On Wednesday, October 29th Ramaz held its annual Pink Day – students wore pink, fundraised for Sharsheret, a Jewish organization which supports women with breast cancer and ovarian cancer, and heard from an inspiring speaker from Sharsheret.
Dr. Block, Director of Chesed and Community Outreach, explained why Ramaz celebrates Pink Day; “In the month of October, we want to pick a day and we call it Pink Day to heighten people’s awareness…not only breast cancer, but how disease and cancer impacts not only the person who is sick with it, but [also] the … family and world around them.” Ramaz takes a day to commemorate and spread awareness of these diseases which affect so many.This year, organizations like the UFT (United Federation of Teachers) and Queens Metropolitan High School posted videos and pictures on Facebook and Instagram raising awareness for breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Throughout the two weeks from October 15th through October 29th, Ramaz spread awareness and raised money for Sharsheret. Irving Feldman ’28, Sophomore GO Vice President, highlighted various initiatives Ramaz led. He explained that Ramaz sold pink smoothies, had a dress down day where all the Ramaz students wore pink, and sold pink kippas in the lobby.
In the past, Ramaz only sold items on Pink Day itself, but this year Dr. Block came up with the idea of selling items for an extended period of time which led to Ramaz making more money to donate; “We were able to raise, I think, it was $2,500 for Sharsheret,” Dr. Block explained. “We partnered with Sharsheret, because Sharsheret is an international organization that supports Jewish women with the information and the medical expertise that very often Jewish women need…we feel that it’s an organization that has a presence in all the hospitals, in all the clinics, so we weren’t just choosing one specific hospital,” she added. By donating to Sharsheret, Ramaz supports both the religious and secular challenges raised by having breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
After the two weeks of showing support, Ramaz Upper School Students heard from Mrs. Kim Kushner, member of the Board of Directors at Sharsheret and an Upper School Parent. She spoke at Ramaz on October 29th about her experience with BRCA, which is prevalent in many Jewish peoples’ lives. As a Ramaz parent, she understands the power Ramaz students have in our NYC community. When asked about what her message to Ramaz students was, she said; “Your [students at Ramaz] voice matters. Your compassion matters. And you have proven that when something matters to you, you change the world. You can do the same here – simply by knowing, sharing, and checking in on the people you love.” Mrs. Kushner highlighted the importance of helping people who are struggling through action and by showing up for them.
Natalie Safdieh ’28, described her experience selling smoothies for Pink Day; “It made me feel amazing because just a small thing goes a long way!”
