By Tania Shalom Michaelian
Moshe Goldsmith of Teaneck, NJ, never imagined that something he did almost absentmindedly during his Masa Israel Journey gap year would one day help save a life.
Six years ago, while participating in the Aardvark Israel program, he attended an educational event where participants were invited to join the bone-marrow registry run by Gift of Life, an organization dedicated to saving lives through marrow and stem-cell transplants.
The process was simple: a quick cheek swab to collect a saliva sample, which would be entered into a global database in case it matched a patient in need.
“I remember when I did the swab, thinking it would never come to anything; I immediately forgot that I even did it,” he said in a recent interview.
After completing the one-year program, which allowed him to immerse himself in Israeli society, Goldsmith returned to the US. But the experience left such a strong impression that he later decided to make aliyah — a choice that would ultimately prove life-changing for both him and someone else.
Six years later, Goldsmith received a call. By the time the Gift of Life registry managed to reach him — through his mother, after struggling to track down his new number — he was already living in Jerusalem.
“When I realized I could save someone’s life, it was a moment I’ll never forget,” he said.
He had been identified as a match for a 67-year-old woman battling cancer.
“It wasn’t even a question — I immediately said yes,” he said.
“I knew it was the right thing to do, and I would want someone to do the same for me if I were ever in that situation.”
On Jan. 19, 2026, Goldsmith donated stem cells at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. A month later, he said he felt “100%” and had no symptoms.
He hopes his experience will help dispel misconceptions about marrow and stem-cell transplants.
“The day of the donation itself was actually pretty light,” he said. “I had an IV in each arm and sat for about four hours. I walked out of the hospital feeling pretty much back to normal.”
He has no regrets. “I feel that the woman I donated to received the gift of life,” he said. “And I received my own gift — the opportunity to save one.”
During his Masa program, Goldsmith interned at a Jerusalem food bank that prepares and distributes meals for people in need.
“It was an amazing year,” he said. “I loved my internship so much that I saw it as volunteering rather than work. I enjoyed making food and knowing I was doing something meaningful.”
Goldsmith came on aliyah on Oct. 4, 2023 —three days before the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7 changed Israel forever.
“I had so many plans, but after Oct. 7 everything was turned upside down,” he said. “No one had any sense of routine.”
Friends and family urged him to return to the US and a former employer in the US offered him his job back. He declined.
“Not for a single moment did I consider going back,” he said. “It didn’t feel like an option. I had this feeling I could do this.”
Today, Goldsmith lives in Jerusalem with one of his brothers, who is serving in the IDF. All four of his siblings have made aliyah.
He now works as head chef at a Jerusalem restaurant, Mojos. “None of this would have happened if I didn’t have my connection with Israel.”