Recent studies have shown that, despite the surgeon general’s warnings, and despite billions of dollars in ad campaigns, young teens and adults are lighting up in large numbers, especially in the Orthodox Jewish community.
As a result of a recent Cancer Awareness Project initiated by volunteers of RCCS, calls have been coming in to the RCCS office begging for help in getting children and spouses to quit… before it is too late.
In response to this alarming trend, as well as the ever-growing numbers of RCCS cancer patients seeking insurance help, the RCCS Flatbush sub-committee has arranged for a booth from a local hospital at the upcoming Flatbush / Crown Heights Barbecue to help people understand the importance of early screening as well as to the dangers of smoking. They will also give concrete advice on how to stop smoking.
The Flatbush / Crown Heights RCCS (Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society) barbecue, will grace East 22nd Street and Avenue I, in front of the home of Pinny & Yaffa Rand, this coming August 10 at 6:30PM, and will benefit the scores of cancer-stricken patients in the Flatbush and Crown Heights community, as well as generate public awareness and hands on advice on smoking cessation.
The Flatbush RCCS BBQ has gained the reputation as being the largest and, arguably, most exciting barbecue on the community calendar. Delicious entrees, mouth-watering accoutrements, and exciting raffle prizes and entertainment combine for an evening of chessed and inspiration.
This year the Crown Heights community has joined the event.
As in past years, Nachum Segal of The Nachum Segal Show will broadcast his evening show live from the event.
The Flatbush Division of RCCS is dedicated to the memory of H’Yalda Tzipora Faiga Gelb, a”h and the BBQ is produced in her honor. The Rubashkin Family Crown Heights Division of RCCS is co-hosting this year’s event L’zechus R’ Sholom Mordechai Halevi Ben Rivka Rubashkin
This evening is dedicated in memory of Breindel (Bella) Bas Moishe Yaakov Halevi Weiss a”h.
Each year, RCCS saves the lives of hundreds of cancer-stricken patients in need by subsidizing their health insurance premiums, thus providing them access to the best possible medical care. Today, RCCS subsidizes insurance policies for hundreds of cancer-stricken patients each year, and provides their families with insurance advocacy, social services, and medical direction.
Make sure to mark off August 10, 2010 on your calendar and help those who need your help in the most extreme form. For more information, call 718 722 2002.
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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8 Responses
Its funny this came out today. i so happens to be i just quit for good this time.
This is good news. Shorter life expectancies will improve the financial stability of social security and medicaid. From an economic perspective, the government should encourage people to engage in behaviors that result in their death in late middle age (after they have contributed to social security, but before they collect benefits).
Moderator -could you please send akcc my email address. I would like to know how he/she was able to accomplish this amazing feat? I am almost desperate to quit without success. Thanks.
Isn’t it also dedicated to the memory of Mr. Rand’s mother Chedva Fraidel Bas Avrahom Dovid?
I don’t smoke. I never have. I also don’t see why people are so obsessed with trying to control other people’s personal choices. Is smoking healthy? I guess not, although I don’t believe 100% of the hype that smoking is the absolute worst thing to a persons health. Eating the wrong ways and being overweight seems much more responsible for the vast majority of illnesses and lack of well being than smoking. Being overweight and eating wrong directly causes heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, shortness of breath, diabetes, depression, lack of overall mobility, cancers, etc, etc. I don’t see people giving dirty looks to overweight folks who drink sugary drinks, eat white flour and indulge in other unhealthy eating practices. Why all the fuss over smoking? Because smoking is taboo and unforgivable due to mass media while eating constantly like a pig which is clearly more responsible than smoking ever was for sicknesses and death has enjoyed a free ride.
When I look at people I know all my life that get cancer or other sicknesses that they have to take medications for life, all I see are mostly non smokers that are suffering. Think of all the people you know of that suffer from cancer and other sicknesses. Are they or were they all smokers? It’s like smoking gets all the blame for everything which is not fair to the smokers who need to smoke to help alleviate stress and ironically usually practice much better healthy habits than most non smokers due to the fact that they feel the need to overcompensate for the guilt they have of smoking.
People in general have simply lost their ability to think independently with an open mind. Most people have become slaves to everything they hear and that’s all they can believe in. Then we the people, must make it our business to try to perfect the world with our vision of exactly how everyone else must live their lives.
re: #5:
While there are many destructive behaviors one could engage in, smoking stands out high above all of them.
For instance, sugar is not poison. White-bread is not poison. However, the many carcinogens and other toxic substances in cigarettes *are* poison, as noted by the Surgeon General and countless others.
It is absurd to even compare the cigarettes to food.
But there is another reason that smoking is far worse than the others you mentioned, and that is: smoking also is harmful to those around the smoker (whereas over-eating affects only the eater).
It is particularly for this second reason that smoking is, and should be, such an issue of both public and private policy, unlike any other destructive behavior one might personally engage in.
It also goes against the moral fabric of this country, and of any decent human being, to allow someone to belch poisons at an unwitting and unwilling bystander (or child at home). Just yesterday, I saw a pregnant mother smoking. Do you think her fetus will appreciate that? It should be criminal to do so.
Perhaps our yeshiva children wouldn’t start smoking at young ages if their rabbis didn’t smoke.
#6,
It all depends on how you define “poison”. If you consistently overindulge in sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour, fried foods etc, your body won’t react any differently than if you took in a daily dose of a carcinogen or other technically defined type of poison. you would be exactly as sick & crippled, no less.
As far as your other point goes; you say “Over eating affects only the eater”. Try telling that to the close family members of people that died or suffered heart attacks, strokes or cancers due to living a life of eating without responsibilities and carrying around excess weight. The burdens that these people impose on their wives, children and other loved ones is horrible also financially as they are unable to make a living as easily in many cases and they also are prone to having a horrible demeanor due to their lack of well being.
What goes against the real moral fabric of society of any normal country is when people rise up against others and demand they do as we insist or else. If someone wants to smoke that should be his own personal choice and decision. Certainly politeness is important and he shouldn’t disturb anyone around him, but to use words like he’s belching poisons on unwitting bystanders is a sign you harbor hatred towards smokers. Do you feel as strongly against someone driving a car and the exhaust fumes come out near unwitting pedestrians? Just the other day, I saw a pregnant woman waiting for the bus and the bus expelled a black cloud of exhaust fumes at her that was most likely more toxic than 100 cigarettes could be.