An emotional meeting took place at noon (Tuesday) at Belinson Hospital between members of the Dee family and the organ transplant recipients who received the organs of the mother Lucy Dee, who was murdered along with her daughters in an attack in the Jordan Valley.
Family members spoke with the patients who received Lucy’s heart, liver, and lung. Lucy’s daughters were given a stethoscope and listened to Lucy’s beating heart.
The Dee family gave life to five patients, a 51-year-old woman received a heart transplant, a 25-year-old man received a liver transplant, and 39- and 58-year-old men received kidney transplants.
The director of Belinson Hospital, Dr. Eran Rothman, opened the meeting and said: “I want to take advantage of the special and emotional situation and express my condolences to the family and thank you for the presence of mind that in these very difficult moments, you did the deed to save a life. Belinson Hospital is the largest transplant center in Israel and we deal with transplants every day, but this event is very special for us, it is no small matter that in such a difficult event you and the whole family were privileged to do this mitzvah of saving other lives, thank you for your spirit and power”.
Kidney transplant recipient Moti Elkebats, 58 years old from Shlomi, married and father of four children, waited over 7 years for a kidney transplant. He told Rabbi Leo Dee: “I’m asking you to come visit my town. Thanks to you, I feel great, this is a different life, today I can walk and my tests are good. I received the notification about the kidney donation on my birthday, after 8 years of waiting for it In memory of Lucy, Rina and Maia, I donated a plaque to the synagogue where I will pray for their souls.”
Rabbi Leo Dee said: “We want to thank you doctors for all your holy work, without you nothing would have been possible. I want to say for everyone – blessed is He did a miracle for me in this place. The Almighty did a miracle for us that from our tragedy we could do a miracle for others, We made the decision about the donation because of the girls’ decision, they are the bosses today. I am amazed at their recovery, we thought we would meet by their hospital beds, not that they would walk in here and sit right next to us.”
Maya, the mother of Daniel, the liver transplant recipient, said: “I have no words to thank you, I read things you said that one should always focus on what is there and not on what is not – so I want to focus on one thing, thank you for bringing the smile back to my son’s face. Every time I see his smile and laughter that I haven’t seen for a long time, I will bless you from the bottom of my heart.”
Dr. Avitar Nesher, director of the Belinson transplant department, commented: “First of all, this is very exciting. Daniel was very sick and if he had not undergone the transplant the situation would have continued to deteriorate, this transplant simply saved his life. In our profession sometimes the tragedy of one family is combined with hope and light for another family. We live it every day, your strengths as a family moved us all so much and we salute you.”

Lital Valencia, the heart transplant recipient, and mother of two sons, who several years ago was diagnosed with heart failure. Over the last months, her condition deteriorated and she needed an urgent transplant. Lital said at the meeting: “I appreciate very much that you saved my life. It is a bit difficult for me with the recovery, but thanks to you, I got a new life. You will always be family to me and I got a part of you.” Prof. Dan Aravat helped the daughters of the late Lucy to listen with a stethoscope to Lucy’s heart beating in Lital’s body.
After Rabbi Dee met Lital he said: “I wasn’t sure how I would feel when I saw Lital, but when I saw her I felt joy, this morning I was in a low place and now I feel uplifted. Thank you, Lital, for bringing us this joy. Part of Lucy lives in you. It’s strange, but I told people – our whole life now is strange.”
Prof. Dan Aravat, head of the cardiothoracic surgery department at Belinson, commented: “Recently Lital’s heart deteriorated and failed as a result of myocardial degeneration, she had a few months left to live, and only thanks to the noble donation of the Dee family, she was able to continue living.”