Michael Zoosman, the co-founder of an advocacy group called L'chaim: Jews Against the Death Penalty, first became involved in the case of Ramiro Gonzales, a man on death row in Texas, after writing a letter to Gonzales last year; something his organization does routinely for inmates with scheduled execution dates. During their correspondence, Zoosman mentioned that a congregant needed a kidney. Although not a match, rather than give up, Gonzales still wanted to be a "Good Samaritan" donor, giving to someone with whom he did not have a connection, something that Zoosman said "demonstrates the inherent humanity of the people that we are seeking to kill."