Sharsheret (organization)

Sharsheret is a nonprofit organization with the goal of supporting Jewish women diagnosed with breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Through its work and research efforts, Sharsheret provides healthcare resources, financial assistance, communal support, and educational programs to thousands of women and their families in the United States. Sharsheret has offices in California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and New York.[3] They are headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey.[4] Sharsheret primarily works with young women and Jewish families as Ashkenazi Jews are at higher risk of developing a BRCA gene mutation,[5] but also aids men and women from other backgrounds.[6]

Sharsheret
Motto"Linking Young Jewish Women in Their Fight Against Breast Cancer"
Formation2001
FounderRochelle Lee Shoretz
TypeNon-profit organization
PurposeSocial support
Location
Region served
United States of America
Director of Operations
Elana Silber
Staff
20[1]
Volunteers
6000[2]
Websitehttp://www.sharsheret.org/

History

Rochelle Lee Shoretz founded Sharsheret in November of 2001, when she was 28 years old, after being diagnosed with breast cancer four months earlier.[7] Shoretz had a successful career as a lawyer after attending Columbia Law School and completed a clerkship with US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was also a mother of two and a leader in the Jewish community. She died in 2015 at the age of 42.[8][9]

Shoretz' stated that her own experience with breast cancer was her inspiration for Sharsheret. While undergoing treatment, "she yearned to talk with a young woman like herself, someone with young children who had experienced breast cancer, someone Jewish. After a long search she found Lauryn Weiser". The organization pairs women diagnosed with cancer so as to offer specialized support for members and Shoretz has noted that she feels that "true support needs to be tailored", as support "is not just about cancer and the disease itself, but about your life with cancer".[10]

The Joshua Venture fellowship assisted in the founding of Sharsheret. The fellowship provided resources such as funding and mentoring to select entrepreneurs for two years.[11] Among the first entrepreneurs selected by this program was Rochelle Lee Shoretz, which allowed her to develop Sharsheret.[11]

The organization has an On Campus division and an On Campus Leadership Training to help high school and college students understand the risks associated with breast cancer. Sharsheret is currently on 250 campuses in America, and has 12 national support and education programs.[12] The organization also create awareness programs that include Pink Day, Pink Shabbats, Pink Challah Bakes and more.[13]

Mission

Sharsheret, Hebrew for "chain", is an American not-for-profit intended to support young Jewish women with breast cancer, or have a genetic predisposition to it, and their families. Ashkenazi Jews make up the majority of the Jewish community in the United States and are at a higher risk of developing a BRCA gene mutation,[14] as "1 in 40 women of Ashkenazi descent carry an alteration in what are referred to as the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, compared to 1 in 345 women in the general population."[15][16] Only one in 400 people in the US carry this genetic mutatin; of that amount, women carriers have an 85% chance of developing breast or ovarian cancer.[17]

"Our mission is to offer a community of support to women diagnosed with breast cancer or at increased genetic risk, by fostering culturally-relevant individualized connections with networks of peers, health professionals, and related resources. Since Sharsheret's founding in As of 2001, we have responded to more than 55,000 breast cancer inquiries, involved more than 5,300 peer supporters, and presented over 250 educational programs annually nationwide".[18]

Sharsheret hosts webinars and other public meetings to educate women on the benefits of genetic testing.[16]

Activities and Events

Partnerships

Sharsheret has several national and corporate partnerships with businesses and organizations such as Pfizer, Moishe House, and 23andMe.[19][20] The organization has also partnered with the sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi, which selected Sharsheret as one of its national philanthropies in 2008.[6][21]

Pink Day

Starting in 2010, Sharsheret created Pink Day to raise awareness and show support for breast cancer survivors. On February 13th, people are encouraged to wear pink clothing throughout the day,[7] as observed by many students throughout the country. Jewish student organizations such as Hillel, Chabad, and the Alpha Epsilon Phi Sorority, plan annual events in honor of Pink Day including challah bakes, "Pink Shabbat" and tabling events on campus. In 2018, over 100 schools nationwide participated in Pink Day. The schools used the Pink Day Tool Kits provided by Sharsheret. The kits include programming ideas, educational resources, physical items to display, and breast cancer awareness terminology to use in social media content.[7]

Awards

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has awarded Sharsheret with a five-year, $1.8 million cooperative agreement as of September of 2019, to fund the organization's "LINK Program-Outreach and Education Initiative" that works to provide educational programming and services for women under the age of 45 diagnosed with breast cancer. "In collaboration with the CDC and more than 100 local Sharsheret partners nationwide, we will work to serve more than 150,000 women and caregivers, enhancing the quality of life and reducing the cancer burden for breast cancer survivors, metastatic breast cancer patients and caregivers", said Executive Director Elana Silber in response to the award.[22]

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References
  1. Staff
  2. SHARSHERET CELEBRATES NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK 2016
  3. Grosz, Cindy (1 September 2019). "Sharsheret Supports Cancer Patients and Families with Cindy's Corners". The Times of Israel.
  4. "Pink Challah, Cancer and Self-Care". The Layers Project Magazine. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  5. "Jewish Women and BRCA Gene Mutations". CDC. 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  6. "Sharsheret".
  7. Finkelstein, Yvette (24 January 2019). "Wear Pink on Sharsheret 'Pink Day,' February 13". The Jewish Link.
  8. JTA. "Founder of Jewish breast cancer organization dies at 42". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  9. "Rochelle Shoretz, Sharsheret founder and cancer advocate, is dead at 42 - Diaspora - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  10. Frankel, Rebecca (31 October 2003). "A Chain of Support". Moment. 28: 28 – via ProQuest.
  11. Wertheimer, Jack (13 December 2011). The New Jewish Leaders: Reshaping the American Jewish Landscape. Brandeis University.
  12. "Sharsheret". Amplifier. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  13. Carmona, Sergio. "Organizations partner with Sharsheret to raise breast cancer awareness". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  14. "More Ashkenazi Jews Have Gene Defect that Raises Inherited Breast Cancer Risk". The Oncologist. 1 (5): 335. 1996. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  15. Woldoff, Leisah (26 October 2007). "Racing for a cure" (8). Jewish News of Greater Phoenix.
  16. Webinar on BRCA genetic testing
  17. Moon (28 January 2019). "Community Support Vital in Cancer Battle". Jewish Oregon Life.
  18. "Sharsheret". shareyourshare.org. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  19. "National Partners". Sharsheret. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  20. "Corporate Partnerships". Sharsheret. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  21. Supardi, Briana (March 11, 2019). "BU Students Celebrate Jewish Holiday With Purim Palooza". WICZ. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  22. Goldrich, Lois (October 1, 2010). "Sharsheret, 10 years old, expands its outreach efforts". Jewish Standard. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
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