This year, Heschel welcomes the Cancer Awareness Club into its repertoire of extracurriculars. Co-founded by juniors Ella Nakum and Adira Kress and advised by Hebrew teacher Ema Horovitz, the Cancer Awareness Club seeks to raise awareness for a topic often seen as taboo, helping students become more involved in the fight against cancer.

“I think it’s extremely important to learn and teach people about [cancer],” Nakum said. “I want to bring awareness to how widespread the disease is and how many types of cancer are in the world.”

Kress added, “I yearned to find a way to spread kindness around a topic that I believe isn’t talked about enough.”

Over the course of the year, the club plans to get its members involved in small acts of Hesed by making bracelets and holiday cards for children in oncology wards, raising funds for research on the disease, and keeping its members informed on current events involving cancer and how to detect it in its early stages.

The Cancer Awareness Club meets on Monday 1s and is always happy to accept new members.