Passengers on Jet Raise $72,000 for Ailing 4-Year-Old

Passengers aboard an El Al jumbo jet en route to London were so moved by the plight of a critically ill Israeli girl on board that they spontaneously dug into their pockets and came up with $72,000 to help pay for a possible liver transplant that could save her life, an airline spokesman said Thursday.

Contributors during the 4 1/2-hour flight ranged from children who volunteered their pocket money to an anonymous English businessman who wrote a check for $24,000. The collection included cash in various currencies, pledges and additional checks.

Four-year-old Maron Kadosh was taken by ambulance from London’s Heathrow Airport to King’s College Hospital, where she was reported in “stable but very poor” condition.

Maron’s mother, Tova, 29, later told reporters: “It is unbelievable. I cannot find words to thank the people for what they have done. It is a wonderful thing.”

The 450 passengers aboard El Al’s flight from Tel Aviv on Wednesday began passing the hat after learning that the little girl, whose illness has been publicized in Israel, was flying to London for a possible liver transplant.

“It kind of gives me confidence in the human race again,” El Al spokesman Nachman Klieman said.

Maron’s parents were told by doctors a few days ago that she urgently needed a liver transplant. Because such surgery is not available in Israel, arrangements were made with King’s College Hospital in London to admit the child for immediate tests, although her father, Zion, works as a printer and did not have the money for such a costly operation.

A public appeal was launched in Israel to collect $100,000, and Maron’s story appeared in the Hebrew-language newspapers handed out to passengers aboard the Boeing 747 jet.

“Word got around that the young girl was aboard the aircraft with an accompanying doctor and her mother,” Klieman said. “Word just spread.”

Dr. Akiva Fradkin, the pediatrician traveling with Maron, said that the little girl has a “very serious liver condition, and we believe the transplant is the last hope.”

An Israeli bank manager came up with the idea of asking other passengers to contribute, according to Klieman.

‘The Spirit Was Upon Them’

“Passengers just volunteered,” he said. “There were children who gave pocket money. It was spontaneous. We’re talking about Jews and non-Jews alike. Most of them were returning to London, having just celebrated Passover and the Easter holidays, so I think the spirit was upon them.”

Although the unidentified Israeli bank manager was not allowed to approach passengers in the upper, first-class level of the aircraft, an El Al steward passed the word. Klieman said many of the first-class passengers, after learning of the collection effort, walked down to visit the girl and donate.

Alan Gavurin, assistant administrator at King’s College Hospital, told reporters that the cause of Maron’s illness is not yet known, and hospital officials have made no decision yet on whether a liver transplant is appropriate.

A statement issued by the hospital said that the girl was undergoing examinations and tests to determine the exact nature of her liver problem and the best possible course of treatment.