SPECIAL SECTION | 14
COMMUNITY | 21
CAMP & SCHOOL
A JCC RISES
Historic California Jewish summer camps find new home on college campus
Construction almost complete on Flagstaff’s first Jewish Community Center
FEBRUARY 15, 2019 | ADAR 10, 5779 | VOLUME 71, NUMBER 73
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New Tucson synagogue receives Genetic center historic Torah introduces BRCA testing, name change NICK ENQUIST | STAFF WRITER
NICK ENQUIST | STAFF WRITER
T
he Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix has changed its name to the Minkoff Center for Jewish Genetics, while simultaneously introducing a new BRCA screening program for Arizona Jews to better understand potential hereditary cancer risks. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are designed to suppress tumors by maintaining cellular growth. A mutation in either gene can lead to a higher risk for cancers such as breast, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic and more. According to the Minkoff Center for Jewish Genetics, one in 40 Ashkenazi Jews — men and women — carry a BRCA gene mutation. Ashkenazi Jews also are susceptible to conditions such as Tay-Sachs disease, cystic fibrosis, Canavan disease and other genetic illnesses. “Women and men with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry carry the BRCA genetic mutations at a rate 10 times that of the general population,” said Dr. Seymour Rife, vice president of the Minkoff Center’s board of directors. “This has serious implications about the chances of developing breast cancer and some other cancers at some time in their lives.” The Minkoff Center for Jewish Genetics, named after the late Dr. Sherman Minkoff, founder of the Jewish Genetic Diseases Center of Greater Phoenix (JGDC), also offers prenatal testing
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congr egation can exist without a building and it can exist without a rabbi, but it cannot exist without a Torah, according to Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon of Congregation Beit Simcha in Tucson. When Beit Simcha opened its doors last October, it had its Torah — one steeped in a rich history. The synagogue recently acquired SEE TORAH, PAGE 2
Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, left, and Jeffrey Ohrenstein, right, the chair of the Memorial Scrolls Trust. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY RABBI SAMUEL COHON
Disability issues Actor Ed Asner, front, with, back from left, Gesher Disability Resources Executive Director Amy Hummell, Navah PaskowitzAsner and Matt Asner at the Gesher luncheon last week. The Asner family talked about raising children with autism and the formation of the Ed Asner Family Center, which works with individuals with special needs and their families. The Asners hope to open additional centers across the country. Read more on Page 5. PHOTO COURTESY OF GESHER DISABILITY RESOURCES
SEE GENETIC, PAGE 3
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