News & Events
The Victor Center in the News
Jewish Press Health and Living: Jewish Genes By Dr. Daniel Eisenberg
Genetic testing being urged for Jewish couples, Bucks County Courier Times
Students Screened for Genetic Diseases Common Among Jewish Population, Haverford College Website
Passage of Genetics Bill Welcomed as 'Civil-Rights Milestone', Jewish Exponent, May 8, 2008
Symposium: What's in Your Gene Pool? Jewish Exponent, April 17, 2008
Jewish Community Voice: Symposium stresses urgency of genetic screening for Jews
Main Line Life: A Difficult Diagnosis
The Bulletin: Film Producer Gladstein Addresses Bloom's Disease Testing
The Victor Voice Newsletter, March 2008
Philanthropist Puts Genetic Diseases to The Test
Campuses Offer Genetic Tests (No Studying Required)
Lois Victor: A Guiding Light for Genetic Testing Availability
Events
Einstein hosts Healthy Generations Symposium
On Monday, March 31, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network's Victor Center 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 Center, 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 Center 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.
A highlight of the Healthy Generations Symposium was the family panel facilitated by Paula Goldstein, LCSW, Jewish Family
& Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia. Pictured are family panelists: Academy award nominated producer Richard Gladstein,
whose son Milo is affected by Bloom's Syndrome; Victor Center director Adele Schneider, MD; Emily Sonenshein, whose brother
Peter is affected by Familial Dysautonomia; Stacey Feuer who is living with Gaucher Disease and Stan Michelman who lost his
grandson Evan to Tay-Sachs Disease.
Barry R. Freedman (far right), President and CEO, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, welcomes Joel M. Kaber, ACSW, CEO, Jewish
Federation of Southern New Jersey; Howard Silverman, Board member, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia; and Andrea B.
Adelman, Senior Vice President, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
Representing the Symposium's partnering agencies: Dory Zatuchni, LCSW, CEO, Jewish Family Services of Delaware; Jennifer
Weiss, Executive Director, Jewish Family & Children's Service of Southern New Jersey; Jack Dembow, President and CEO, Jewish
Family & Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia and Barry R. Freedman, President and CEO, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network.
