Performances of Hope and Despair: A Case Study of Organ Donation Between a Palestinian and Israeli Jew Amidst War

Abstract

We explore the phenomenon of organ donation between rivals in time of war when a significant gift such as organ donation is given not just to a “stranger” but to a stranger who may be considered an enemy. This is a case study of a unique organ donation event that occurred in Israel during Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021. It involved a Palestinian boy killed by a Jewish policeman and a Jewish man killed by Palestinian youths. Both victims, lacking organ donor cards, had their organs donated by their families with the awareness that recipients could come from the “opposing” group. We ask: (1) How do families from rival groups construct meaning in their decision to donate organs? (2) How do they construct meaning in their experience of loss? The findings reveal that bereaved families imbue their actions with political and religious significance, framing the organ donations as a “universal gift” guided by religious commandments to save lives. While these acts initially transcend cultural and national boundaries, a lack of recognition and gratitude afterward can lead to disillusionment, reinforcing “us” versus “them” boundaries. This study underscores the intricate dynamics in organ donations during political conflict and the pivotal role of religious authorities in shaping perceptions and meaning. Moreover, it highlights the potential for organ donations to foster reconciliation and coexistence amidst conflict, provided mutual recognition in cases where compassion and understanding of loss are prioritized.

Keywords

organ donations bereavement grief religion spirituality cultural competence Operation Guardian of the Walls Israel

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Azuri

Tabak

(2012). The transplant team’s role with regard to establishing contact between an organ recipient and the family of a cadaver organ donor. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21(5–6), 888–896. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03822.x

Azuri

Tarabeih

(2022). Religious worldviews affecting organ donation in Israel. Transplantation Proceedings, 54(8), 2047–2056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.transproceed.2022.08.044

Barak

Leichtentritt

R. D.

(2015). Ideological meaning making after the loss of a child: The case of Israeli bereaved parents. Death Studies, 39(6), 360–368. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2014.958626

Bayertz

(1999). Four uses of “solidarity”. In Solidarity (pp. 3–28). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9245-1

Boas

(2011). Where do human organs come from? Trends of generalized and restricted altruism in organ donations. Social Science & Medicine, 73(9), 1378–1385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.07.028

Boas

(2022). The political economy of organ transplantation: Where do organs come from? Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003288886

Braun

Clarke

(2023). Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be (com)ing a knowing researcher. International Journal of Transgender Health, 24(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2022.2129597

Creswell

J. W.

(2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Sage Publications. https://docs.edtechhub.org/lib/XAH8M47G

Darawshy

N. A. S.

Lev

Weiss-Dagan

(2023). Voicing or silence: Palestinian Israeli and Jewish Israeli social workers’ relationships during political turmoil. The British Journal of Social Work, 54(2), 587–606. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcad219

10.

Derrida

(1992). Given time: I. Counterfeit money (Vol. 1). University of Chicago Press.

11.

Dopelt

Siton

Harrison

Davidovitch

(2022). Revisiting the relationship between altruism and organ donation: Insights from Israel. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(12), Article 7404. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127404

12.

GODT (Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation) . (2021). International report on organ donation and transplantation activities: Executive summary 2020. 2020 International Activities Report. https://www.transplant-observatory.org/2020-international-activities-report/

13.

Korstjens

Moser

(2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 4: Trustworthiness and publishing. The European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 120–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375092

14.

Mauss

(2002). The gift: The form and reason for exchange in archaic societies. Routledge.

15.

Miles

M. B.

Huberman

A. M.

(1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook of new methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

16.

Neimeyer

R. A.

Klass

Dennis

M. R.

(2014). A social constructionist account of grief: Loss and the narration of meaning. Death Studies, 38(6–10), 485–498. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2014.913454

17.

Neimeyer

R. A.

Prigerson

H. G.

Davies

(2002). Mourning and meaning. American Behavioral Scientist, 46(2), 235–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/000276402236676

18.

Oakley

Ashton

(1997). Introduction to the new edition. In The gift relationship: From human blood to social policy by Richard Titmuss: Original edition with new chapters. LSE Books.

19.

Oreg

(2019). Milk donation after losing one’s baby: Adopting a donor identity as a means of coping with loss. Social Science & Medicine, 238, Article 112519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112519

20.

Oreg

(2020). The grief ritual of extracting and donating human milk after perinatal loss. Social Science & Medicine, 265, Article 113312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113312

21.

Oreg

Perez

A. S.

Timor-Shlevin

(2023). So, whose milk was it? … It became all of ours, together”: A relational autoethnographic study of an interactional human milk donation process through bereavement. Death Studies, 47(8), 938–947. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2022.2143936

22.

Raskin

J. D.

Debany

A. E.

(2018). The inescapability of ethics and the impossibility of “anything goes”: A constructivist model of ethical meaning making. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 31(4), 343–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720537.2017.1383954

23.

Saunders

(2012). Altruism or solidarity? The motives for organ donation and two proposals. Bioethics, 26(7), 376–381. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8519.2012.01989.x

24.

Shaw

R. M.

Webb

(2015). Multiple meanings of “gift” and its value for organ donation. Qualitative Health Research, 25(5), 600–611. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732314553853

25.

Stake

R. E.

(1995). The art of case study research. Sage.

26.

Swanborn

(2010). Case study research: What, why and how? Case Study Research, 1–192. https://digital.casalini.it/9781446247921

27.

Terry

Hayfield

Clarke

Braun

(2017). Thematic analysis. The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2, 17–37.

28.

Titmuss

R. M.

(1970). The gift relationship. Allen & Unwin.

29.

Yin

R. K.

(2009). Case study research: Design and methods (Vol. 5). Sage.