THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

Bernstein Foundation continues strong support of Israel with donation to cancer research fund

The Bernstein Family has a long history of activism and philanthropic giving. In the name of Mark and Zita Bernstein, the family committed to funding the imperative cancer research being done by Dr. Aaron Ciechanover M.D., D.Sc this past October 2018. Although Mark has since passed away, The Mark and Zita Bernstein Professorship is a true testament to the legacy of giving that Mark and Zita have now passed on to their three daughters. The commitment of The Bernstein Foundation will fund Dr. Ciechanover’s work for the next six years through our ICRF Toronto Chapter.

The Anson Family support Prof. Efrat Shema working on a cure for Glioblastoma

Howard Anson was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather.  He worked as the CFO for Triple 5 group for nearly 40 years and was very highly regarded in his field. Howard noticed some changes in his ability to interpret simple forms and was a little more anxious than usual about events-mostly at work. Two weeks later Howard’s doctor suggested a CT scan and soon afterwards the diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) seemed likely.

The family were devastated. They recognized that over the years, treatments and outcomes for this terrible disease have not changed much. Howard succumbed to this terrible disease. A few years after Howard passed away, his oldest daughter, Gillian, heard about ICRF when a friend sent her an article about ICRF funded GBM research happening in Israel. The Anson family decided that if they could help change outcomes with cancer research they could do something productive with their pain and grief.

The Anson Family proudly decided to fund Prof. Efrat Shema of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Prof Shema is working on glioblastoma research. Her passion is to understand human genome regulation by the development and application of novel single-molecule-based technologies to visualize the epigenome. The Anson family have also created the Howard Anson Memorial Fund with ICRF Toronto which receives donations in Howard’s memory annually through Gillian’s efforts to fundraise. This research opportunity and the ICRF fund has given the family hope for a brighter future for others. Thank you to the Anson family for believing in Israeli researchers and for being a part of the ICRF family.