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For cancer patients, the High Holidays can bring some unique challenges
At the height of the pandemic in August 2020, Fran Guzy, a retired schoolteacher living in Oradell, New Jersey, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
A month later, she had a lumpectomy to remove her malignant tumor. Then she underwent chemotherapy, followed by radiation treatments. Between her frequent hospital visits and concerns over catching the coronavirus while immunocompromised, Guzy barely got to see her children and grandchildren in Providence, Rhode Island.
But by Rosh Hashanah 2021, she finally had finished all her treatments, and she went to Providence for the holidays. Because of COVID, prayer services at Temple Emanu-El of Providence were held outdoors, in a tent.
Guzy was ready for that, but she wasn’t emotionally prepared for a particularly unique moment during the service.
“The rabbi asked anyone who had faced a really serious obstacle in their lives that year, and were proud of the fact that they were able to get through it, to please come up to the bimah,” she recalled. “I went up with 20 other people. I don’t know why they were there, but I knew what my reason was. And when I sat down, all of us had tears in our eyes.
“It was such a profound moment for me,” Guzy said. “When you face life-threatening diseases like cancer, you truly embrace God.”
For Jewish women struggling with breast or ovarian cancer, the High Holidays — with their focus on matters of life and death and their traditions of family gatherings — can be an emotionally daunting time.
“Words they’ve chanted for years about who shall live and who shall die suddenly take on a new meaning when women are facing their own mortality,” said Shera Dubitsky, a senior adviser to Sharsheret, the national Jewish nonprofit that focuses on cancer education and support.
The challenges can be both spiritual and logistical. Being surrounded by family can serve as an emotional boost, but it may be difficult when relatives offer unsolicited advice. A woman who treasures hosting family gatherings may be forced to forfeit that role because she’s recovering from surgery or undergoing treatment.
“This is obviously a very important time of year in the Jewish calendar, and it’s both reassuring and difficult for people facing an illness like breast cancer,” said Melissa Rosen, director of training and education at Sharsheret. “It could be as simple as a woman not being able to see family or travel, or that she’s immunocompromised and people can’t visit her.”
For others, attending synagogue services may be too strenuous. “Sitting and standing in shul for so many hours can be difficult,” Rosen said. “And for somebody who’s physically worn down by treatment, that might be impossible.”
Sharsheret offers genetic and mental health counseling, critical education, emergency relief funds and financial subsidies for non-medical services to Jewish women facing breast and ovarian cancer. The organization, whose name is Hebrew for “chain,” has staffers or volunteers in all 50 states, many of whom are cancer survivors themselves.
“We offer programs, resources and services to help women at any stage of their journey — whether it’s free phone counseling, caregiver support or toys to distract the kids,” said Bonnie Beckoff, Sharsheret’s director of support services. “We also have 15 social workers on staff who provide ongoing emotional support from the minute of diagnosis through treatment and surgery.”
For Jewish women struggling with breast or ovarian cancer, the High Holidays can be an emotionally daunting time. (AJ Watt/Getty Images)
For Rosh Hashanah, Sharsheret offers a virtual Tashlich program that combines cancer support with the ritual practice in which Jews symbolically cast their sins into a body of water.
“Last year we talked about how when we throw our breadcrumbs into the water, we’re unburdening ourselves,” Rosen said. “Cancer comes with a lot of burdens, so we ask people to write out on water-soluble paper what things they’d like to leave behind in the coming year. It could be the physical pain, or not being able to devote energy to family, or it could be fear. We encourage them to allow the papers to dissolve in water, so they can see it dissipate.”
This year’s virtual Tashlich is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 22. The event, called “Letting Go of Cancer-Related Trauma During the High Holidays,” also will feature music by community educator and vocalist Marni Loffman.
One theme the group addressed last year was how to pray for forgiveness when at some level cancer patients may feel they’ve been singled out for ill fortune by being diagnosed with cancer.
“Why did this happen to us? How did my body fail me?” Rosen said. “We spoke about dealing with cancer as Jews, though this is universal enough that others could appreciate it as well. Everyone deals with these things differently.”
Guzy contacted Sharsheret for help after her cancer diagnosis and immediately was connected with a social worker whom Guzy said helped her at critical junctures.
“They sent me all kinds of material. Prior to my first chemo session, I got a package with a book of Sudoku puzzles, candies and warm comfy socks. They thought of everything. They made an awful experience so much easier,” Guzy recalled.
With the High Holidays approaching, Guzy said her cancer experience has given her a new perspective.
“I have a new appreciation for life that I don’t think I had before,” Guzy said. “Every night before I go to bed I write down three things that I love and appreciate. I’m also learning Hebrew online in order to understand all the prayers.”
