Flushing, New York – Stem Cell Donor Makes a Siyum at Emotional Reunion with Recipient at Shea Stadium on Jewish Heritage Day

Flushing, New York – Steven Eisenberg of Woodmere celebrated meeting Gary Schnitzer of Metuchen, NJ, to whom he had donated his blood stem cells, by making a siyum on Seder Nezikin of Mishnayot. Mr. Schnitzer, who underwent the transplant at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center on November 7, 2006 in a procedure sponsored by the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation, had never met Mr. Eisenberg who saved his life. Gift of Life arranged the emotional reunion during Jewish Heritage Day celebrations at Shea Stadium on August 24th. The meeting took place in a private suite donated by the Mets as they took on the Houston Astros in an afternoon game, and included visits by mascot Mr. Met and Omar Minaya, Vice President of Baseball Operations & General Manager.

Eisenberg, who carried his Mishanoys rather than the traditional scorecard, made the Siyum between innings of the game. Said Mr. Eisenberg: “Nezikin, is primarily focused on discussing damages. I was blessed with being able to help someone who was ‘damaged’ by leukemia and to honor this moment, I have completed this portion of learning.” All those in attendance, especially Schnitzer and his family, were moved by this special deed that Eisenberg performed in honor of this emotional reunion.
Donor Eisenberg was tested to enter the Gift of Life registry in June, 2004 at the Young Israel of Woodmere. He and his wife Malka have four children. Recipient Gary Schnitzer, 45, and his wife Loren have one son. Schnitzer was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006, and a blood stem cell transplant was necessary in order to save his life.

International regulations dictate that the process of bone marrow donation must be anonymous. Donors and recipients may only meet by mutual agreement at least one year after the transplant. “Getting tested is like buying a lottery ticket… if you’re a match, you both hit the jackpot,” said a joyful Eisenberg at their meeting.

The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation facilitates bone marrow, blood stem cell and cord blood transplants for children and adults suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Since tissue type is inherited, a patient’s best chance of finding a genetic match lies with donors of similar ethnicity. Gift of Life strives to increase the representation of Jewish donors in the registry in order to overcome the devastating effects of the Holocaust, which severed bloodlines.

During the introduction of the donor and recipient, Executive Director Jay Feinberg, himself a 13-year leukemia survivor, announced that Gift of Life has launched an ambitious campaign to register 25,000 new bone marrow and blood stem cell donors during the Yomim Tovim. For more information please visit www.giftoflife.org or to have a testing kit mailed to your home, please call toll-free at 1(800) 9-MARROW.