Dear Colleague,

Host a blood drive – or two – in your shul…

There is currently a crisis-level blood shortage in New York and New Jersey.

A blood drive is a “turn-key” operation; the New York Blood Center Mobile Units provide all materials and labor. The shul has no financial or legal responsibilities. All that is asked of synagogues is to provide space, time, and most importantly to promote the event so that as many people as possible participate.

Synagogues are natural outposts to help provide more of the desperately needed blood. Synagogues represent communities devoted to tzedaka, kedusha and to tikun olam. It is imperative that every synagogue community serve as a leader in collecting this precious, easily gathered life saving fluid.

The Orthodox Union urges you to contact your regional Blood Center to find out how easy and important it is to host a blood drive. In NYC call Barbara Tillis at (646)-812-9057, www.nybloodcenter.org, in Rockland Westchester and the Bronx call Debra Kleinman, 914-784-4632, and in NJ call Donald Bowers, (732) 220-7101. Even if you already conduct one, please consider conducting a second.

Pitch it as a social event, a singles event, a family event imbuing children with an appreciation for the ease and importance of this simple gesture with such monumental results. The New York Blood Center calls it “The Gift of Life.” We urge you to make sure that your congregation is a strong source of this crucial giving!

Sincerely,

Rabbi Mayer Waxman
Director Synagogue Services
Member of the “Gallon Club” for well over a decade

www.ou.org