To register for the virtual Tashlich program or to access Sharsheret’s support care and services, you may contact the organization using this form or call 866 474-2774.
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The post For cancer patients, the High Holidays can bring some unique challenges appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Syria’s Sharaa Says Talks With Israel Could Yield Results ‘In Coming Days’
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks at the opening ceremony of the 62nd Damascus International Fair, the first edition held since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, in Damascus, Syria, Aug. 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Wednesday that ongoing negotiations with Israel to reach a security pact could lead to results “in the coming days.”
He told reporters in Damascus the security pact was a “necessity” and that it would need to respect Syria’s airspace and territorial unity and be monitored by the United Nations.
Syria and Israel are in talks to reach an agreement that Damascus hopes will secure a halt to Israeli airstrikes and the withdrawal of Israeli troops who have pushed into southern Syria.
Reuters reported this week that Washington was pressuring Syria to reach a deal before world leaders gather next week for the UN General Assembly in New York.
But Sharaa, in a briefing with journalists including Reuters ahead of his expected trip to New York to attend the meeting, denied the US was putting any pressure on Syria and said instead that it was playing a mediating role.
He said Israel had carried out more than 1,000 strikes on Syria and conducted more than 400 ground incursions since Dec. 8, when the rebel offensive he led toppled former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
Sharaa said Israel’s actions were contradicting the stated American policy of a stable and unified Syria, which he said was “very dangerous.”
He said Damascus was seeking a deal similar to a 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria that created a demilitarized zone between the two countries.
He said Syria sought the withdrawal of Israeli troops but that Israel wanted to remain at strategic locations it seized after Dec. 8, including Mount Hermon. Israeli ministers have publicly said Israel intends to keep control of the sites.
He said if the security pact succeeds, other agreements could be reached. He did not provide details, but said a peace agreement or normalization deal like the US-mediated Abraham Accords, under which several Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel, was not currently on the table.
He also said it was too early to discuss the fate of the Golan Heights because it was “a big deal.”
Reuters reported this week that Israel had ruled out handing back the zone, which Donald Trump unilaterally recognized as Israeli during his first term as US president.
“It’s a difficult case – you have negotiations between a Damascene and a Jew,” Sharaa told reporters, smiling.
SECURITY PACT DERAILED IN JULY
Sharaa also said Syria and Israel had been just “four to five days” away from reaching the basis of a security pact in July, but that developments in the southern province of Sweida had derailed those discussions.
Syrian troops were deployed to Sweida in July to quell fighting between Druze armed factions and Bedouin fighters. But the violence worsened, with Syrian forces accused of execution-style killings and Israel striking southern Syria, the defense ministry in Damascus and near the presidential palace.
Sharaa on Wednesday described the strikes near the presidential palace as “not a message, but a declaration of war,” and said Syria had still refrained from responding militarily to preserve the negotiations.
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Anti-Israel Activists Gear Up to ‘Flood’ UN General Assembly
US Capitol Police and NYPD officers clash with anti-Israel demonstrators, on the day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, July 24, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Anti-Israel groups are planning a wave of raucous protests in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) over the next several days, prompting concerns that the demonstrations could descend into antisemitic rhetoric and intimidation.
A coalition of anti-Israel activists is organizing the protests in and around UN headquarters to coincide with speeches from Middle Eastern leaders and appearances by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The demonstrations are expected to draw large crowds and feature prominent pro-Palestinian voices, some of whom have been criticized for trafficking in antisemitic tropes, in addition to calling for the destruction of Israe.
Organizers of the demonstrations have promoted the coordinated events on social media as an opportunity to pressure world leaders to hold Israel accountable for its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, with some messaging framed in sharply hostile terms.
On Sunday, for example, activists shouted at Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon.
“Zionism is terrorism. All you guys are terrorists committing ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza and Palestine. Shame on you, Zionist animals,” they shouted.
BREAKING: PRO-PALESTINE PROTESTORS CONFRONT “ISRAELI” AMBASSADOR DANNY DANON AT THE UNITED NATIONS
1/5 pic.twitter.com/4G1VYEMGzV
— Within Our Lifetime (@WOLPalestine) September 14, 2025
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), warned on its website that the scale and tone of the planned demonstrations risk crossing the line from political protest into hate speech, arguing that anti-Israel activists are attempting to hijack the UN gathering to spread antisemitism and delegitimize the Jewish state’s right to exist.
Outside the UN last week, masked protesters belonging to the activist group INDECLINE kicked a realistic replica of Netanyahu’s decapitated head as though it were a soccer ball.
