January 26, 2021 by admin

How Did Your Family Come About? •

There have been many taboos around family-building in the American Jewish community, with secrets surrounding adoption, sperm donation and more. A new collaboration that uses the Jewish Women’s Archive mobile app Story Aperture in cooperation with Hadassah, the Jewish Women’s Zionist Organization of America and Uprooted offers individuals the opportunity to share their stories, however they define family. Women, men and nonbinary participants can record themselves or be interviewed by friends or loved ones. Suggested prompts help guide the conversations.

jwa.org/your-family-building-story

Continue Reading

January 26, 2021 by admin

reConceiving Infertility •

A national information and advocacy campaign to demystify infertility and the inability to conceive also encompasses pregnancy loss, adoption, foster parenting, becoming a single parent by choice, LGBTQ+ family-building, and blended families. Training sessions help women advocate for insurance changes and empower them to speak openly about their pathways to parenthood—or their decision “to live child-free.” The initiative considers the feelings of the entire family, including parents who may never be grandparents and siblings who may never be aunts or uncles. It complements Your Family Building Story.

hadassah.org/advocate/reConceivingInfertility.html

Continue Reading

November 6, 2019 by admin

Information, Support, Restorative Relaxation

❥  Sharsheret is a nonprofit organization created originally for young Jewish women with breast cancer, and now describes itself as “the Jewish breast and ovarian cancer community.” Sharsheret.org has information about testing, diagnosis, counseling and more—including programs and supports for family members. Check out their webinar “What’s Jewish about breast cancer” and blog posts on medicine, science, and personal journeys.

❥ On the Jewish Women’s Archive podcast “Can We Talk” (at jwa.org) you can listen to a conversation on breast cancer as a Jewish legacy.

❥ Most hospital-based cancer centers have strong psychosocial supports available to patients and families.

❥ Hadassah, the largest Jewish and largest women’s organization, is known for its advocacy on a whole range of health issues. They support research and several educational programs focusing on gynecological cancers, including “Celebrate the TaTas,” and an Uplift project featuring—yes—decorated bras. More at Hadassah.org.

❥ Local in-person programs for women living with cancer are now on offer in many locales. For example, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and Breastlink New York jointly offer a health and wellness program which includes lectures and restorative yoga. Plus, an annual complimentary spa day (kosher lunch and all) welcomes cancer survivors, underwritten in part by Meredith Berkman in memory of her mother. Similar JCC cancer programs exist in communities as disparate as Asheville NC, Palo Alto CA, Scotch Plains NJ, Cincinnati OH and Syracuse NY. Check your local Jewish Community Center to discover specialized programs near you.

❥ Our genes don’t tell the whole story. Not ever woman who gets cancer carries a genetic mutation, so your genetic makeup isn’t the only predictor. You already know the importance of early diagnosis. The U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) puts has useful guidelines about screening for breast and cervical cancers.

Continue Reading