Monday, March 31, 2008 - Symposium to Educate and Mobilize

On Monday, March 31, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network's Victor Centers for Jewish Genetic Diseases, along with the Jewish Family Children's Service (JFCS) of Greater Philadelphia, Jewish Family Children's Service of Southern New Jersey and Jewish Family Services of Delaware hosted the region's first-ever symposium to educate and mobilize over 200 local physicians, Rabbis, social workers, educators and Jewish community leaders about diseases that specifically affect the Ashkenazi Jewish population.

The program - Healthy Generations: Mobilizing our Community to Prevent Jewish Genetic Disease - held at the City Avenue Hilton in Philadelphia, began with moving opening remarks from the founder of the Victor Centers, Lois B. Victor, who lost two daughters to Familial Dysautonomia and has transformed her tragedy into helping Jewish families across the country. A lunchtime address on public health policy by Pennsylvania State Representative Daylin Leach and a videotaped welcome by U.S. Senator Arlen Specter complemented the series of panels that took place throughout the day. Local community leaders Dr. Daniel Eisenberg and Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz spoke on Jewish law and values surrounding genetic screening; Hadassah's National Director for Women's Health Advocacy, Dale Mintz, and Victor Centers director Dr. Adele Schneider led a discussion of community responses to Jewish genetic diseases; and a panel of family members affected by different Jewish genetic diseases offered their observations on living and coping at home with these terrible diseases. Over 25 collaborating organizations from the Delaware Valley joined the lead partners in the day's events.