Sharsheret To Publish “Facing Breast Cancer as a Jewish Woman”

Sharsheret To Publish “Facing Breast Cancer as a Jewish Woman”

Hackensack, New Jersey (July 26, 2005) — Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young Jewish women facing breast cancer, will publish and distribute 40,000 new booklets entitled “Facing Breast Cancer as a Jewish Woman” with support from The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This booklet is the third publication in Sharsheret’s booklet series, the only culturally sensitive resource available to Jewish women and families facing breast cancer nationwide. “Facing Breast Cancer as a Jewish Woman” will address important topics for Jewish women of all affiliations including spirituality, Jewish holidays, community support, marriage, Mikvah, parenting through breast cancer, fertility, and pregnancy. The booklet will also explore the concerns of working women and single Jewish women facing breast cancer. Sharsheret anticipates releasing the new publication in October, in time for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“Demand for a publication focused on the concerns of Jewish women facing breast cancer has been high,” says Sharsheret Program Director Elana Silber. The initial publications in Sharsheret’s booklet series, “Facing Breast Cancer as an Orthodox Jewish Woman” and “Breast Cancer Genetics and the Jewish Woman,” have already required second printings with more than 10,000 copies distributed nationwide. “Sharsheret is grateful to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for its assistance in distributing this important publication,” says Executive Director Rochelle Shoretz. “The Foundation’s support validates Sharsheret’s culturally sensitive efforts on behalf of Jewish women facing breast cancer, and will ensure that thousands of women and their families will see their own concerns reflected in this important resource booklet.”

As the only breast cancer organization addressing the unique concerns of Jewish women affected by breast cancer, Sharsheret remains committed to providing Jewish women with resources and information tailored to their specific needs. The Sharsheret booklet series was launched with a generous grant from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in September 2004. With two grants from The Greater New York City Affiliate of the Komen Foundation, Sharsheret coordinated an education and support initiative targeting Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish women in the New York metropolitan area, produced breast health information packets, and presented a summer education series of breast health symposia designed to promote breast health awareness in a culturally sensitive manner.

About Sharsheret
Sharsheret is a national not-for-profit organization linking young Jewish women in their fight against breast cancer. Sharsheret (Hebrew for chain) pairs young women facing breast cancer with volunteers who can share their experiences, both personal and medical. Since the organization’s founding in 2001, Sharsheret has received over 5,000 phone calls from those affected by breast cancer, health care professionals, women’s organizations, Jewish organizations, and others interested in learning more about the important services Sharsheret provides nationwide.

Sharsheret has developed three core programs in response to the needs of young Jewish women facing breast cancer: The Link Program, a peer support network connecting young women newly diagnosed or at high risk of developing breast cancer with others who share similar diagnoses and experiences, Education and Outreach Programs, including health care symposia addressing the concerns of young women facing breast cancer, and Quality of Life Programs, including the Busy Box for young parents facing breast cancer and Best Face Forward to address the cosmetic side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

For more information about Sharsheret or the new publication, please call Program Director Elana Silber at (866) 474-2774.