An Overview of Sharsheret’s Programs and Services
For Women Facing Breast Cancer
For Women Living With Advanced Breast Cancer
For Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer
For Family Members and Friends
For Health Care Professionals
For Jewish Community Leaders

A diagnosis of breast cancer can be overwhelming for a woman at any stage of life. For younger women, breast cancer can be more aggressive and result in early menopause, and its grip may extend to dating, fertility, and parenting. Young Jewish women face additional concerns including:

• Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, found in 1 in 40 Jewish women of Ashkenazi descent.
• Religious ritual affected by breast cancer treatment (i.e., wig-wearing and the use of the Mikvah/ritual bath post-surgery or during chemotherapy).
• The role of Jewish spirituality in daily life with cancer and in healing.
• Cultural norms surrounding dating, marriage, and fertility, as well as concerns for privacy.

In response to the needs of the women we serve, Sharsheret now offers the following programs and services:

• The Link Program, a peer support network connecting women newly diagnosed or at high risk of developing breast cancer with others who share similar diagnoses and experiences.  
• Genetics for Life, a program focusing on the issues related to hereditary breast cancer and offering resources, information, and individualized genetic counseling support to Jewish women diagnosed with breast cancer and for those at risk due to their strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer. 
• The Education and Outreach Program, including health care symposia addressing the concerns of Jewish women facing breast cancer. Recent events addressed the subjects of breast cancer and fertility, parenting during breast cancer, breast cancer genetics, and survivorship.  
• Quality of Life Programs, including the Busy Box for young parents facing cancer, Best Face Forward, a program to address the cosmetic side effects of treatment, Empower for single Jewish women facing breast cancer, and Embrace for women living with advanced breast cancer.  
• Sharsheret Booklet Series, designed to raise awareness about issues many Jewish women face in their fight against breast cancer. Booklets in the series include: Facing Breast Cancer as a Jewish Woman, Facing Breast Cancer as an Orthodox Jewish Woman, and Breast Cancer Genetics and the Jewish Woman.  
• Sharsheret Supports, a national model for local support groups offering facilitator training and resources to assist in beginning and sustaining a culturally-sensitive breast cancer support group.
• Health Information about breast health and the genetic risks of breast and ovarian cancer for Jewish women.  
• Resource Information on a wide range of topics for women facing breast cancer and their families, available in print and on our website.  

Education and Outreach Programs

The Education and Outreach Programs include both large- and small-scale efforts to educate patients and their families, health care professionals, and breast cancer organizations about the concerns unique to young women facing breast cancer, as well as the culturally specific needs of young Jewish women. Sharsheret has partnered with other cancer organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation to present breast cancer symposia at major medical centers. Medical symposia offer the opportunity for women facing breast cancer to join together with medical experts to explore the latest information on breast cancer research.

In addition, Sharsheret representatives have addressed audiences at conferences, breast cancer awareness events, and in private homes across the country.  Speakers are available to discuss: breast cancer and the Jewish woman, breast cancer genetics and the Jewish woman, facing breast cancer as a young woman, and shaping culturally sensitive community outreach.

• To view transcripts of Sharsheret's past medical symposia, click here.
• For more information about inviting a Sharsheret speaker to your next conference, please call toll-free (866) 474-2774.

Sharsheret Forum

The Sharsheret Forum is an online, moderated Forum that allows Jewish women facing breast cancer to post and respond to questions and concerns and is designed to accommodate the needs of women who seek privacy in connecting with others who share their diagnosis and lifestyle. Family members and caregivers also benefit from participating in the Forum by sharing strategies with other caregivers who are facing similar challenges and concerns. Forum topics include facing breast cancer as a Jewish woman, dating and relationships through cancer, living with advanced breast cancer, and breast cancer genetics.

To access the Sharsheret Forum, click here.

Bring Sharsheret to Your Office

Share Sharsheret brochures with women and their families who may benefit from Sharsheret’s programs and services.

To request an information packet about Sharsheret, or to order Sharsheret brochures free of charge for display in your office, click here.

Sharsheret Booklet Series

Sharsheret has published a booklet series designed to raise awareness about issues many Jewish women face in their fight against breast cancer.

• Facing Breast Cancer as a Jewish Woman provides culturally-sensitive information about breast cancer and the support available to Jewish women. To view this booklet and to download, click here.
• Facing Breast Cancer as an Orthodox Jewish Woman provides culturally sensitive information about breast cancer and the support available to Orthodox and Hasidic women. To view this booklet, click here.
• Breast Cancer Genetics and the Jewish Woman addresses frequently asked questions about hereditary breast cancer and its impact on the Jewish woman and her family.  To view this booklet, click here.

To learn more about the unique needs of Jewish women facing breast cancer and to order booklets free of charge to share with women who may benefit from these resources, click here.

Resources and Information

Sharsheret maintains a directory of breast cancer resources by subject. To view a list of resources for Jewish women facing breast cancer, click here.

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