVID-19? Save a Life!
The word is travelling across the US about the thousands of Chassidic Jews, recovered from COVID-19, who are lining up to become blood plasma donors, so that the precious antibodies in their serum can save the lives of unknown strangers. Jonathan Rosenblum’s article puts together the names, people, and history; one in the Forward adds additional background, and some sense of just how strongly the American medical community is depending on the Orthodox to come up with enough plasma to treat those who can be helped by it.
They are not being disappointed. Mt. Sinai Hospital, one of the chief collecting points in NY, relates that more than half of their donors are chassidish.
Those in the US will have no trouble finding out where to sign up. I’m relaying information, however, to the Anglo community in Israel. Those who travelled to the US in February and March wound up bringing back more to Israel than our luggage and Duty-Free. If we’ve recovered, have the mandatory two negative test results to prove it, we can immediately register as potential donors. We will have to wait two weeks from the date of the testing to actually donate.
At the time of this writing, there are two avenues for donation that we are aware of.
One is through Rav Firer’s famous Ezra Lemarpe organization. Call Dr. Moshe Rosenfeld: 052-718-9088 (Yiddish and Hebrew; if you only speak English, say so, he will get someone to help on the line in English.) At the moment, they are working exclusively with Tel HaShomer Hospital in Tel Aviv. He will arrange free transportation to there.
Another route is through MDA. Call their dedicated blood plasma line, 03-910-1101
Keep waiting on the line until you get answered. They will answer your questions, but you just have to be patient. (Hey, this is Israel!)
They have at least five languages they answer in.
Then they will forward you on to Bank Hadam of Israel who will give you an appointment, with a time and place near your location, and whatever else you need in order to donate your plasma.
Please spread the word, and save a life!
Has the FDA approved this treatment?
This is cold comfort to those 1000+ families sitting shiva because some communities were late to institute social distancing. True הכרת הטוב goes to the rabbonim in Bergen and Passaic counties, among others, who clamped down quickly and decisively כאיש אחד בלב אחד to stop the spread.
It’s hard to weigh the various kinds of proximity against one another, but packed commuter trains and subways, and their stations, were ideal places for the virus to spread. This complicates the matter of assigning causes. Do you have stats for Bergen and Passaic county commuters using mass transit?
Alex – your reply reminded me of an Op-Ed some years back where the writer opined that the Israeli humanitarian efforts to assist Haiti after the earthquake were meaningless because the settlements were still in existence.
Also, are you suggesting that the individual Chasidim who have donated plasma are guilty of something?
There is no comparison.
Closing shuls and yeshivos stopped many people from becoming infected.
Those communities that B”H quickly instituted social distancing and “work-from-home” rabbinic mandates saw much lower rates of infection and fatalities r”l. This is what we should be cheering. (Yes many Bergen and Passaic residents -large majority of whom work in general society – commute on crowded trains and buses. )
Should we cheer late social distancing orders, even if as a result some of those infected people in an act of kindness can now donate plasma in a hopeful but unproven solution? You could be correct that they would have been infected anyway.
“Should we cheer late social distancing orders ….?” No, never suggested it. Should we “boo” plasma donors because they are Chasidim? Sounds like you suggested it.