On Tuesday, February 19, Rabbi Murray Sragow of Teaneck donated a kidney through the Renewal organization to a father of four. A few weeks later,�
on Tuesday, March 5, Robert Miller of Englewood was the recipient of a kidney through Renewal from an anonymous donor. Both procedures took place at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, whose medical and nursing staff provided both the donors and recipients with smooth, seamless and successful procedures.
Behind these two life-changing events stands an organization well-known to the Teaneck, Englewood and surrounding communities. Founded in 2006 by Mendy Reiner, who currently serves as the chairman of the board, and under the daily directorship of Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Renewal is a grassroots organization established from within the chasidic community. The majority of its donors still come from within the chasidic and ultra-Orthodox community, though the recipients span the range of the community. In 2006, two lives were saved through the efforts of Renewal; in 2007 the number rose to five. In 2018, Renewal was responsible for facilitating 98 “altruistic” kidney donations.
Renewal serves as a “comprehensive resource for kidney donors and recipients.” Director of outreach Rabbi Josh Sturm outlined the function of Renewal within the process of kidney donation. When potential recipients come forward, they are helped by Renewal to market themselves in the hope of becoming eligible for a kidney. Donors are screened extensively, both physically and psychologically. Renewal assists the recipients in their search for the best possible physicians in the field of nephrology and transplants. The best hospitals in the field are designated as partners by Renewal. To date, these include Montefiore, Cornell, NYU, Columbia and North Shore. A comprehensive guide through the donation process was created by Renewal that serves as a step-by-step manual for the patient and his/her family.
Most importantly, Renewal accompanies the donor throughout the entire transplant, from the first day of testing to the morning of the transplant. Donors are provided with transportation to the hospital and Renewal volunteers remain with the donor overnight to assure a comfortable process. After a donor is released from the hospital, Renewal sends the donor to convalesce if needed and helps make the recuperation as tolerable as possible. Renewal believes that there should be no financial outlay on the part of the donor and thus defrays the cost of lost wages, transportation and convalescence for its donors.
Renewal has had a tremendous impact in the Bergen County community. Almost 2½ years ago, Rabbi Yosef Adler, rav of Congregation Rinat Yisrael, hosted a huge seudat hodaya, meal of thanksgiving, for the entire community after he himself was gifted with a kidney from his son Tzvi. Project Renewal, which oversaw the entire procedure, collaborated in the dinner by paying tribute to 12 local donors and by featuring the first encounter between a donor and recipient. In addition, the close to 1,000 participants were invited to be swabbed as potential donors. The results were that of the 90 people tested that evening, 30 were designated a possible donors. Of those 30, 16 were final candidates, including a chasidish couple from an outlying community who came to see the reuniting of the donor and recipient.
Among those swabbed that evening was Rabbi Murray Sragow, 54, a member of Congregation Rinat Yisrael, who came to pay tribute to his rav. Years before, Sragow had been swabbed for stem cells by Gift of Life and had come close to donating. When Renewal called last summer, Sragow was delighted but because of time constraints his opportunity to donate a kidney only came to be on February 19. In a procedure that he calls “seamless, calm and delicate,” Sragow donated on a Tuesday and was back at the helm of his history classes at MTA, where he also serves as the director of college guidance, the following Wednesday. He missed only two days of instruction and was feeling fine but just a bit tired. The administration at MTA was most cooperative as he regained his strength.
Sragow shared, “I feel that I have gained more from my donation than my recipient because with the help of Renewal I was able to fulfill the mitzvah of hatzalat nefashot, the saving of lives. At every point in the process Renewal did the heavy lifting, from recruiting me, to finding my match, all while accompanying me through every step. All along I was deluged with presents and made to feel special.”
Sragow and his recipient were due to meet last week for the first time at a Renewal dinner. However, their meeting will be postponed a bit at the request of the recipient.
Robert Miller lives in Englewood with his wife, Sara Lee Kessler. In 1999, through being tested by the National Bone Marrow Registry, Miller saved the life of 25-year-old Matthew Paul, then in a coma. On a trip to Chicago 19 years ago, Miller met up with Paul, now married and a father, in an emotional reunion. The two families have remained in contact.
Miller began his search for a kidney 15 months ago. Renewal took up the search six months ago. On Erev Yom Kippur of 2018, Rabbi Poupko of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood approached the community with a request for a donor for Miller, which resulted in a strong response. Unfortunately, four potential donors were identified and then quickly disqualified. Through the extensive search of Renewal, a fifth donor was located and the donation was scheduled for March 5 at Montefiore Hospital.
The procedure went smoothly and Miller is recuperating quickly. Miller pays tribute to the caring and competent attention he received from his doctors and the nursing staff at Montefiore and the constant attention to his every need by Renewal. A highlight of the experience was the morning before the surgery when Miller, his son and Dr. Greenstein, the nephrologist involved in the procedure, davened Shacharit together and included a misheberach for the donor. To date, Miller’s donor requests to remain anonymous, which heightens his donation to the highest level of chesed.
For more information about the work of Renewal, visit www.renewal.org or contact [email protected].
By Pearl Markovitz
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