Join the NYG&B for a very special evening with Blaine Bettinger and Jennifer Mendelsohn in a conversation about what is happening in the world of DNA research, at 6:00 pm on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at the NYG&B headquarters in New York City. Participants can attend either in person or virtually. Proceeds from this special event will support the NYG&B’s ongoing free community educational programs.
Dr. Bettinger and Ms. Mendelsohn will explore different facets of DNA evidence and what is new in the field of genetic genealogy, followed by a brief reception for in-person attendees. After the program, the NYG&B is also thrilled to offer a limited number of tickets for dinner with Dr. Bettinger, NYG&B President D. Joshua Taylor and Ms. Mendelsohn at the Penn Club, beginning at 7:15 pm. Register here or email development@nygbs.org with questions.
Event Committee (still in formation)
Adrienne Auerbach
About Our Presenters
Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., is a professional genealogist specializing in DNA evidence. In 2007 he started The Genetic Genealogist, one of the earliest blogs on the topic. Blaine is the author of The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy, and co-author with Debbie Parker Wayne of the award-winning Genetic Genealogy in Practice, the world’s first genetic genealogy workbook. He also co-authored “Genetics for Genealogy” with Judy Russell in 2018’s Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards (ProGen PPS) (Elizabeth Shown Mills, Author and Editor). Blaine is or has been an instructor for genetic genealogy courses at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. Blaine has been a member of the NYG&B Board of Trustees since 2014.
Jennifer Mendelsohn is a sought-after genealogist who specializes in helping Eastern European Jewish families shattered by the Holocaust reclaim their history. Her journey began in 2013, when she reunited her husband's grandmother—a Polish Holocaust survivor who had lost her entire immediate family and most of her extended family—with three living first cousins she had never known. Her sleuthing was featured in the 2019 bestseller Inheritance by Dani Shapiro. In 2022, she co-founded the DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History, which seeks to promote DNA testing as a tool for helping Holocaust survivors find family. Ms. Mendelsohn serves on the board of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Maryland and is the administrator of Facebook's Jewish Genetic Genealogy group, with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Ms. Mendelsohn also spent many years as a freelance journalist, with work appearing in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today, among other publications.