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Synonymous with infertility research and treatment for decades, Bonei Olam has in recent years established an ancillary department dedicated to the field of genetics research. Its aim is to help families of children born with birth defects and developmental challenges due to genetic mutations, as well as couples facing genetic issues that affect their ability to bear healthy children.

It all began about 10 years ago when Mr. Chaim Jalas initially joined Bonei Olam as an infertility counselor. Shortly thereafter a parent approached Rabbi Bochner, Executive Director of Bonei Olam, with the case of a child born with genetic defects.

While the organization was not involved in genetic matters at the time, Rabbi Bochner was inspired to offer the child’s family any help he could. He felt Mr. Jalas was the right person to handle the case, and assigned it to him with the confidence that something positive would grow of it.

It was a thick file, weighty with the trials, errors, and repeated heartaches the family faced. Unfazed, Mr. Jalas sacrificed his days and nights for a number of months, calling on the world’s leaders in genetic breakthroughs to help both the child in question and the family’s quest for healthy children in the future.

The case’s complexity and the lack of resources available to the community made him realize the desperate need for a program dedicated to the genetics battle that’s often fought with quiet shame behind closed doors. With the support and backing of Rabbi Bochner, Mr. Jalas formed the Genetics Department at Bonei Olam, which has been operating discreetly for close to a decade, and has since uncovered dozens of problematic genetic markers that warrant medical intervention.

At the 2016 annual Bonei Olam dinner in Williamsburg, Mr. Chaim Jalas took to the podium for the first time ever, offering the thousands of attendees an unprecedented look into the inner workings of the Genetics Department. He shared a few stories of families with genetic challenges and discussed how the organization helped them in ways no one else could.

Mr. Jalas concluded that the costs of operating the Genetics Department runs into the millions, and that its continuation is only made possible through the generosity of private Jewish donors supporting this remarkable initiative. He also invited anyone in need of such services to inquire and enjoy the confidential assistance offered by Bonei Olam’s Genetics Department.

Bonei Olam plans to expand this department over the next months. Details will follow. To obtain assistance, contact the Genetics Department at 718-373-2000 Extension 23. All matters held in strictest confidence.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)