By Regan Lipes
(AJNews) – In Vayikra it is said: “You shall keep My statutes and My laws, which a person shall do and shall live by them. […] You shall not stand idly by while your neighbor’s blood is shed.”
The value of human life is a fundamental belief in Jewish teaching. Pikuah nefesh, the preservation of life, is so critical within Jewish Law that it allows for the breaking of Shabbos. Some observant medical professionals might even be called upon to perform lifesaving measures during Shabbos with full support of religious authorities. In order to save another’s life, those observing shomer negiah are able to touch the opposite sex, and despite some beliefs to the contrary, within halacha, organ donation is permitted. The saving of lives is so critical within Judaism that many Hasidic communities operate their own emergency response service, Hatzalah (rescue).
A Kidney Swab and Awareness event was held in Edmonton In September.
In 2018 Alberta Jewish News was delighted to share a local success story, that of Rabbi Mendy Blachman of Chabad Lubavitch of Edmonton and Herschel Moster. Since live-donor, Rabbi Blachman and Moster first began sharing their shared story, Edmonton’s local Jewish community has had a bit more familiarity with the real faces attached to halachic organ donation. The two men have an unbreakable bond for life.
This past September, just before the Jewish world welcomed a sweet new year, Edmontonians again paused to consider the tremendous impact of pikuah nefesh. “I honestly had only thought about this in more abstract terms before,” confided local lawyer and forester Craig Rose. “Now I think about it constantly and it’s real and personal.”
Rose, originally from Toronto, has lived and worked in Alberta for over four decades. He built a stunning career here and raised a family. For the last seven years, he has also been battling kidney disease. In January of 2025 he stopped working and now goes three times a week for kidney dialysis. “I was going twice a week for four-hour sessions, but it left me so exhausted and weak I couldn’t do anything, so now I’m going three times for shorter treatments.”
For anyone not familiar with how kidney dialysis works, it might be surprising to know how invasive and intense the procedure is. The patient is hooked up to a machine that extracts and filters their blood before returning it back to their body. This cycle is completed several times during the course of a treatment, and despite the fact that it leaves the body’s blood free of waste and extra fluids that contaminate the kidneys, it also debilitates the patient. This has left Rose, a man who is not only good at his job, but passionate about his work, unable to do what he loves.
“How many mothers out there can say that their son is a forester,” he mused jovially when asked about the position. He explained that growing up in Toronto exposed him to very different kinds of forests, but “coming out here was the best thing that could have happened to me.” In 1995, Rose was admitted to the Bar, and has since synthesized his love of forestry and law.
Jodi Zabludowski, President of the Edmonton section of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada commented; “Craig has always been the one to lift others up – offering his time, his wisdom, and his heart. And now, as he faces the challenge of needing a kidney transplant, he continues to inspire us with courage, resilience, and unwavering positivity.”
Despite being a longtime congregant and community leader at Beth Shalom Synagogue, representation from all the Edmonton shuls were present to on September 14 at Fantasyland Hotel to learn more about kidney donation.
“When our son was preparing to be bar mitzvahed, I was livid when they told me we had to be present for three out of every four Shabbat services. Then, by the time he had his bar mitzvah, I was livid if we ever had to miss a Shabbat service,” he chuckled.
Rose is very much an integral part of shul-life at Beth Shalom, and the greater Jewish community of Edmonton as well. The awareness event in his honour was graciously sponsored by NCJWC Edmonton, and attended by special guests from Renewal Canada. “National Council of Jewish Women has always stood for compassion, justice, and the power of individual action to make a difference,” commented Zabludowski. “One of the most meaningful ways we can live these values is through organ and tissue donation – the ultimate act of chesed, loving- kindness.”
Renewal Canada is a life-giving Jewish organization that works to help connect patients with potential live-donors. “What inspires me most is that Renewal Canada does this with such compassion. Their services are free. Their motivation is kindness. Their work is literally saving lives. A living kidney donation can mean years of health, freedom from dialysis, and a future that once seemed out of reach,” said Zabludowski.
Penny Kravetsky from Renewal Canada joined the event and traveled from Toronto accompanied by a past donor. This gave those in attendance a chance to ask questions about what it was like to undergo the process of kidney donation from first being tested, undergoing the screening process, being matched, donating, and then recovering.
