Organ donation raises religious doubts in Israel

JERUSALEM, Nov 9 (Reuters) Tani Goodman was just 17 when he died and his organs were used to save the lives of four people.

It did not occur to his mother Maggie, an Orthodox Jew from Jerusalem, that her religion might get in the way of donating his organs after he was crushed to death by an automatic gate while attending an orientation session at a seminary in 2002.

''Saving a life is the most important thing. You don't have to be a rabbi to see that,'' she said. ''It was the only positive thing that came out of that black day.'' Many people in the Jewish state feel differently, and as a result, the waiting list for organ transplants is a long one.

Although Israel has an advanced health care system and is a world leader in medical advancement, only 260 organ transplants were conducted in 2005. In the United States, about 73 are carried out per day.

''It hurts knowing that even though we have all the technology, there are still people dying every week waiting for organs,'' said Tamar Ashkenazi, director of Israel's National Transplant Center.

One problem is that, while most Israelis are secular Jews, they often identify with religion on issues of death and refuse to donate organs, she said.

Rabbi Daniel Sperber, president of the Institute of Advanced Jewish Studies at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv, said many families refused to allow organs to be removed because the Bible prohibits the desecration of bodies and delay of burial.

However, he said, Jewish law clearly stated that the concept of ''Pikuach Nefesh'', or saving a life, overrode such concerns.

''If the patient was a donor and the family consents, of course taking an organ is allowed,'' he said.

LOWEST PERCENTAGE The Halachic Organ Donation Society, comprising rabbis and doctors from around the world, said on its Web site that Jews had the lowest percentage among ethnic groups worldwide of carrying organ donor cards.

''There remains a widespread misperception in Israel that Jewish law categorically prohibits organ donation,'' the society said.

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