Hadassah chapter presents exhibition, auction
Images of breast cancer survivors whose torsos were painted and photographed by local artists and photographers will be revealed for the first time on Dec. 2 in Coral Springs.
That evening, Hadassah Broward Region’s Coral Springs/Parkland B’lev Echad Chapter will present an event called, “Breast Strokes: The Big Reveal Under The Stars” at 7 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive.
The event includes an art exhibition and auction of the images being revealed. The models that got their torsos painted and photographed will provide their impressions to the attendees and there will also be a keynote presentation by Dr. Cheryl Moss-Mellman, chief of clinical breast services at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. At the end of the evening, there will be a candle-lighting ceremony in honor and memory of those who have had breast cancer. The event will include cocktails, canapes and jazz.
The net proceeds for this event will go to breast cancer research at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.
“I’m a breast cancer survivor and as a breast cancer survivor, I know for myself that research is vitally important,” said Marcia Rothstein, a co-chair for the event.
Hadassah Hospital is considered a pioneer in the area of research and treatment of breast cancer. According to Hadassah.org, it has conducted extensive research on the BRCA gene mutation that significantly increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. The website also states that Hadassah discovered at least a 10 times greater frequency of the BRCA mutation among Ashkenazi Jewish women.
“Hadassah Hospital in the past 20 years has done record-breaking research in the BRCA gene, which affects Ashkenazi Jewish women who have a much higher risk of getting breast cancer than the general population,” said Maddy Policzer, a co-chair for the event. “They’ve done research where they’re able to actually detect the BRCA gene much earlier.”
Breast Strokes is a two-part event. The first part is the paint day where the breast cancer survivors got their torsos painted while photographed. The second part is the revelation of these images in the upcoming event.
“We were very fortunate to get 22 models who were willing to be painted and also to get 15 artists who were willing to paint them,” Policzer said. “It was an amazing journey, and I think that everyone who was involved, including the models, artists, photographers, Marcia, myself and the committee, was really touched by this journey.”
Email Breaststrokes 2017@gmail.com for more information, including RSVP and costs. Deadline to RSVP for the event is Nov. 24. Hadassah Broward Region can be reached by calling 954-535-9119.