What’s mine is yours

For Renewal, the organization that facilitates life-saving kidney transplants, every kidney donor has a story of courage, generosity, and chesed.

When Jordana Greenfield, the organization’s director of social media and marketing, interviews kidney donors for the organization’s new podcast, Behind the Match, which dropped its first episode last month, she listens to stories of extraordinary acts of kindness and generosity from a variety of people, including parents, grandparents, and young adults.

Through Renewal’s podcast and social media, Ms. Greenfield is able to send those stories far beyond those people directly involved in each transplant. Behind the Match gives a wide range of people the opportunity to hear and see others tell their stories.

What motivates a person to undergo surgery to donate their kidney to someone who may be a stranger? Kidney donors often say it is one of the most important acts of chesed —of kindness — that they can do.

For years, Sarah, a single mother of four, was inspired by Renewal’s mission. She dreamed of donating a kidney. But while her children were young, she couldn’t afford the weeks of recovery, which can be difficult for some donors. Instead, whenever Renewal facilitated a transplant, she donated money in honor of the donor.

Years later, after her children had grown, she finally fulfilled her dream. She donated a kidney.

Then there is the story of David, who donated his kidney several years ago. Donors and recipients don’t usually meet before surgery. But on the morning of David’s operation, he happened to see the man who would become his recipient stepping out of an elevator.

David recognized Gershon immediately.

David and Gerson shared a deep personal history. Years earlier, the man had helped David’s younger sister when she was experiencing her own medical challenges. He had helped many people. Now David had an unexpected opportunity to pay that kindness forward.

These are just two of the stories that have become the heartbeat of Renewal — and the stories Ms. Greenfield is now helping bring to a wider audience.

Ms. Greenfield’s own personal and professional trajectory led her to make aliyah in 2025, and to this position with Renewal.

After nearly three decades living in Passaic and teaching Judaic studies at the Yavneh Academy in Paramus, while raising six children, she decided to fulfill her goal of making aliyah. “I loved teaching students and helping them connect to Hashem and the Torah,” she said.

Her career eventually expanded beyond the classroom. While she lived in Passaic, Ms. Greenfield became associate director for Olami, a Jewish outreach organization, where she continued connecting people to Judaism through holidays, Shabbat, and Jewish traditions.

During that time, she also developed a significant social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, for her brand, called “Drink It In,” where she discussed Torah topics as well as human-interest stories.

Time went by, and her situation changed. “Now that my children are grown and busy with their own lives, I decided that it was finally time to make aliyah,” she said.

Shortly after arriving in Israel, Ms. Greenfield met with administrators from Renewal. It quickly became apparent that her background in education, communication, storytelling, and social media was a natural fit for the organization. Today, she uses those skills as she interviews kidney donors and recipients about their stories.

Since joining Renewal, Ms. Greenfield has helped grow the organization’s Instagram presence to approximately 10,000 followers. And now she is spearheading Renewal’s new podcast, which drops every week and is available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

Renewal, which was founded in 2006, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kidney donors and recipients navigate the transplant process. Support begins well before surgery and continues through recovery. Renewal assists with intake, counseling, and coordination and also can provide practical support for families, including babysitting should it be needed. The organization has become a resource for major transplant centers seeking information and guidance in developing living-donor programs.

But for the people who have gone through the process, Renewal is more than an organization. It is a source of support during what can be an overwhelming and life-changing experience.

For Lydia Isak of Teaneck, the decision to donate her kidney was rooted in a simple Jewish value.

“Renewal is an amazing organization,” Ms. Isak said. “I donated my kidney because it was the biggest mitzvah that I could think of — to save a life. God gave me two healthy kidneys. I only really need one.”

Ms. Isak says the Renewal team stood behind her throughout the process, from her first phone call through testing, surgery, and recovery. “My family was very supportive of this surgery,” she said. “It’s really important for the family to be on board because every recovery from surgery is different and individual.”

Living kidney donors are carefully screened for physical and mental health, to ensure that they are healthy enough to donate. Most living donors are relatives or close acquaintances of their recipients, although an increasing number of people choose to donate to someone they do not know.

Renewal has also seen donors and recipients who fall outside the typical age range, 21 to 70. According to the organization, its oldest donor was 77 and its oldest recipient was 86.

But the numbers tell only part of the story.

For Ms. Greenfield, it is the people behind those numbers who make her work so meaningful. “All these donors are doing wonderful acts of kindness, helping to save lives,” she said. “I’m so proud to be a part of this process.”