Invest in your unique Health
10 July 2018
Donations to the Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc are now tax deductible and will help medical professionals in Australia and Israel prevent and treat genetic illnesses. Pictured at an event in support of AFSZ Inc: Prof Martin Delatycki, Dr Michael Bruce, Tamara Bruce, Dr Allan Garfield, Helen Brustman OAM, Prof Agi Bankier OAM.
A revolution is emerging in the diagnosis and provision of modern healthcare.
Increasingly, your unique genetic makeup is considered key to providing personalised targeted medicine to prevent and cure disease.
The Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc is delighted to announce that it is registered for tax deductible donations as a Health Promotion Charity. Donations over $2 to AFSZ Inc are now tax deductible.
And donations to AFSZ Inc are a true investment in your personal health and the health of the Jewish community worldwide.
With 1000 beds, and with over half a million patients per year, doctors at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Centre have a profound understanding of specific genetic challenges facing our community.
This unique knowledge base is set to transform medical diagnoses and treatments across the spectrum of human life.
Geneticist and Deputy Chair of the Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc Professor Agi Bankier OAM says, “The Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek are ideally placed to blend the medical expertise of Shaare Zedek Medical Centre Jerusalem and world class Australian medical professionals to bring improved health outcomes to the Jewish community around the world.”
“This year, we plan to raise funds to purchase a state of the art genetic sequencer for the hospital in Jerusalem. This sequencer will transform Shaare Zedek’s ability to identify and treat genetic diseases.
“It will enable doctors to initiate risk reduction interventions and personalized treatments for individuals with a broad range of genetic illnesses.”
At a recent forum conducted by the Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc, Prof Bankier OAM and Prof Martin Delatycki described the high rate of genetic mutations in the Ashkenazi Jewish community associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Prof Delatycki outlined an Australian research project which will offer genetic testing to 2000 people in Sydney and Melbourne to screen for these genetic mutations.
It was Dr Ephrat Levi Lahad, Director of the Medical Genetics Unit at Shaare Zedek who led the research that discovered that breast and ovarian cancer risks are high in women who carry mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2, even if these women did not have a family history of cancer.
Australian Friends of Shaare Zedek Inc Chairman, Dr Allan Garfield says, “Shaare Zedek is playing a crucial role at the cutting edge of medical innovation and the benefits are felt around the world.
“With the end of the financial year approaching, we urge the Australian community to take advantage of our new tax deductible status and invest in a thriving, well managed institution that is preventing and treating diseases in Jerusalem and our local community.”