Rona Greenberg to Speak at Ner Tamid

No one should have to face HBOC, Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, alone – for more than 15 years, FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) has been the voice of experience, helping women and men cancer survivors, as well as those at high risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

FORCE provides support, education and awareness to help those facing HBOC know their options and make informed decisions. FORCE has recently partnered with The Basser Center for BRCA at The University of Pennsylvania for the purpose of prevention, early detection, treatment and research of the BRCA gene.

Those in attendance will learn about the BRCA genes associated with HBOC and that people of Eastern European Jewish ancestry have a higher risk for these genes. What are the warning signs of HBOC? Did you know that if you test positive for a gene mutation, there are options available for lowering your cancer risk and for detecting cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage?

There will be discussion of the importance of consulting with a genetic counselor before and after genetic testing. The majority of people with a BRCA mutation are unaware of their increased risk for hereditary cancer. Awareness and education are critical to saving lives.

Rona Greenberg has been advocating for high risk Jewish women for over 10 years and currently serves an co-coordinator for North Jersey FORCE. Originally from Springfield, NJ, she has an undergraduate degree from Douglass College and a Master’s Degree from Northeastern University. Rona retired after a career of 40 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the NJ schools and lives at Four Seasons at Great Notch in Woodland Park.

This presentation is a continuation of Temple Ner Tamid’s summer-long series of community members and leaders addressing the community on issues of political, social and religious significance.

The Kabbalat Shabbat service, which will be led by Lisa Korn and Fred Pressman, begins at 6:30 p.m. A light nosh will be offered before the service at 6:00 p.m. Both the service and the presentation/discussion are open to the public.