A new world record attempt took place in Israel over the weekend, when 1,000 living kidney donors gathered together in Jerusalem.
The moving event was organised by kidney donation charity Matnat Chaim (Gift of Life) to celebrate their 2000th donation – but although there was much to celebrate, a cloud of controversy hovered over proceedings.
Matnat Chaim’s initial application to Guinness World Records (GWR) was rejected on the basis that GWR was not accepting world record submissions from Israel or the Palestinian territories – a policy which had apparently been in place since November 2023.
Speaking at the event on Sunday night, President Isaac Herzog told the audience of altruistic donors: “In the face of... a morally flawed decision, that has thankfully been reversed, you are the decisive answer.”
He added: “This is absolutely a world record. A world record for humanity. A world record for solidarity. And a world record for the deep and full commitment to one another, the selflessness, the deep love of life and of people that is so beautifully embodied in our nation.”
Israel already leads the world in living kidney donations per capita, and Matnat Chaim’s CEO, Sharona Sherman, said the organisation’s goal is for Israel to become the first country in the world with no waiting list for kidney transplants.
Speaking after the event, Judy Singer, vice president of operations and marketing at Matnat Chaim, told The Jerusalem Post: “We are proud that Israel leads the world in altruistic kidney donation and thrilled that Guinness has reconsidered its decision and is now prepared to accept our submission of this historic event as an official world record.”
Explaining the reason for the “temporary pause”, in December last year a spokesperson for GWR told the JC: “We are aware of just how sensitive this is at the moment.
We truly do believe in record-breaking for everyone, everywhere but unfortunately in the current climate, we are not generally processing record applications from the Palestinian Territories or Israel, or where either is given as the attempt location, with the exception of those done in cooperation with a UN humanitarian aid relief agency.
"The policy has been in place since November 2023. However, we are monitoring the situation carefully and the policy is subject to a monthly review. We hope to be in a position to receive new enquiries soon."
Speaking about Sunday night’s event, GWR told the JC: “The attempt is still going through the standard Guinness World Records verification process, so we can’t confirm a result at this stage.”
The current official GWR title in the category ‘largest gathering of organ transplant donors’ saw 410 donors gather in Chicago in 2018.
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