Israel Launches Spiritual Support for Families to Boost Organ Donations
Translated & summarized from Makor Rishon by baba
Israel is experiencing a decline in organ transplants, with a 5% drop in 2025 and a 10% decrease in families agreeing to donation. A new national program, a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Tzohar organization, deploys specially trained rabbis to provide spiritual and halachic guidance to families facing the decision of organ donation. This initiative aims to address religious and cultural concerns, thereby increasing consent rates and saving lives.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israel saw a 5% drop in organ transplants in 2025, with families agreeing to donation decreasing by over 10%.
- Religious reasons are cited as the primary barrier to organ donation in Israel.
- A new national program deploys trained rabbis to offer spiritual and halachic support to families.
- The initiative aims to address concerns across religious, traditional, and secular communities.
- Rabbis receive comprehensive training in medical, halachic, and psychological support.
- The program seeks to increase organ donation consent rates and save lives.
Israel's healthcare system is facing a concerning decline in organ transplants, with a 5% drop in 2025 compared to the previous year, totaling 622 transplants versus 656. The number of families agreeing to organ donation after brain death also fell by over 10%, from 107 in 2024 to 96 in 2025. A significant barrier identified is the difficult decision families face when a loved one is declared brain dead.
Dr. Tamar Ashkenazi, Director of the National Transplant Center at the Ministry of Health, stated that religious reasons are the primary cause for non-compliance with organ donation requests. However, she noted that traditional and secular families also grapple with complex issues of faith, body integrity, burial customs, and professional knowledge gaps.
To address these concerns, the Tzohar organization, in partnership with the National Transplant Center, has established a national network of rabbis. These rabbis are trained to provide spiritual and halachic (Jewish law) guidance to families in critical moments. Rabbi Boaz Gannot from Tzohar previously managed a halachic hotline, but the new initiative expands the support to a nationwide system operating within hospitals.
The program aims to reach diverse segments of Israeli society, including religious, traditional, Russian-speaking, and secular families. Rabbi Yaron Moskowitz, Director of the Ethics Center at Tzohar, explained that a timely, culturally sensitive conversation with an authoritative figure who possesses medical, halachic, social, and psychological knowledge can significantly increase the likelihood of families agreeing to donation.
The rabbis undergo comprehensive training, including medical and halachic studies, hospital visits, and meetings with medical professionals and families who have gone through the process. When a transplant coordinator identifies a family struggling with spiritual or religious concerns, one of these trained rabbis is called in to offer support, dispel myths, and alleviate fears, thereby facilitating life-saving organ donations.