For many high schoolers in Israel, giving blood is part of life. As such, 372 public high schools around the country took part in a competition to determine which school donates the most blood to the nation’s blood bank. A total of 15,284 units were donated, 2,000 more than in the previous year’s competition.

Taking the first place slot were the students of the Mevo’ot Yam School in Machmoret, in which 90% of students 17 and older gave blood. Second place went to the Shaffirim School in Kibbutz Givat Chaim (89%) and third place to Yeshivat S’dei Yaakov with 88%.

Ministry of Education officials were pleased with the noticeable increase, citing the importance of teaching the nation’s young to donate blood when possible for doing so saves lives.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)