Sunday, November 25, 2012

COP: The relentless war on cancer

Nurit Greenger
When we talk about cancer I shudder. Only two years ago I lost my only sister, then 59 years old, to this fatal disease.
I think most of people have encountered a person who either suffered from some form of cancer and eventually died or was lucky enough to fight it, beat it and survive it.
In order for humanity to finally find a cure for cancer it has to dedicated funds for research, so researchers find the so desperately needed cure. And guess who is among the leading nations in the cancer research field!? The state of Israel, it is.
This month, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, in a room soaked in magnificent Autumn colors created by magnificent flower arrays and table cloths, owed to the generosity of Beverly and Bob Cohen, the Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) Los Angeles, held the Women of Action-Sponsoring Research in Action luncheon.

At the presence of Ron Plotkin, ICRF President, ICRF honored Victoria Mann Simms, the president of Simms/Mann Family Foundation, Claude Mann, Executive Vice President of Gifting and Development for the Alfred Mann Foundation for Scientific Research and Dr. Kristi Funk, Founder, the Pink Lotus Breast Center, its motto is: "Let save life."
Among the presenters and speakers there were the humorous emcee actress Lisa Ann Walters, Israel Consul General David Siegal, Beverly Cohen Beverly Hills Four Season Hotel owner and luncheon chair, Myrtle Sitowitz, luncheon co-chair, Donna Ostrower, ICRF Executive Director, Jeannine Sefton, ICRF Women's Division Chair, and Eric Heffler, ICRF National Executive Director.  Lynn Ziman was the Chair of the silent auction.
However the importance of such luncheon is secondary; the relentless and continuous drive of the people who devote their time to ICRF is the focal point of admiration. The funds ICRF collects and puts to work, made and will continue making researchers Nobel Prize winners. And those prize winners and the funds ICRF collect make the world a better place to live.
No matter how the world wants to depict Israel, the Jewish state plays an important role in the world and makes most significant difference in the science and medicine fields. Israel is the eyes and ears of the entire world. To the Jewish nation she gives a sense of security; to the world a sense of hope.
Without Israel there is no Israel Cancer Research Fund or Israel's bonds; without Israel, hit by Tsunami Haiti would have had to wait few days longer for the first rescue teams to arrive and save lives, and the very many organizations, all working under the banner of and for Israel – Jewish and Christians alike - would not exist. After all, they are, collectively, assisting Israel to bring light, wisdom and compassion to our world, which is the Jewish people's actual mission.
Israel Cancer Research Fund is the only nationwide charitable organization in North America solely devoted to supporting cancer research in Israel. Since its establishment in 1975, ICRF has provided more than 1800 grants to outstanding cancer researchers whose laboratories are located in all leading scientific research institutions, universities and hospitals across Israel. You know what to do, your check to ICRF works for humanity: http://www.icrfonline.org/

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