According to a 2001 assessment of the needs of young women who develop breast cancer, “young women need to be able to see and talk to young survivors in order to believe it’s possible to survive breast cancer and they are not alone.” Information provided to young women “should be targeted; women need to perceive information as personally relevant to women in their age group and culture.”
The concerns of pre-menopausal women facing breast cancer are unique. Young women are dating, marrying, having children, and raising children. Their cancers tend to be more aggressive, may result in early menopause, and are associated with higher mortality rates, yet breast-cancer research studies often fail to include pre-menopausal women. Young Jewish women face additional concerns, including the increased genetic risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer in families of Ashkenazic/Eastern European descent (1 in 40 Jews carries a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene that can trigger these cancers), the role of Jewish spirituality in daily life with cancer and in healing, and cultural norms surrounding dating, marriage, and fertility.
Founded in 2001, Sharsheret is a national not-for-profit organization supporting young Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer. Its 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.
For the sixth consecutive year, Sharsheret has been named one of the nation’s 50 most innovative Jewish nonprofits in “Slingshot,” a resource guide for Jewish innovation used by philanthropists, volunteers, not-for-profit executives, and programming executives to identify trailblazing organizations grappling with concerns in Jewish life.
This year, Sharsheret was also one of seven organizations to receive a capacity-building grant from the Slingshot Fund. Inspired five years ago by “Slingshot,” a group of next-generation philanthropists launched the Slingshot Fund, a collective giving mechanism to support innovative Jewish life. The Slingshot Fund has contributed more than $1.8 million to innovate Jewish not-for-profits.
“The Slingshot guide makes a statement to the Jewish community and beyond that next-generation funders embrace change, innovation, and evaluation when meeting the needs of our community,” said Slingshot’s chairman, Jonathan Raiffe. “Slingshot promotes organizations that hold themselves accountable to all their stakeholders and up to the same scrutiny as for-profit organizations, while pushing the boundaries of how to solve the most pressing issues. Slingshot is about making a statement as to what we believe are the greatest needs and what organizations are doing the best job to fulfill those needs. Organizations that receive grants from Slingshot clearly identify an unmet need and offer proven models and solutions that can have a far-reaching impact.”
Sharsheret was selected for this list and as a grant recipient for its innovation in providing culturally relevant support to young Jewish women and families, of all backgrounds, facing breast cancer and ovarian cancer—at every stage—before, during, and after diagnosis. Sharsheret enables women and families to connect to their Jewish community in the way that feels most comfortable, taking into consideration their stage of life, diagnosis, or treatment, as well as their connection to Judaism.
Sharsheret provides educational resources, offers support to those at high risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer, and creates programs for women and families to improve their quality of life. “By educating the next generation of women and their families about breast cancer and ovarian cancer, Sharsheret empowers the Jewish community,” said Elana Silber, director of operations. “We send the message that breast cancer and ovarian cancer are diseases that affect the entire Jewish family—our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters—and we provide invaluable support to Jewish women and families nationwide.”
Since its founding in 2001, Sharsheret has responded to more than 24,000 breast-cancer inquiries, involved more than 1,400 peer supporters, and presented over 200 educational programs nationwide. Sharsheret now offers a continuum of care for the Jewish community—addressing the needs of those who are concerned about the risk of breast cancer in their family, those who have been diagnosed with the disease and are undergoing treatment, and those who face issues of survivorship or recurrence.
Over the past decade, Sharsheret has developed 11 national programs, including the Peer Support Network, connecting women newly diagnosed or at risk of developing breast cancer one-on-one with others who share similar diagnoses and experiences; Embrace, supporting women living with advanced breast cancer; Genetics for Life, addressing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer; and the Ovarian Cancer Program, providing tailored resources and support for young Jewish women and families facing ovarian cancer.
Sharsheret has been awarded a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to launch “Thriving Again: Life after Breast Cancer for Young Jewish Women,” a new program providing culturally relevant clinical support and educational resources for young Jewish breast-cancer survivors and their families. First-year funding for the program will total $305,049, and the program will be fully funded by the CDC.
As part of a broader effort to support breast-cancer awareness in young women, Sharsheret will develop tailored programming that addresses life after breast cancer for young survivors, including the impact on career, relationships, reproduction, health and wellness, finances, and the increased risk of breast cancer and other related cancers in Jewish families. Although the program will target young Jewish breast-cancer survivors, the program and resources created will be adaptable for other cultural and ethnic groups at increased hereditary risk of breast cancer and other cancers.
“We are honored to have been selected by the CDC to launch this critical survivorship program,” said Sharsheret’s founder and executive director, Rochelle Shoretz, herself a two-time breast-cancer survivor, diagnosed at age 28. “As more young Jewish women live beyond a breast-cancer diagnosis, the Thriving Again program, made possible with CDC’s support, will enhance the quality of life for thousands. Sharsheret’s expertise in serving young women and Jewish women has been recognized in a federal platform that will enable us to develop core programming to benefit not only the women in our community, but the larger community of young breast-cancer survivors nationwide.”
For further information please visit www.sharsheret.org.