Rebbetzin Rachel Haber: "Even Before My Husband's Funeral, I Knew I Would Follow in His Path"

Rebbetzin Rachel Haber, who received the Israel Prize this past Independence Day, made it clear in her phone call with the Minister of Education, informing her of her win, to whom the prize truly belongs. "It belongs to our kidney donors; they are the real heroes. I am just honored to represent them," she clarified. "They are the ones who entered the operating room and parted with a part of their body; they are the ones who transferred it to a stranger, all within an incredible wrap of love."

"Dad Passed Away, Gift of Life Continues"

For three years now, the Rebbetzin has been serving as the chairwoman of the "Gift of Life" organization, since her husband's passing. "Even before the funeral, it was clear to me that I was going to continue after him," she recalls. "I told my son then, 'Dad passed away, but 'Gift of Life' will continue to live.' Over 600 transplants have passed under her leadership during this period, included in the over 1400 transplants facilitated by the organization throughout its years of operation. This inspiring achievement has positioned Israel as the world leader in altruistic living kidney donations.

Rabbi Yeshayahu Haber, may his memory be a blessing

However, Haber's contribution to the organization began from the very inception of the idea. "We gave birth to 'Gift of Life' together, only my husband was at the forefront and I in the rear," she explains. "Yeshayahu, may his memory be a blessing, was a kidney transplant recipient himself, and when he left the hospital, he constantly said, 'How can I repay?' Mere expressions of gratitude weren't enough for him; he wanted to express them practically. I, on my part, thought it wasn't reasonable and explained to him that it was impossible to ask people such a thing. Yeshayahu explained to me then that he wouldn't try to convince anyone but would only make the information accessible to the public. He gathered medical, legal, ethical, and social information from all aspects and began to share it."

Where did the confidence for success come from?

"It came from a connection to Hashem, from the belief that a person is led in the path they wish to take. It was clear to him that if Hashem wanted, it would succeed, and if not, somehow, we would retreat from it. It also stemmed from the way Yeshayahu grew up. From childhood, he was a person full of dedication and care, loving everyone like a brother. He also greatly believed in our people, a compassionate and kind-hearted nation, and it was clear to him that there were people to speak to, people who would want to save entire worlds, those waiting for transplants and their families. When I saw his tremendous determination for the matter, I understood that I had to join the mission."

In their first year of activity, the couple celebrated four transplants with great excitement. Fourteen years have passed since then, and in the last year alone, over 200 transplants were facilitated through the organization. "Yeshayahu had someone to rely on," the Rebbetzin says. "He often walked around with tears in his eyes, saying, 'May Hashem rejoice in His works. Master of the Universe, what wonderful children You have!' This is how he pursued the dream of eliminating the transplant waiting list in Israel, with great love for every individual."

"Working in the Organization from Above"

Slipping into her husband's large shoes felt quite natural for Haber. "Almost every visit to the hospital, he would explain things to me and say, 'You should know,' 'You should know.' Only after his passing did I understand what a teacher he had been to me, what a great rabbi who trained me for the task. He himself clarified many halachic issues, which I am not capable of taking on by myself. In general, he was the CEO, the worker, the financial manager, the secretary, and the cleaner all in one. After his passing, we had to divide the work among several people. Today we have a great Torah scholar serving as a halachic authority, along with secretaries and a financial manager; not everything is on me."

What Haber continues to bring with her is a huge heart. The Israel Prize committee noted in its justifications that the Rebbetzin "breathes life and hope into kidney patients. She accompanies the donors, the recipients, and their families throughout the process, until full recovery." Every donor and recipient receives her visit. Almost at every thanksgiving celebration, which, by the way, is usually celebrated by the donor side, she appears to speak. In between, she manages to slip into her busy schedule empowerment talks on donation and giving, all while she is still working as a classroom educator, her regular occupation for 35 years now.

How do you manage to do so much?

