7th Annual Sharsheret Cake Wars a Success

Yeshiva University’s 7th annual Sharsheret Cake Wars happened on the night of February 20, 2018. Held on the Wilf campus in Furst Hall, students assembled in their teams of five to eight people ready to decorate cakes while raising money for Sharsheret.

20 teams of students stood by tables with their team, a sheet cake, frosting, and various toppings while they listened to the opening remarks given by Ellen Kleinhaus, Sharsheret’s Director of Campus and Community Engagement, and Goldie Weiser a senior in Stern College, whose mother, Lauryn, helped start Sharsheret in 2001.

Sharsheret is an organization that provides support in many ways to women suffering from breast or ovarian cancer. They connect women all over the country to build a chain and community of support as well as providing kits to help through the process and genetic counseling.

After the speeches were made and the thank yous were given, it was off to the races. The teams were given 45 minutes to decorate their cakes in the theme of unity. The music blared as students began to carve, frost, and sprinkle their hearts out. “It’s pretty incredible the environment here and the spirit that people come in with. It’s so exciting to be a part of,” said Bella Adler a sophomore in Stern College.

Phillip Nagler, a transfer student from Cooper Union, remarked on how much bigger the YU Cake Wars was in comparison to the one held at NYU, which he participated in on the Cooper Union team.  

For the Sharsheret club, this is the biggest and most anticipated event of the year. “It’s great, the teams are great, the energy is great,” said Kleinhaus. When asked what Sharsheret’s goal is with events like Cake Wars she responded, “We’re grateful for all the education and outreach. For us it’s important that the students go home and somehow learn about their family cancer history, keep Sharsheret in the back of their mind, because someday they will need us.”

But Cake Wars accomplishes more than just education and outreach. With a budget of about $2,000, the event raises thousands of dollars each year for Sharsheret. “It’s important for people to know that we’re here on campus, that we have a presence and that there is a way for them to donate through YU,” said Talia Sanieoff, Co-President of the Sharsheret club on campus.  

There was, however, a definite drop in attendance in comparison to past Cake Wars, possibly due to the Maccabees playoff game that occurred at the same time. Many students at Cake Wars could be seen running back and forth between the event and the game. The majority of the attendees were female but “it’s a very nice ratio,” said Yaacov Siev, a junior in Yeshiva College.

The teams used their creativity and all the tools at their disposal to depict the theme of unity and create some colorful, imaginative, and interesting cakes. Many teams formed the pink breast cancer ribbon, others wrote or carved unity into their cake, while some used the Sharsheret merchandise being sold as props for their cake.

At the end of the night the two judges, Daliah Myers from Le Cake Chic and The Kosher Dinner Lady, Rachel Berger, announced the four winning teams: Srambrule, The 7 Layers, Eagles, and the Charitable Chicks. The prize for first and second place was a $50 gift card to 16 Handles while the prize for third and fourth place was a $50 gift card to On The Table, a home goods store in Teaneck.

Photo Credit: Yeshiva University Blog