£50K aid for bone marrow registry

The Ezer Mizion Bone Marrow Registry is to receive a £50,000 boost from a Leeds United Hebrew Congregation fundraiser.

Two Ezer Mizion donor pools were established in the names of two Leeds women, Audrey Manning and Susan Black, whose lives were devoted to helping others

Rabbi Daniel Levy, senior minister at UHC and chairman of the Ezer Mizion dinner committee, said that the women were "outstanding workers who had a great sense of community".

Three years ago the UHC hosted the Sacred Voices concert. The event established four donor pools for Ezer Mizion and raised in excess of £30,000.

In 2008, through the Leeds Jewry Donor Pool, 22-year-old Yaakov Fabian, a Yeshivah student in Israel, donated his stem cells to an unknown recipient. Californian Dr Brian Koffman received them and in 2009 both men had an emotional meeting in New York.

Since being established in Israel in 1998, the Ezer Mizion Bone Marrow Donor Registry has handled thousands of search requests.

Rabbi Levy said: "It was an inspirational evening, full of joy for the lives that have been saved but also tinged with sadness for those that have sadly passed away.

"It is a new form of tzedaka and it's creating a big awareness. Yaakov Fabian provided a big impetus for this event. We were fortunate that the Leeds community was able to celebrate a life."

The gala dinner held at the Queens Hotel attracted some 200 guests.