by Lilly Gelman   The best gift I ever received was a leather bound journal from my brother. He brought it back from his trip to Rome and gave it to me towards the end of my gap year in Israel. I had recently begun keeping a journal after high school graduation, diligently recording the

Not to use another holiday pun, but tis’ the season- you know what I mean. Thanksgiving rolls in and we begin the mad holiday rush leading up to Chanukah. Everyone has his or her own traditions, recipes and checklists to work through. And of course, these are going to vary by what age group you

Melanie W. Hardy, MS, MS, LCGC   As a genetic counselor, it’s very common to get confused looks from people when I try to describe to them what I do for a living.  At JScreen, genetic counselors are a vital part of the carrier screening process to help ensure accurate, appropriate testing for program participants. 

  What is genetic screening?  There are many types of genetic testing. Some tests might tell you if you are a carrier of disease, which means you won’t actually have the disease, but you can pass it on to a child. Other test results might predict you will develop a disease or tell you you’re

by Hailey Goldberg   This Rosh Hashanah, many of us will make a commitment to live a better life. With recent events such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma striking families throughout the South and the Caribbean this past month, it is important to focus not only on bettering ourselves this New Year, but also

by Ben Suster   My decision to get screened by JScreen was a simple one to make. The instant I heard a representative from JScreen speak at the 2016 Chabad JLI Retreat, the decision was practically made for me. I have a Bachelor of Science in biotechnology from the University of Central Florida and, in

by Dena Winchester If you are a comic book dweeb, as I am not, you will know that Bruce Wayne chose the name ‘Batman’ because we was afraid of bats as a child, and chose to use his greatest phobia against his enemies. This is probably the most commendable thing I’ve ever heard, and I’m

by Rabbi Ilana Garber “These are all the people,” my husband explains as he points to the variety of seeds, hundreds of them, that have fallen off my son’s everything bagel and now cover his plate. “And of all of the people, each one has different genes, different ways their bodies are made.” He goes

by Rabbi Sarah Freidson   Gina died when I was a junior in high school. She was just fourteen years old and had such a positive and upbeat attitude, despite facing major health issues caused by Familial Dysautonomia, a Jewish genetic disease. She was my friend Scott’s younger sister, and she loved hanging out with

by Shira Kohan   As a Persian Jew, we are known for many things: our delicious tahdig and kabob, our perfection of the art of taarof, and of course, our magical healing powers of chai ba’ nabat (tea and rock sugar). However, one thing Persian Jews are definitely not known for is our willingness to