***   The following is an EXTREMELY important message for all Jews,  ***
  ***   especially Ashkenazi Jews, who are planning to marry, or who   ***
  *** have children who plan to marry (which basically means EVERYONE) ***

There is an organization called Dor Yeshorim that is on the path to
wiping out tay sachs from the Jewish community.  Tay Sachs is a
disease which affects Jews much more (by percentage) than the rest of
the world (particularly Ashkenazi Jews).  A Tay Sachs baby rarely
lives more than a few years.  A baby can ONLY get Tay Sachs if the
mother AND the father are both carriers.

Here is how Dor Yeshorim works:  A young man/woman who is considering
marriage (beginning to date, usually in late {*filter*}s or early twenties),
goes to a clinic that supports Dor Yeshiorim.  A {*filter*} test is taken
for a small fee.  The man/woman is given a file #.  That individual is
NEVER told if he/she is a carrier (remember that Tay Sachs is only an
issue if BOTH partners are carriers).  Before a man and woman meet (or
when they first start dating), they can call Dor Yeshorim with both
file #s (the man's and the woman's).  Dor Yeshorim will tell them if
they can have children together withouth fear of Tay-Sachs.  If only
one is a carrier, or if neither are carriers, Dor Yeshorim will tell
them that everything is OK for them to have children.  

Why not tell the individuals if they are carriers and aviod the
unnecessary step in the process?  There may be a negative stigma
attached to being a carrier.  If a person is found to be a carrier,
other parents may not want their son/daughter to date that person.
This is the most secure method, as supported by Rabbis and Doctors.

Who supports Dor Yeshorim:  The Dor Yeshorim pamphlet{*filter*} in my
Yeshiva lists over 20 doctors with fancy titles, and 20 of the
greatest Rabbis of the last 20 years (including Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
ZTVK"L, Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetsky ZTVK"L and many others).

In New York, ALL yeshiva students are tested by Dor Yeshorim when they
enter high school.

Dor Yeshorim works with Hospitals and Clinics and Doctors ALL OVER THE
WORLD!  Call the following number for a doctor in your area:

        THE DOR YESHORIM INSTITUTE:  (718) 384-6060

        (anyone who lives outside of the US/Canada can send email to

        send you the name of the nearest affiliated doctor).

HELP STOP TAY SACHS.  GET TESTED!  

                           Gedaliah Friedenberg

         -=-  Graduate Student- City University of New York  -=-
            -=-  Ohr Somayach Yeshiva - Monsey, New York  -=-
--
                           Gedaliah Friedenberg

         -=-  Graduate Student- City University of New York  -=-
            -=-  Ohr Somayach Yeshiva - Monsey, New York  -=-