In its mission to harness Israel’s scientific resources in the fight against cancer, The Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) is hosting its 2008 Tower of Hope Gala on December 2, 2008 at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. This year’s honorees are Sadie Jemal-Meyers, a member of the local Sephardic community, Dr. Stanley Rosenfeld, noted radiologist and Eve Wald, a long-time supporter and past chairperson. Benjamin Brafman will be the Master of Ceremonies and gala chairpersons include Harry and Alice Adjmi, Charles and Ariela Ben Dayan, Gloria Kaylie, Dr. Alfred Rosenbaum, Dr. Ayal Rosenbaum, Alisa Sorkin and Neal and Sarah Soss.
Sadie Jamal-Meyers, a native of Brooklyn and a graduate of Parsons School of Design, is currently a successful real estate broker. As a cancer survivor, Sadie became a powerful advocate for cancer research, having served on the board of the Eastern Division of the American Cancer Society. She later became interested in and passionate about the work of ICRF in supporting the scientists in Israel. This past summer, Sadie served as the chairperson of an ICRF benefit held at the home of Alice and Harry Adjmi. More than 400 people came to the event to learn more about the inroads being made in cancer research and the important role of ICRF scientists in the search for a cure. Sadie stands behind ICRF because they firmly believe that the cure for cancer will come from the innovative research being conducted by Israeli scientists.
Honoree Dr. Stanley Rosenfeld has been a clinical diagnostic radiologist for more than 30 years, with a particular interest in mammography, sonography and more recently, breast MRI imaging. He is an assistant professor of radiology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and the American College of Radiology. A resident of Westchester, Dr. Rosenfeld is married with five children. He is proud to be honored by ICRF because he values the mission of ICRF to provide research grants to young scientists and senior researchers at leading academic and biomedical research centers in Israel. The high level of research being done by ICRF-funded scientists has led to the development of many life-saving drugs, including Gleevec, Doxil and Velcade, as well as the discovery of the location and chemical nature of the p53 tumor-suppressor gene and the identification of the molecular structure of the “Philadelphia Chromosome,” the first abnormal chromosome found in leukemia.
Eve Wald, an ICRF trustee and Chairperson Emeritus, first learned about the work of ICRF in the 1980s when she was invited to an informational meeting by a friend. She was interested in cancer research not only because she was married to a physician, but because the disease had claimed so many of her family members. Eve, herself, is a cancer survivor. At the meeting, she heard that many Israeli cancer researchers were leaving Israel to further their careers. “The Israeli Government stopped subsidizing them because the defense budget took so much,” she says.
“ICRF supports the crème de la crème of Israeli scientists,” Eve asserts. “We support very carefully selected brain power in Israel because we want to retain them.”
One Israeli scientist she became particularly intrigued by, more than a decade ago, is Yehudit Bergman, who works at the Hebrew University/Hadassah Medical School. She is a member of the teaching faculty as well as a researcher. In the 1990s, Dr. Bergman became a recipient of an ICRF Project Grant that Eve collected at an ICRF fundraiser. Twelve years later, Dr. Bergman received a coveted ICRF Professorship, which provides a large stipend. Professor-ships represent ICRF’s highest level of funding and are awarded to the most senior, experienced scientists. Two such ICRF-funded scientists, Drs. Hershko and Ciechanover, won the 2004 Nobel Prize for their work!
Founded in 1975, ICRF is the single largest source of private funds for cancer research in Israel. Since its inception, it has awarded 1,688 grants valued at close to $37 million to exceptional scientists at all of Israel’s leading institutions. Just last month, 60 grants were approved for 2008-2009. According to Dr. Yashar Hirshaut, Chairman of ICRF, “Israel has the world’s largest concentration of scientists and physicians but insufficient funds to sponsor all of the vital cancer research projects. With ICRF’s continued support. I believe the cure for cancer will come from Israel’s outstanding scientific community.”
Harriet Elisofon, President of ICRF, reports that ICRF-funded researchers continue to make significant progress in the fight against cancer by developing sophisticated new anticancer drugs, advancing techniques in bone marrow transplantation, and enhancing the understanding of the molecular genetic events that contribute to the development of breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.
To find out more about ICRF and the upcoming Gala, please call the Israel Cancer Research Fund at (212) 969-9800, or visit the ICRF website at www.icrfonline.org and click on “NY” and then “Events.”
