Rochelle Shoretz

July 27, 1972–May 31, 2015

by JWA Staff
Our work to expand the Encyclopedia is ongoing. We are providing this brief biography for Rochelle Shoretz until we are able to commission a full entry.

Rochelle Shoretz, founder of Sharsheret, a community of support for Jews affected by breast cancer.

Courtesy of Sharsheret

Rochelle Shoretz used her own struggle with breast cancer to create a powerful platform and community to support other Jewish women. When Shoretz, a lawyer who had recently clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a mother to two young sons, was first diagnosed with breast cancer, she found few resources within the Jewish community to reflect her experience. Realizing the need for culturally relevant information and support for young Jewish women and their families facing the disease, she founded Sharsheret in 2001. While serving as Executive Director, Shoretz became a national advocate and spokesperson, and served on the Federal Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women. Eventually she built the organization to a point where others could run it, and resumed her law career. When she received a second diagnosis of metastatic cancer in 2009, she rejoined Sharsheret, recommitted herself to breast cancer advocacy, and vowed to live as full a life as she could. She passed away at the age of 42, leaving a poignant legacy of support for other women to combat and survive the disease.

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Rochelle Shoretz." (Viewed on November 23, 2024) <https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/shoretz-rochelle>.