‘Cancer patients and their families need more support over Pesach’ - The Jewish Chronicle

Chai Cancer Care has reported “an increasing need” to support its clients during Pesach.

Heads of the charity, which is currently helping more than 4,500 people affected by cancer across the UK, said the festival period could be particularly stressful for individuals as they navigated changes in family dynamics after a cancer diagnosis. These might include bereavement of a loved one or ongoing treatment.

Some families also faced additional financial strains over the Chag due to price hikes for kosher food, they said.

Victoria Portnoi, CEO of Chai Cancer Care, said: “Pesach is a time of togetherness and tradition, but for many of our clients affected by cancer, it can also be an incredibly painful and challenging period – physically, emotionally, and financially. Rising costs make this already expensive time of year even harder, especially for families where one parent is unable to work due to treatment or bereavement.”

Portnoi said the Seder table, which “should be a place of comfort and connection”, could instead become “a stark reminder of what has changed” and could be “deeply triggering” if a loved one had died from cancer or is undergoing treatment.

Chai CEO Victoria Portnoi (Photo: Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

An additional strain was changing dietary needs, she said, as treatment sometimes altered taste buds and appetite, making it difficult for some to tolerate traditional Pesach foods.

Mother-of-two Siobhan Dansky, 48, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024 and spent last Pesach recovering from surgery.

The rebbetzin of Cranbrook United Synagogue in Ilford, who also works at JFS, spoke about the shift in family dynamics over the chag.

Unlike previous years, where she had always had guests, in 2024, she needed a “Plan B” to get through Pesach and enable her to recover.

She said: “When I had my first surgery a week before Pesach, I created a WhatsApp group of close friends who could help, some emotionally and some practically. I didn’t have to cook for Pesach; everything was taken care of.”

At the same time, not being able to host guests for festival and Shabbat meals for about a year “was hard”.

While she was undergoing chemotherapy, mealtimes would be difficult as the treatment had altered her sense of taste. “Everything tasted awful,” she said.

Rebbetzin Dansky, whose mother, maternal grandmother and two maternal aunts were also diagnosed with breast cancer, said she sought support from Chai over the festival period.

Now in remission, she still sees her “amazing” therapist at one of the Chai centres and continues to visit the charity for massages and reflexology to strengthen her muscles and joints.

Chai Cancer Care (Photo: Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

Portnoi said that Chai supported clients over the chagim and throughout the rest of the year by providing specialist counselling and nutritional guidance, which could help people plan meals that they could tolerate while still observing Passover.

She told the JC: “As a faith-based organisation, our specialists, from counsellors to advisers, understand these challenges within the Jewish community and provide a vital, safe space for clients to turn to during Pesach. Whether it’s bereavement counselling, financial guidance or practical advice, our support ensures that no one has to face these difficulties alone.”

Chai provides 70 services to adults and children, supporting those from three years old up to 99, including both patients and their families.

There are 11 Chai centres across the UK, including the flagship site in north-west London, and Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.

Topics:

Chai Cancer Care

Pesach