US activist group plays soccer with Bibi’s mock decapitated HEAD right outside NYC UN HQ
Peep shot at 00:40
Footage posted by INDECLINE collective just as UN General Assembly about to kick off
‘Following the game, ball was donated to Palestinian Genocide Museum’ pic.twitter.com/TQ84sgZhKr
— RT (@RT_com) September 9, 2025
Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a radical anti-Israel activist group, has vowed to “flood” the UNGA on behalf of the pro-Palestine movement.
WOL, one of the most prolific anti-Israel activist groups, came under immense fire after it organized a protest against an exhibition to honor the victims of the Oct. 7 massacre at the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel. During the event, the group chanted “resistance is justified when people are occupied!” and “Israel, go to hell!”
“We will be there to confront them with the truth: Their silence and inaction enable genocide. The world cannot continue as if Gaza does not exist,” WOL said of its planned demonstrations in New York. “This is the time to make our voices impossible to ignore. Come to New York by any means necessary, to stand, to march, to demand the UN act and end the siege.”
Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), two other anti-Israel organizations that have helped organize widespread demonstrations against the Jewish state during the war in Gaza, also announced they are planning a march from Times Square to the UN headquarters on Friday.
“The time is now for each and every UN member state to uphold their duty under international law: sanction Israel and end the genocide,” the groups said in a statement.
JVP, an organization that purports to fight for “Palestinian liberation,” has positioned itself as a staunch adversary of the Jewish state. The group argued in a 2021 booklet that Jews should not write Hebrew liturgy because hearing the language would be “deeply traumatizing” to Palestinians. JVP has repeatedly defended the Oct. 7 massacre of roughly 1,200 people in southern Israel by Hamas as a justified “resistance.” Chapters of the organization have urged other self-described “progressives” to throw their support behind Hamas and other terrorist groups against Israel
Similarly, PYM, another radical anti-Israel group, has repeatedly defended terrorism and violence against the Jewish state. PYM has organized many anti-Israel protests in the two years following the Oct. 7 attacks in the Jewish state. Recently, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) called for a federal investigation into the organization after Aisha Nizar, one of the group’s leaders, urged supporters to sabotage the US supply chain for the F-35 fighter jet, one of the most advanced US military assets and a critical component of Israel’s defense.
The UN General Assembly has historically been a flashpoint for heated debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Previous gatherings have seen dueling demonstrations outside the Manhattan venue, with pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups both seeking to influence the international spotlight.
While warning about the demonstrations, CAM noted it recently launched a new mobile app, Report It, that allows users worldwide to quickly and securely report antisemitic incidents in real time.
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Nina Davidson Presses Universities to Back Words With Action as Jewish Students Return to Campus Amid Antisemitism Crisis
Nina Davidson on The Algemeiner’s ‘J100’ podcast. Photo: Screenshot
Philanthropist Nina Davidson, who served on the board of Barnard College, has called on universities to pair tough rhetoric on combatting antisemitism with enforcement as Jewish students returned to campuses for the new academic year.
“Years ago, The Algemeiner had published a list ranking the most antisemitic colleges in the country. And number one was Columbia,” Davidson recalled on a recent episode of The Algemeiner‘s “J100” podcast. “As a board member and as someone who was representing the institution, it really upset me … At the board meeting, I brought it up and I said, ‘What are we going to do about this?’”
Host David Cohen, chief executive officer of The Algemeiner, explained he had revisited Davidson’s remarks while she was being honored for her work at The Algemeiner‘s 8th annual J100 gala, held in October 2021, noting their continued relevance.
“It could have been the same speech in 2025,” he said, underscoring how longstanding concerns about campus antisemitism, while having intensified in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, are not new.
Davidson argued that universities already possess the tools to protect students – codes of conduct, time-place-manner rules, and consequences for threats or targeted harassment – but too often fail to apply them evenly. “Statements are not enough,” she said, arguing that institutions need to enforce their rules and set a precedent that there will be consequences for individuals who refuse to follow them.
She also said that stakeholders – alumni, parents, and donors – are reassessing their relationships with schools that, in their view, have not safeguarded Jewish students. While supportive of open debate, Davidson distinguished between protest and intimidation, calling for leadership that protects expression while ensuring campus safety.
The episode surveyed specific pressure points that administrators will face this fall: repeat anti-Israel encampments, disruptions of Jewish programming, and the challenge of distinguishing political speech from conduct that violates university rules. “Unless schools draw those lines now,” Davidson warned, “they’ll be scrambling once the next crisis hits.”
Cohen closed by framing the discussion as a test of institutional credibility, asking whether universities will “turn policy into protection” in real time. Davidson agreed, pointing to students who “need to know the rules aren’t just on paper.”
The full conversation is available on The Algemeiner’s “J100” podcast.