‘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.”

Both Kolieb and Feiglin are passionate about this cause. Kolieb was treated for breast cancer at 39, and her late mother had ovarian cancer, while Feiglin’s grandmother had ovarian cancer.

The launch will feature mother and daughter Sarah and Mia Singer reflecting back on a breast cancer journey and navigating together a BRCA mutation, as well as psychologist Dr Lesley Stafford discussing genetic testing.

The launch is co-hosted with Australian Jewish Fertility Network (AJFN), Australian Jewish Funders (AJF) and National Council of Jewish Women Australia (Victoria) (NCJWA (Vic)).

NCJWA (Vic) president Anna Serry stated, “As a peak organisation representing Jewish women in Victoria, NCJWA (Vic) is proud to support the launch of Eranut. We know that cancer affects not only individuals, but families and the wider community around them.

“Our breast cancer support group, delivered in partnership with Jewish Care, reflects our commitment to ensuring women are not alone at any point in their cancer journey. Supporting this new organisation is a natural extension of that work helping to build greater awareness of BRCA and hereditary cancer risk, encouraging informed conversations about health, and strengthening the network of support available to Jewish women and their families.”

AJFN CEO Justine Saidman stated, “For AJFN, this is an important conversation because genetic risk can have significant implications for fertility, family planning and reproductive decision-making … AJFN is committed to ensuring that individuals and families navigating fertility challenges have access to information, support and compassionate care, including when fertility intersects with genetic and cancer-related concerns.”

AJF CEO Tracie Olcha added, “This collaboration is precisely the type of partnership the grant was designed to seed. Eranut is addressing an issue that affects many families in our community, and doing so with care and a focus on practical, preventative action.”

For enquiries email sharyn.kolieb@gmail.com. To attend the launch event visit events.humanitix.com/eranut-launch-australian-jewish-breast-and-ovarian-cancer-awareness