What took place this past month at Hadassah Hospital’s
Department of Neurology was not expected even by the most senior
neurologists. An ALS patient, a chronic disease with no known
cure that causes a slow and painful process of muscular
dystrophy- who was wheelchair-bound and had difficulty speaking
and breathing, underwent an complete turnaround. From being
handicapped and dependent on others for his most basic daily
needs, suddenly Rabbi Rafoel Shmuelevitz stood on his feet, and
returned to teaching at the flagship Mir Yeshiva, which he
heads. The treatment that is responsible, it appears, for the
dramatic improvement in his condition was developed by the
Israeli biotechnology company Brainstorm, and is based on stem
cells. This is the first time that someone who has been treated
with stem cells has regained abilities which were previously
lost. Despite the great caution that is guiding the doctors as
they discuss the rabbi’s condition, it is difficult to ignore
the excitement which surrounds even the most