Avraham Elimelech Firer was born in Bnei Brak, the fifth of nine children. His father, a teacher, immigrated from Galicia. He is married to Feige, a kindergarten teacher, with whom he has ten children.
Firer matches sick people with the best hospitals, physicians and treatments available for their conditions, in Israel and abroad. His organization, Ezra Lamarpeh, operates a fleet of ambulances, a special ICU for flying patients abroad, Home Care Network that cares for cancer stricken children and a Video-Conference System for international medical sessions. Firer is an ordained rabbi. According to Harvard Medical School's Dr. Ivo Janko, Firer and his organization provide integrated services unparalleled in the world. The body of judges who awarded the Israel Prize to Firer described his tireless work and the inspiration offered by his "boundless energy, patience, cheerfulness and serenity, which are essential conditions for working with the sick, the elderly and the needy, who more than anything else need emotional support." Ezra LeMarpeh assists anyone who turns to it for help, without discrimination: Jews and non-Jews, religious and secular. Doctors accept Firer's suggestions and referrals, and his office is open for consultation and advice at all hours of the day and night. Firer's work is purely voluntary.
Awards and recognition
In 1997, Rabbi Firer was awarded the Israel Prize, for his special contribution to society and the State of Israel. In 2002, Rabbi Firer was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Weizmann Institute. In 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Haifa. On 10 June 2010, at the Rambam Summit, Prof. Rafi Beyar, Director of Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, honored Rabbi Firer with the Rambam Award 2010. Firer is also the recipient of the Begin Prize.
Controversy
It is controversial for a religious figure to offer an opinion on medical issues and such advice should be taken with great caution. In the end of October, 2019 Rabbi Firer advised a Rambam pediatric patient with bifocal germinoma tumor, who was misdiagnosed with neurosarcoidosis in the Rambam hospital in Haifa contrary to the medical science to stick with the recommended treatment and discard a second radiology opinion from another country which reiterated the correct diagnosis. In two and half months the patient developed life-long diabetes insipidus, blurred vision and extensive stretchmarks, the latter after treatment with high doses of corticosteroids, as the result of the misdiagnosis.
