Skip to main content

JGSGB DNA SIG – 14 Nov 2021 2pm – with Laurence Harris – “DNA Ethics – I wouldn’t do that if I were you!”

Our meeting after next in the JGSGB Virtual Meeting Programme is from the JGSGB DNA Special Interest Group (DNA SIG) by Zoom, open to all JGSGB members.

• Date: Sunday 14 November 2021
• Time: 14:00 London; 09:00 New York; 16:00 Jerusalem; 15:00 Switzerland
• Title: DNA Ethics – I wouldn’t do that if I were you!
• Speaker: Laurence Harris
• Description: As family historians we all face ethical dilemmas from time to time. What information should we divulge, to whom, when and how? What might be the consequences? When should we say nothing, and when is saying nothing inappropriate? What if doing a great good for one individual comes with a risk of hurting the feelings of another? If someone is deceased then can we freely publish information about them? And does it make any difference if their death was 5 years ago or 100 years ago?

The rapid growth of DNA testing as a basic tool used in genealogical research has both compounded and magnified the ethical issues. What are the ethical dangers if I place my DNA in a database where it can be matched with the DNA samples of others? Might I find an unexpected very close relative and, if so, what impact might that have on me and my family, and also them and their family? What special issues should be considered if any of the parties are Jewish or think they are Jewish? Should I allow law enforcement agencies to use my DNA to help solve crimes and identify missing persons?

These topics and others will be covered in an introductory presentation. We shall then split into smaller groups to discuss a few case studies. Will your group be able to reach consensus on the best approach in certain scenarios? And will your group’s best approach match the best approach identified by other groups? Join us to find out.

About Laurence Harris
Laurence has been a member of the Society since 2001 and is a past Chairman. He is currently a member of Council, Chairman of the Strategy Committee, and is the Lead of our DNA Special Interest Group. Laurence is a professional genealogist with particular interests in Anglo-Jewish genealogy and genetic genealogy. For many years he was Head of Genealogy UK for MyHeritage, and in this role he led a number of pro bono research projects, tracing and reuniting lost family including Holocaust survivors, often using a combination of DNA testing and traditional genealogical records.

After the talk, there will be an opportunity for Q&A on the talk.

The invitation to register is below, but please keep it to yourself!

If you have problems joining please email chairman@jgsgb.org.uk, preferably in the 15 minutes before the meeting proper starts.

==============================================================
Leigh Dworkin is inviting you to register for a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: JGSGB DNA SIG: "DNA Ethics – I wouldn’t do that if I were you!" by Laurence Harris
When: Nov 14, 2021 02:00 PM London

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtceCvrD4oHdRV8cD6MQ6BsDgWDFk5gLz7


After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
==============================================================

Stay safe and keep well!

Leigh Dworkin
Chairman, JGSGB

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jewish Religious Life in Poland since 1750 - Conference 11 Jan 2021

ONE-DAY ONLINE CONFERENCE TO LAUNCH VOLUME 33 OF POLIN: STUDIES IN POLISH JEWRY  Jewish Religious Life in Poland since 1750      Published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization/Liverpool University Press   Monday January 11th 2021 10am-3.30pm Organised by the Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies and the Institute of Jewish Studies, UCL with JW3 London. Co-organised and supported by the Polish Cultural Institute, London This event honours the memory of Ada Rapoport-Albert, who edited the volume with Marcin Wodziński. Following tremendous advances in recent years in the study of religious belief, this volume adopts a fresh understanding of Jewish religious life in Poland. The contemporary reassessments, with their awareness of emerging techniques that have the potential to extract fresh insights from source materials both old and new, show how our understanding of what it means to be Jewish is continuing to expand.  Conference convenors: Dr F...

January events reminder

Friday 3 January. 10.30–3pm. A Library Session - open for general research. Visitors welcome. (There would be a nominal charge of £5 per person including refreshments, deductible on the day against one year’s membership). Librarians will be on hand to help you use the library. 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA. RSVP : library@jgsgb.org.uk Sunday 5 January. 2.30–5pm. Herts Regional Group. Subject : "Visiting Archives – some members' recent experiences”. Contact : northherts@jgsgb.org.uk for location and further information Thursday 16 January. 7.30–9pm. An Education Evening. “Holocaust Research”. Webinar. For further information, contact Jeanette Rosenberg at education@jgsgb.org.uk Sunday 19 January. 2–5pm. A Library Session. Open for general research. Visitors welcome. Librarians will be on hand to help you use the library.  14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA. RSVP :  library@jgsgb.org.uk Sunday 19...

JGSGB Specialist Talk – Sun May 8th 2022 2pm – “The Jewish Association for the Protection of Girls, Women and Children” by Dr Martin Walsh

Our next Sunday meeting in the JGSGB Virtual Meeting Programme is a specialist talk by Zoom. • Date: Sunday May 8th 2022 • Time: 14:00 London; 09:00 New York; 16:00 Jerusalem; 15:00 Switzerland • Title: “The Jewish Association for the Protection of Girls, Women and Children” • Speaker: Dr Martin Walsh • Description: Almost all Jewish women entered England through London’s East End, where a cross-section of the poorer and working-class Jewish community resided. It was a dangerous and overcrowded place with its warren of lanes and criminality; most noted for the Jack the Ripper murders of the late 1880s. Many of the promises of marriage and employment never materialised. Worse still, some of these women arrived in London only to end up on the next boat to South America as part of the white slave trade. Even in London there was a real risk of these women ending up in the clutches of brothel keepers when the promised employment fell through and family members were not there to p...