The Man Who Saved 79,280 Lives: Remembering Dr. Eli Schussheim

A Life Devoted to Saving Lives

A week and a half ago, during a Sheva Brachot celebration for his grandchild, Dr. Eli Schussheim, chairman of the Efrat organization, suffered a stroke. Four days later, he passed away at the age of 80. He is survived by his wife Rachel, five children, and 79,280 children born thanks to his life’s mission of preventing abortions on account of financial hardship.

To this astounding number, one can add the hundreds or even thousands of children whose parents encountered Efrat’s messaging and chose life without formally seeking help.

Dr. Schussheim once explained the turning point in his life:

“When I completed my medical studies in Argentina, I chose to become a surgeon, believing that it offered the greatest opportunity to save lives. But in 1977, I learned that abortion was the leading cause of death in Israel. I decided to dedicate my life, voluntarily, to preventing abortions, while also protecting the health of women considering them. In Israel, around 60,000 abortions take place annually. We are a people who lost 1.5 million children only a few decades ago. Did we come to this land to lose more lives by our own hands? I told myself: if I studied medicine to save lives, this is where I’m most needed.”

His Legacy: Courage, Compassion, and Relentless Effort

Dr. Schussheim’s impact extended far beyond numbers. He inspired a generation of professionals, activists, and thinkers. Dr. Chana Katan recalled:

“Dr. Schussheim taught me to be brave. He sent me to speak publicly on abortion, even when I was still a young doctor. Before one of my first interviews, on national TV, he called me into his office and said: ‘When you go on air, you have a message to deliver. That’s your mission. Don’t let the questions distract you. You’re not there to react. You’re there to share your message. Don’t ever forget that.’ That advice stayed with me for years.”

He was not only a founder and strategist but also a deeply engaged presence in the lives he helped create. He attended brits (circumcisions), treasured photos of the children, and counted them carefully, one by one. Before the era of the Internet, he oversaw the printing and distribution of educational materials. Once the web emerged, he embraced it with surprising fluency, expanding Efrat’s reach far and wide.

Born in Buenos Aires to Holocaust refugees from Poland, Dr. Schussheim immigrated to Israel in 1963 after completing his medical degree. He worked at Shaarei Tzedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem hospitals and served as a Knesset physician from 1967 to 1971. During the Yom Kippur War, he managed a field hospital in the Suez Canal region.

In 1977, he joined Efrat, which had been founded by Herschel Feigenbaum, a Holocaust survivor determined to help replace the millions of Jewish lives lost. Dr. Schussheim quickly became the organization's leader and served as a volunteer for more than 40 years. He continued working as a physician privately to support his family.

His humility was legendary.

“He never flew business class,” said his son-in-law Chaggai Goldschmidt, now Efrat’s CEO. “He rarely agreed to stay in hotels. ‘I’m here to work for Efrat, not to enjoy luxuries,’ he’d say. He preferred staying in donors’ homes and would spend Shabbat running from one synagogue to another, sometimes visiting as many as 15 in one day, to spread Efrat’s message.”

Every Moment Counts

On the final Shabbat of his life, Dr. Schussheim arrived at his daughter and son-in-law’s home for his granddaughter’s Sheva Brachot.

“The moment he put his bags down,” said Goldschmidt, “he opened his laptop and logged into Efrat’s system. We told him, ‘It’s almost Shabbat. It’s a family celebration.’ He replied, ‘I’ll see everyone over Shabbat. For now, I can still do work for Efrat.’ And so he did, right until candle lighting.”

Rabbi Moshe Marciano shared another glimpse into his unrelenting commitment:

“We were trying to schedule a multi-person meeting and couldn’t find a time. Dr. Schussheim casually suggested, ‘Why not meet in my office on Tisha B’Av afternoon?’ I told him, ‘You’re an elderly man and it’s a fast day!’ He replied, ‘I can’t learn Torah that day anyway, and I’ll be in the office, so let’s use the time.’ And so, we held a work meeting on Tisha B’Av.”

Dr. Eli Schussheim left behind more than a legacy. He left behind tens of thousands of lives, thousands of grateful families, and a living example of what one determined person can accomplish. Through courage, selflessness, and unshakable faith in the value of every Jewish soul, he taught us that when the mission is important, the sky is not the limit.