1. Hakol March April 2013 - Hewlett E. Rockaway Jewish Center
1. Hakol March April 2013 - Hewlett E. Rockaway Jewish Center
1. Hakol March April 2013 - Hewlett E. Rockaway Jewish Center
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social outreach<br />
LAURIE STONE BROFSKY<br />
I recently went for my annual mammography.<br />
I go with a friend who has a<br />
family history and a host of problems,<br />
so I stay inside even after I am done to<br />
be there while she continues to go back<br />
in for more pictures and sonograms.<br />
This time she escaped with no ominous<br />
news. Me, too.<br />
October may be the “official” Breast<br />
Cancer Awareness month, but <strong>March</strong> is<br />
Women’s History month—and women have a history of<br />
getting breast cancer. The month we bring attention to this<br />
is irrelevant; so many of our friends, relatives and neighbors<br />
deal with it each and every day. The Long Island<br />
Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP) undertaken in the<br />
80’s spanned a decade and found that Nassau and Suffolk<br />
Counties had a breast cancer incidence rate (rate of firsttime<br />
diagnosis) approximately 18% higher than the<br />
statewide average. After more than 20 years of follow-up<br />
studies, it seems that Long Island women are still at higher<br />
risk because of a higher incidence of risk factors: having<br />
children at a later age, family history of breast cancer, and<br />
increased alcohol consumption. In fact, affluent suburbs in<br />
the Northeast tend to have the highest rates of all.<br />
And it seems as <strong>Jewish</strong> women on Long Island, there<br />
is a double-whammy, although no epidemiological data<br />
exists right now which can put a number on the amount<br />
of <strong>Jewish</strong> women who have been diagnosed with breast<br />
cancer. It has been documented, however, that 1 in 40<br />
Ashkenazi Jews carries a gene mutation (in the BRCA1<br />
or BRCA2 gene) that increases the risk for both breast<br />
and ovarian cancers; this can be compared to the rate in<br />
the general population of 1 in 345. While no one to date<br />
has precisely tracked these cancers based on religion<br />
and culture, one organization, Sharsheret, has vowed to<br />
change that, giving credence to what we all know.<br />
Yes, we all know <strong>Jewish</strong> women and their families<br />
who are dealing with breast cancer or ovarian cancer at<br />
every stage. Our upcoming Sisterhood Shabbat will help<br />
bring awareness of people and organizations that provide<br />
them with emotional, psychological and physical<br />
support. Our “Pink Shabbat” will also highlight the<br />
only national organization, Sharsheret, that addresses<br />
the unique concerns of <strong>Jewish</strong> women and their families<br />
facing issues related to these cancers.<br />
I was lucky this year. But I know deep in my soul,<br />
that any one of these years, it just might be me.<br />
Statistics from Sharsheret.<br />
BQLI University<br />
Hag Purim!<br />
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 3–9 PM <br />
Topics include:<br />
Sisterhood-Synagogue Relations<br />
Spirituality<br />
Leading a Book Discussion<br />
Craft Project<br />
Yiddish Theater and <strong>Jewish</strong> Music<br />
Plus a catered dinner!<br />
AT MIDWAY JEWISH CENTER, PLAINVIEW<br />
For more info, contact Karen Seltzer at<br />
karens30@aol.com or 516.626.7724 or<br />
Molly Chernofsky at msmolly@optonline.net<br />
or 516.629.6246<br />
Sisterhood would like to<br />
thank all those who helped<br />
pack and deliver Shalach<br />
Manot, as well as those<br />
whose purchases helped<br />
make this a wonderfully<br />
successful fundraiser.<br />
page 14 MARCH/APRIL <strong>2013</strong> www.herjc.org HAKOL
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