In July, 1987, my cousin Aviad Bar-Sella left to begin his service in the Israeli army. I was visiting for the summer and watched the milestone unfold in the family’s small, tidy apartment in Kfar Saba. Although we had basically just met, I will never forget what Aviad said to me before he walked out…
Feelings towards genetic testing service 23andMe vary. Some express excitement over finding out if you are genetically less likely to smell asparagus in your urine. Others are concerned over the company selling customer information for research. Regardless, it is evident that the direct-to-consumer service has hit mainstream success, because it has officially been made into…
Have you taken an ancestry test and found something surprising about your past? Tell us about the discoveries about your Jewish past through genetic testing; email me at avital@forward.com with your story, and we may feature it. Laurie Nardone was raised in the coastal town of Westerley, Rhode Island — a proper New Englander, a…
In the wake of the United States’ failure to qualify for the World Cup, which will be held in Russia, 23andMe has announced a new partnership with FOX Sports that will try to get fans pumped up by encouraging them to root for the country of their ancestors. It sure is nice to feel genetic…
Many Ashkenazi Jews know only a few basic geographical facts about their ancestors: They came from Poland, but when it was Russia. Their great-grandparents hailed from Bulgaria — or was it Romania? A number of Jews have turned to direct-to-consumer ancestry services like 23andMe and Ancestry.com for better answers, but they have gotten nowhere. This…
NEW YORK (JTA) — A new study will provide free testing for three mutations that substantially increase the risk for developing breast, ovarian and prostate cancer among people with Eastern European Jewish ancestry. The BRCA Founder Outreach Study (BFOR), which was launched last week, will test 4,000 men and women in four U.S. cities —…
Welcome back to Jane Looking Forward. If you wish to continue reading this weekly newsletter, please subscribe here. And spread the word! I begin this newsletter on a personal note. I’ve had a series of blood tests recently and learned a surprising thing about myself: I have a rare genetic bleeding disorder known as Factor…
23andMe recently received FDA approval to inform customers of its popular mail-in DNA tests about their risk for breast cancer, the Atlantic reported. 23andMe is the first company to get federal approval for a direct-to-consumer genetic cancer risk test. The FDA sanctioned 23andMe’s request to tell customers whether they have mutations on the genes BRCA-1…
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