Tzedek-Tzedek

Considering the outstandingly generous and charitable nature of the Jewish People, and the espoused centrality of saving human lives ("pikuach nefesh") it is curious that when it comes to donating life-saving organs to dying patients, we Jews are apparently one of the stingiest nations on earth. In Israel , the percentage of people who hold an organ donation card is only 10 percent; in Western countries the rate is 30-40 percent. T he rate of agreement to organ donation is only 45 percent, which is 50 percent lower than the rate in most Western countries. As a result, there are about 1,000 Israelis currently on the "waiting list" for organs, and it is estimated that roughly 10% [100 people!!] of them die annually due to a lack of donations. (Wikipedia). Two landmark Organ Donation laws were passed in Israel in 2008, one defining the moment of death and the mechanism for determining this, and the other permitting limited compensation/incentive to donors wh...