"When my husband passed away at 55, one of his friends told me he hadn't passed young, but lived fast. Every moment was important to him, and he accomplished a lot. Sometimes, even I forget to take care of myself in this optimal path I've been blessed with, but Hashem gives me a hand and leads me. The home allows for this, and the school principal has arranged a schedule suited to my measures. The strength of the soul, despite the challenges of widowhood and longing, I draw from every recipient who returns to life. Seeing this resurrection, which is not just of that individual but also of their whole family, that had been bound together with them to the constraints of dialysis, provides my comfort, it gives me the strength to continue and act."

Above all this, the Rebbetzin feels she is accompanied by a wonderful divine assistance. "After the rabbi's passing, when everything was still difficult and murky, I saw what a strong medical support I had from the transplant centers. But mainly, I carry with me the words said to me by one of the rabbis, 'What a person does in this world with all their soul, they continue to do from the hereafter, but even more.' And I feel him with me - helping me, working from the heavens to raise the number of kidney donations to levels no one had imagined. Beyond that, 'Gift of Life' is a place that connects people. There are no divisions here; right or left, religious or secular, Ashkenazi or Sephardi, no rifts or tears. It's a pure and refined place, and everyone here is united, embraced."

Where do you see this embrace?

"Just last Friday, on Nissan 30, the third anniversary of my husband’s passing, I saw a living example of it. About 500 people - donors and recipients, came to his grave out of a sense of gratitude and deep connection they had with him, feeling they had to attend. At the end of the event, as I went to place a stone on the grave, a widowed father, whose wife passed away from kidney disease, and his two sons, our recipients, approached me. The father hesitated for a moment then asked his son with tears 'Can I tell her?' Upon the son’s approval, the father said, 'My son is a Tel Aviv lawyer, his kidney donor is a Breslev Chassid from Modi'in Illit. I have already traveled with this righteous donor to Uman, but that's not all. More significantly, since the moment my son received the kidney, he has been eating only kosher food. No one told him to, but he felt that this kidney, which had received kosher its whole life, should remain as pure as it came to him.' I was very moved to hear this, to see the natural bond that was woven between them, feeling the mutual respect they have for each other despite differences."

The Brightest Room in the Hospital

Rebbetzin Haber sees this connection daily in hospitals. "Most donors are observant, and the recipients - not necessarily. Often, I see a donor telling their recipient 'Until today, your kidney was entrusted to me, now it returns to you.' These people don't just give a kidney, but an unparalleled good feeling. On the other side, people say tearfully: 'Sorry, we were fed by the media, we didn’t know how much good and purity there is among you.' They are exposed to a life of faith, spirituality, and in those moments of truth, the bond that was always there lights up. There are seven transplant centers in Israel, from north to south. I visit them weekly, and each time I leave with tears of emotion from these connections. Connections that are not only in body but also in soul."

The donors, for their part, celebrate the donation moment no less than the recipients. "Last week, I called a kidney donor from Jerusalem to ask for his name to pray for him on the day of the donation," says the Rebbetzin. "He wasn’t home at the time, and his wife, who answered, said he went to the laundromat and barber. I didn’t understand why she was telling me this, so I repeated my request. Realizing I didn’t understand, she explained. She said that before every holiday, her husband takes his suit to the laundromat and goes for a haircut. 'This coming Sunday, he is hospitalized for the transplant, it's a holiday for him, so he’s making the same preparations now.' It’s not just about what donors give, it’s also about 'how'."

The echoes of this special activity are heard beyond. "We had a donor living in Yeruham who donated at Soroka. At night, a nurse entered to take his blood and tried to make her way to him in the dark. He saw her and said she could turn on the light, and her response was: 'In this room, there's no need to turn on the light, it is the brightest room in the hospital.' The joy of giving of these people, out of love for their fellow, is such a deep expression of the verse 'Love your neighbor as yourself'. This is all that Hashem wants from us - 'that you love one another and respect each other.' However, it’s important to remember that even those who cannot donate a kidney can always donate a smile, good advice, a listening ear. Each of these things is also a gift of life."