NEW YORK — As the final weeks of 2025 approach, the Jewish community and the broader landscape of cancer advocacy are pausing to mark a poignant milestone: the 10th anniversary of the passing of Rochelle Shoretz, the visionary founder of Sharsheret. What began in 2001 as a modest gathering of five women around a dining room table has, nearly a quarter-century later, matured into a global powerhouse of support, serving more than 275,000 individuals annually.
In a heartfelt year-end appeal, Shoretz’s sons, Shlomo and Dovid Mirsky, are calling on the public to carry forward their mother’s mission. Their message is not merely a request for financial support but a testament to the "chain" of life—the literal meaning of the Hebrew word Sharsheret—that their mother forged while battling the very disease she sought to demystify.
Main Facts: The Evolution of a Movement
Sharsheret stands today as the leading national non-profit organization addressing the unique needs of Jewish women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer. The organization’s significance is rooted in the intersection of genetics, culture, and community.
Rochelle Shoretz founded Sharsheret in 2001 after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28. At the time, she was a high-achieving young mother and a former law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Despite her professional success, she found herself isolated by a medical system that often overlooked the specific cultural and religious nuances of the Jewish experience with cancer.
Today, Sharsheret’s reach is staggering. From its headquarters in Teaneck, New Jersey, it has expanded to include regional offices in Florida, California, and Illinois, and a digital footprint that provides resources to families in every state and across several continents. The organization focuses on three primary pillars:
- Individualized Support: Peer-to-peer networking and professional counseling.
- Education: Raising awareness about the high prevalence of BRCA genetic mutations in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.
- Family Resources: Programs like the "Busy Box," designed to help children understand and cope with a parent’s diagnosis.
Chronology: From Diagnosis to a Global "Chain"
The history of Sharsheret is inextricably linked to Rochelle Shoretz’s personal timeline, a journey of defiance against a terminal diagnosis.
- 2001: The Catalyst. At 28, Shoretz was diagnosed with breast cancer. She quickly realized that while medical treatments were available, there was a void in emotional and cultural support. She sought someone who understood the specific anxieties of being a young Jewish mother—questions about hair covering (sheitels) during chemotherapy, navigating Shabbat meals while ill, and the hereditary implications for her children.
- The Meeting with Lauryn Weiser. Shoretz eventually connected with Lauryn Weiser, another young Jewish mother who was slightly further along in her treatment. This connection became the blueprint for Sharsheret’s peer-support model.
- 2001–2010: Rapid Expansion. Sharsheret evolved from a volunteer-led initiative into a professional organization. It began partnering with major medical centers and federal health agencies to highlight the BRCA link.
- 2015: A Profound Loss. After a 14-year battle with the disease, Rochelle Shoretz passed away at the age of 42. Her death sent shockwaves through the advocacy community, but the infrastructure she built ensured the organization’s survival.
- 2015–2025: Scaling the Impact. In the decade since her passing, Sharsheret has tripled its service capacity. It has integrated advanced genetic counseling services and expanded its focus to include ovarian cancer and male-specific BRCA risks.
Supporting Data: The Genetics of the Jewish Community
The necessity of Sharsheret is underscored by sobering biological data. Scientific research has established that individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent have a 1 in 40 chance of carrying a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation. This is more than ten times the rate found in the general population (approximately 1 in 400).
These mutations significantly increase the lifetime risk of developing breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. According to Sharsheret’s internal data and collaborative studies with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- Women with a BRCA mutation have up to a 70-80% lifetime risk of breast cancer.
- The risk of ovarian cancer for these women can reach 40-50%.
- Early intervention and specialized screenings can reduce mortality rates by over 50% in high-risk groups.
By 2025, Sharsheret has utilized this data to advocate for universal screening protocols within the Jewish community, moving the needle from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.
Official Responses: Voices of the Next Generation
For Shlomo and Dovid Mirsky, who were just 3 and 5 years old at the time of their mother’s diagnosis, the organization was a constant presence in their childhood. In their 2025 year-end statement, they reflect on the personal impact of Sharsheret’s programs.
"We were personally served by Sharsheret," the brothers stated. "As young children, receiving Sharsheret’s Busy Box helped distract us from the difficult realities of Mom’s cancer treatments. It turned a time of fear into a time where we felt seen and cared for."
The Mirsky brothers emphasized that the organization has reached heights their mother might only have dreamed of. "It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Mom’s passing. She has missed so many milestones—from graduations to grandchildren. But seeing Sharsheret reach 275,000 people each year is a milestone of its own. What started as five women around our dining room table has turned into an international movement."
Elana Silber, the CEO of Sharsheret, has often remarked that the organization’s strength lies in its ability to remain "hyper-personal" despite its massive scale. "Rochelle’s vision was always about the individual," Silber noted in a recent symposium. "Even as we serve hundreds of thousands, our goal is to make every woman feel like she is the only woman we are talking to."
Implications: The Future of Advocacy and Hereditary Cancer
The success of Sharsheret over the last 25 years offers a blueprint for other specialized health advocacy groups. It demonstrates how cultural competency—understanding the specific dietary, religious, and social needs of a demographic—can lead to better health outcomes and higher patient engagement.
As we look toward 2026 and beyond, several implications emerge:
1. The "Mainstreaming" of Genetic Literacy:
Sharsheret has played a pivotal role in making genetic testing a standard part of Jewish family planning and preventative health. This "normalized" approach to BRCA testing is now being emulated by other ethnic groups with specific genetic predispositions.
2. Continuity of Leadership:
The transition of Sharsheret from a founder-led organization to a professionally managed institution is a case study in non-profit sustainability. By involving her family and building a robust board of directors, Shoretz ensured that her "chain" would not break upon her death.
3. Holistic Family Care:
The "Busy Box" and other family-centric programs have highlighted the necessity of treating the "family as a unit" rather than just the patient. This has influenced hospital palliative care and social work departments nationwide to adopt more child-friendly communication tools.
Conclusion: A Brighter Future
The year-end fundraising campaign launched by Shlomo and Dovid Mirsky is more than a financial drive; it is a renewal of a vow. As the Jewish community prepares for the festival of Chanukah—a holiday celebrating light in the darkness—the Mirsky brothers view their mother’s legacy as a perpetual flame.
"We know that thanks to your generosity, Mom is looking down with pride as we build a healthier and brighter future for the next generation," they wrote.
As Sharsheret enters its next decade, its mission remains anchored in the same principle Rochelle Shoretz identified in 2001: no one should have to navigate the complexities of cancer alone. The "chain" remains unbroken, growing stronger with every family it supports and every life it saves.
To support the Sharsheret year-end campaign and help continue Rochelle Shoretz’s legacy, visit link.Sharsheret.org/EOY.
About the Author
