In Jewish life, the future is never an abstraction. It is a promise. From the covenant between Abraham and Hashem, framed explicitly in terms of descendants – the genealogy from Adam to Noah, every red-haired Jewish person being a direct descendent of King David – our tradition insists that we see ourselves as links in a living chain. “L’dor v’dor” (generation to generation) is not simply liturgical poetry; it is a statement of communal intent.
We speak often of the generations who shaped us. We maintain their values, resilience and culture. Yet what they pass down is not simply spiritual or cultural. It is biological, too. Alongside recipes and rituals, we inherit DNA, which includes the genetic conditions that disproportionately affect those of Jewish descent.
This is where Jnetics situates its work: at the intersection of history and responsibility. By screening for recessive conditions such as Tay-Sachs and cystic fibrosis, and by partnering with the NHS to provide testing for BRCA gene variants linked to increased risks of breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancers, we seek to ensure that what we transmit to the next generation is knowledge, not fear.
But this only works if it includes everyone.
There is sometimes an unspoken assumption that when we talk about “future generations”, we are referring to a particular family model. For many, that is indeed their reality. For others, it is not. If Jewish continuity is our concern, then inclusivity must be our practice.
Jnetics is the UK’s only cross-communal genetic screening charity. We do not distinguish by criteria. If you have one Jewish grandparent, you are part of the Jewish story. No more to it than that.
In this spirit, last month we joined forces with KeshetUK, the Jewish LGBT+ educational organisation. The collaboration was not symbolic. It was substantive. Genetic screening, both for recessive conditions that affect future children or for BRCA-related cancer risks, is relevant to every Jewish adult.
Same-sex couples frequently have biological children through surrogacy, sperm donation or other assisted reproductive routes. Carrier screening is therefore just as pertinent for them as for heterosexual couples. Knowledge of carrier status does not prescribe a decision; it empowers one. It ensures that all Jewish families can make informed reproductive choices with clarity and dignity. Of course, Jnetics would screen any potential sperm or egg donor – in the same manner that we would always screen non-Jewish partners of eligible individuals. The aim is to prevent devastating genetic conditions presenting in the next generation, not to attempt to define what a family should look like.
BRCA was originally considered a “women’s health issue”. In other words, it was an issue for those assigned female at birth. Yet science, like society, has evolved. We now understand that BRCA gene variants increase the risk of a range of cancers. It has evolved into a communal health concern. Gender informs screening pathways and treatment decisions because different genders carry different risks. But the presence of a variant is not confined by the shorthand categories we once relied upon.
During the joint event with KeshetUK, a particularly nuanced discussion concerned transgender men and the implications of gender-affirming surgery. A mastectomy, the removal of breast tissue, is both a treatment for breast cancer and a preventative intervention for high-risk BRCA carriers. In gender-affirming surgery, while most breast tissue is removed, some is retained to create natural contour. That remaining tissue carries risk. Likewise, if ovaries remain, so too does the potential for ovarian cancer. These are complex conversations. But complexity is not a reason for silence; rather for collaboration.
What this partnership reinforced for me is something both simple and deeply Jewish: communal organisations are, at their best, on the same side. We may focus our work within specific remits, but we share a common purpose. To protect Jewish life. To safeguard Jewish dignity. To ensure that no one falls through the cracks. When those institutions work together, we embody the very principle of l’dor v’dor. Our strength lies not in uniformity, but in unity – looking after everyone in the community, together.
Josh Forman is head of science, education and outreach at Jnetics
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