Spring is in the air, Pesach preparations are well underway and all across the Jewish community bochurim are home from yeshiva for bein hazmanim, an opportunity to spend time with their families, recharge their batteries and take care of shopping, appointments and other miscellaneous items. But perhaps one of the most important things our bochurim can do over their bein hazmanim break is to attend one of the three annual mass screening events being held by Dor Yeshorim in its effort to continue eradicating genetic diseases from the Jewish community.

Dor Yeshorim was founded over 30 years ago by Rabbi Yosef Ekstein, who lost four children of his own to Tay Sachs, a fatal genetic disease often found in Jews of Eastern European descent.  Determined to minimize and possibly even eliminate common genetic disorders from the Jewish community, Rabbi Ekstein founded Dor Yeshorim and began testing young men and women for these diseases in an effort to prevent marriages where both partners carry the same genetic mutation, giving them a one out of four chance of having an affected child.

Dor Yeshorim screens over 20,000 young men and women annually in eleven different countries.  Several genetic diseases are now virtually non-existent thanks to Dor Yeshorim and many of the young men and women tested have never even heard of the diseases they are being screened for simply because of Dor Yeshorim’s successes.

By collaborating with world renowned geneticists and medical institutions, Dor Yeshorim continues to research new genetic mutations and develop reliable testing for an even greater number of genetic diseases, utilizing cutting edge technology and advanced screening methods. Dor Yeshorim, which has representative in every populous Jewish city worldwide has staff members devoting countless hours of meticulous data entry and answering compatibility calls every day of the year. Guidance and counseling is also offered for incompatible couples and families who have children affected with a genetic illness.

In addition to its standard testing panel, Dor Yeshorim also performs additional screening for families affected by obscure genetic diseases, identifying the genetic mutation and developing a reliable testing protocol, a process which is both lengthy and costly.

The bein hazmanim testing is a golden opportunity to prevent future heartache and allows bochurim learning out of town or in smaller yeshivos to take advantage of Dor Yeshorim’s services, before they enter the parsha of shidduchim.  While Dor Yeshorim does charge for testing, the testing fee does not cover the full range of services, which includes screening, testing, data entry, unlimited free compatibility checks and ongoing research, making donations crucial to Dor Yeshorim’s survival.

Bein Hazmanim screenings will take place in groups at:

Boro Park:  Sunday, April 12, Veiner Shul, 1350 50th Street at 5:00, 5:45 and 6:30 PM

Monsey:  Monday, April 13, Mesivta Beis Shraga (new building) 28 Saddle River Road, 6:00, 6:45 and 7:30 PM

Williamsburg:Tuesday, April 14, Spinka Shul 117 Keap Street, 1:00 and 1:45 PM

To make a donation or to find out more about Dor Yeshorim contact them at 718-384-6060 or at [email protected].