Thinking pink
Synagogue’s Sisterhood promotes breast cancer awareness
Temple Beth Orr’s Sisterhood will once again raise breast cancer awareness with its upcoming Pink Week.
Pink Week kicks off on Oct. 8 at TBO, 2151 Riverside Dr. in Coral Springs, with an educational event beginning at 10 a.m. Speakers will be Dr. Fred Kalman, a local hematologist who will discuss the topic “DNA and the new Chemotherapies,” and Tali Amihud from the American Cancer Society who will discuss how money raised will help the community. Bagels and schmears will be supplied by the synagogue’s Brotherhood.
People interested in attending the opening event should RSVP to Judie Goren, coordinator for Pink Week, at judiegfl@hotmail.com.
Goren, an 11-year survivor of breast cancer who started the Sisterhood’s Pink Week almost a decade ago, said, “The goal of Pink Week is to raise awareness that there doesn’t have to be fear of breast cancer.”
“People need to know that although breast cancer is serious, it is curable, and men need to know that as well in order to support their family members who have it. As an 11-year breast cancer survivor, my goal is to educate people.”
Doreen Klein, the Sisterhood’s immediate past president, echoed Goren regarding the educational component of Pink Week.
“By showing the proper advancements in medicine and education, people will see that breast cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence and that there is hope.”
Klein also noted, “Men are sometimes left out of the whole process when someone in their families gets breast cancer so this is good for them to know what is going on.”
The week will also include a pink challah bake on Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. At press time, space is limited to the first 15 people. Contact Bonnie Singer at bsinger@myacc.net to RSVP or more information, including the location of the bake.
The pink challah that is baked will be used for the synagogue’s annual breast cancer awareness “Pink Shabbat” on Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
“Every Friday night we break the bread and say a prayer, so for Pink Shabbat, we make pink challah and we cut it up and give everyone pink bread,” Klein said. “It’s very nice.”
Congregants are encouraged to wear pink to the service, which Goren said draws a full congregation every year.
“It’s very inspiring,” she said. “Everybody who is in the service has been touched by breast cancer, either as a survivor or as a family member of someone who has had breast cancer. Everybody wears pink, including the men.”
Goren said that all of the service’s readings that are not from the prayer book are inspirational readings written by Women of Reform Judaism. She also mentioned there will be all kinds of information available to
the congregants from the following organizations: the American Cancer Society; Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young Jewish women and their families facing breast cancer; and Gilda’s Club, a community organization for people living with cancer.
Visit sharsheret.org for information on other upcoming local Pink Shabbats or breast cancer awareness programs taking place at Jewish institutions throughout South Florida.
The Sisterhood has its Pink Week walk on Oct. 28 when its team, “TBO Sisterhood We’re Pink” walks at Huizenga Park in Fort Lauderdale for the annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” Walk in memory of Sisterhood members who were taken too soon from cancer.
Goren said the team has raised a lot of money for this “inspirational” walk through the years.
“We’re so inspired by the walk,” she said. “How could you not be inspired when thousands of people are walking for the same cause to find a cure for breast cancer?”
Visit makingstrideswalk.org/ browardfl to join the team and walk or donate. Contact Goren for more information on the walk.
Call the synagogue at 954-753-3232 for more information on Pink Week.