‘Eranut’ will launch to empower and educate

October is breast cancer awareness month, and a new national charity, Eranut – Hebrew for “awareness”, is launching in Melbourne on October 29 at 7pm to raise awareness about breast and ovarian cancer in the Australian Jewish community.

The charity, which has DGR status, was co-founded by Sharyn Kolieb and Amy Feiglin with the support of a Dave Grant from the Australian Jewish Funders’ Launchpad 2025.

Eranut is developing a website and plans to run educational sessions for the community.

“People of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry have around a 1 in 40 chance of carrying a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation – about 10 times the rate in the general population,” Kolieb said. “Carriers face a higher lifetime risk of breast, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic and other cancers, and can develop these cancers at a younger age. Eranut seeks to raise awareness about genetic testing and encourages consideration of informed decisions about preventative action that can help save lives.”

Feiglin added, “Sydney’s Wolper Jewish Hospital currently provides free BRCA testing for the Jewish community, but only to residents of NSW. Eranut is developing a fund to help women under 40 outside of NSW who are facing financial hardship cover the costs of BRCA testing, when it is not covered by Medicare. This is important as women under 40 are not eligible for free breast screenings, but women who have a BRCA mutation are advised to begin screenings much earlier.”