“Judaism teaches pikuah nefesh – that saving a life is the highest of all commandments. By choosing to be an organ donor, we have the chance to give others hope, healing, and a future. NCJW supports this sacred responsibility through education, awareness, and advocacy, encouraging our community to have open conversations about donation and to take the simple step of registering as donors. Each of us carries the ability to change lives,” Zabludowski concluded meaningfully.
According to the Renewal Canada website: “Receiving a diagnosis of irreversible kidney failure can be devastating. That’s where Renewal comes in. We help patients and their families navigate the complex process of kidney transplant, from finding a donor to arranging the transplant and beyond. At the same time, we support donors to make sure their incredible self-sacrifice is as easy as can be and comes at no financial cost to them. Our services are always free of charge to anyone in need.”
The support and care offered to Jewish patients and their families by Renewal Canada is a blessing, and they work cooperatively with local donor registries and hospitals. While Renewal Canada works to find a donor match for Rose, so does Alberta Health, G-d willing, making it more likely to find a compatible match – and soon!
A live-donor transplant is preferable to an organ harvested from a cadaver. According to Renewal Canada: “On average a deceased donor kidney lasts 10 years, whereas a living kidney lasts an average of 15-20 years. As these are just averages, each situation is different. A variety of factors such as overall health and lifestyle of the recipient contribute to the lifespan of the kidney. In some cases, transplanted living donor kidneys have been known to last for many decades. With regard to a deceased donor kidney, there is a significant chance that the kidney won’t work initially, thereby complicating the post-operative care and increasing the chance of complications. Conversely, a living donor kidney works right away in about 95% of cases.”
Nobody is a more passionate supporter of Renewal Canada than Eve Rose, Craig’s determined and loving wife. “What this organization does is incredible, and there really are no words,” she explained with the note of a quiver in her voice. “The generosity and humanity that some people are willing to give is, well, it takes your breath away. To think that someone could be so selfless, so giving, it’s inspiring and humbling.”
The Edmonton community joins together in praying for a match for Craig Rose, but a potential donor could be anywhere in the country. “People are tested but this doesn’t mean that the search is only in that community,” Craig explained. “And so being tested at the event in September, and many people did volunteer to be tested, means that those people could, in theory be paired with someone hundreds of miles away.”
Being tested to be a donor carries no obligation, but the potential to give life to another person cannot be underestimated; it is a monumental gift, and one that Eve Rose expressed she has no words to adequately describe. Rabbi Ari Drelich, who attended the event to blow the shofar in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah, commented that: “It’s inspiring that there are people out there who are ready to give such a gift to a person they may not even know.”
Rabbi Drelich’s sentiments are well taken; when a total stranger can literally give a piece of themselves to give another person a chance at life without the burden of debilitating dialysis visits multiple times a week, this is truly something exceptional. Knowing that such generous individuals exist, should give everyone hope regardless of their own health status. Altruism that can never be repaid is an immeasurable mitzvah, and it is not only the donations themselves, but those who are willing to be tested to consider this act of heroism that trumpet the spirit of tikkun olam.
Renewal Canada was in Edmonton in September for a Kidney Donor and Awareness Swab Drive to focus on Craig and they were also in Richmond BC to raise awareness for Kenny Sanders, and also in Toronto to raise awareness for Colin Silver. Even now, in Winnipeg, Renewal Canada is working to find a live-donor kidney for Mark Kagan, at a Kidney Donor and Awareness Swab Drive on December 9. There were countless more events that took place earlier in the year, and there will no doubt be more in 2026.
With the help of Renewal Canada, members of Jewish communities across Canada, including Alberta’s Craig Rose, or Mark Kagan of Winnipeg, Kenny Sanders of Vancouver and Colin Silver in Toronto, could have their lives given back to them through the chesed of another person with the desire to make a significant contribution to tikkun olam.
Even if someone is uncomfortable with the idea of themselves being a live-donor, they can still do their part to spread the word and promote awareness within their community. Anyone wanting more information about Renewal Canada should visit their website to read testimonies from donors and recipients: https://www.renewalcanada.org/.
Regan is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.
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