Kansas City: Jewish genetics seminar, Nov. 2-3

If genetics and DNA fascinate you and you live near Kansas City, here’s an event you won’t want to miss.

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle reported on the seminar – “Genetics, Jewish Diseases and Personalized Medicine” – which will take place Monday and Tuesday, November 2-3, at the Kansas City, Missouri Public Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Advances in genetics change the way we think about health, disease, and personal identity. The free two-day conference features prominent panelists who will discuss the ethical implications of new discoveries in genetics.

The complete schedule is available here (with links to each speaker’s bio). Registration is free, but space is limited. Register online, call (816) 979-1352 or e-mail.

Tracing the Tribe was happy to note that our good friend, author and journalist Jon Entine (“Abraham’s Children: Race, identity and the DNA of the Chosen People”) is the kick-off speaker at 8.30am Monday, with “Genetic Testing and Jewish Identity: Do our genes tell us who we are?”

While the upcoming seminar is heavy on Jewish presenters and Jewish-related topics, organizer Dr. John Lantos (more below) said anyone who is interested in the field of genetics might find it interesting.

Other Monday programs:

— “Tay-Sachs and Sickle Cell: Different cultures, different responses to genetic testing”
Rutgers University sociologist Keith Wailoo.

— “Genetic testing from a traditional Jewish perspective: Can testing before marriage help?”
Thomas Jefferson University radiologist Daniel Eisenberg.

— “Personalized Medicine and the cost of health care”
Bar Ilan University’s Rabbi Noam Zohar and Children’s Mercy Hospital pharmacogeneticist Dr. Stephen Spielberg.

— “Can we redesign ourselves? If so, would we do it well? Thoughts of a genetics consumer” Journalist/bioethicist David Ewing Dunan

Tuesday sessions include:

— “Eugenics, arranged marriages and gene-therapy responses to genetic disease”
Panel: American University of Judaism professor, Rabbi Elliot Dorff; NIH geneticist Chris Austin; and “Yaakov,” father of a child with a genetic disease

–“Individuals, culture and biology: what does the future hold?”
Northwestern University bioethicist Laurie Zoloth and Dr. John Lantos

The seminar organizer is University of Chicago professor of pediatrics and bioethics Dr. John Lantos, who holds the John B. Francis Chair in Bioethics at the Kansas City-based Center for Practical Bioethics. He has lived in the Kansas City area for a few years and has an office at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Why did Lantos organize this event?

“There have been fascinating developments in genetics, leading to what is called personalized medicine,” Dr. Lantos said. “It’s still mostly a dream, but the idea is that, instead of studying diseases and treatments the way we have since the beginning of time — which is to figure that all people act the same — we can now figure out how people are different and customize treatments for each individual genetic makeup.”

Read the complete program at the link above, as well as the full article (link above) for more information.

Kansas: KC’s 15th Jewish Book Fair, November

Kansas City, here comes the 15th Jewish Book Fair! Some great authors are scheduled to speak.

The Jewish Community Center will host eight outstanding authors in November, so mark your calendars now.

The fair kicks off with our friend Jon Entine, author of “Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People,” on Tuesday, November 3, at Congregation B’nai Jehuda.

Also scheduled – see website below for locations – are:

– November 4: Louise Borden, “The Journey that Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey,” co-sponsored by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education.

– November 8: Gloria Goldreich, “Open Doors.”

– November 10: The JCC is a co-sponsor of the Festival of Faiths, featuring Eboo Patel, “Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, The Struggle for the Soul of a Generation.”

– November 15: Benyamin Cohen, “My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt In Search of His Own Faith.”

– November 18: Journalist Martin Fletcher, author of “Breaking News.”

– November 19: Maggie Anton, “Rashi’s Daughters.”

– November 23: Edward Kritzler, “Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean.”

For more information, visit the JCC website.

Kansas: Beginning Jewish Genealogy

I learned about this event too late to post it, but readers may wish to suggest a similar program in their own public libraries, co-sponsored/co-hosted by their local Jewish genealogical societies and/or Jewish historical societies.

The Topeka and Shawnee County (Kansas) Public Library offered a Beginning Jewish Genealogy program on Sunday afternoon, October 19.

Learn the basics of genealogical research and record keeping, including finding vital records, censuses, obituaries, immigration records, marriages, probate records, and cemeteries, as well as compiling pedigree and family unit charts. See how Jewish genealogy differs from that of other groups, including language issues and Holocaust research. Finally, learn what organizations can help with your research.

Participants learned how to use print and online resources offered by the library, and received a pedigree chart and other useful record-keeping forms.

I could not find information on the program presenters.

For more Kansas resources, click here for the state’s page on the International Cemetery Project hosted by JewishGen. Learn about colonies, cemeteries and more. The Heart of America Jewish Historical Society is in Overland Park, while the Jewish Community Archives is in Kansas City