Spring 2024 Adult Ed Mini Series:"Are Genes Jewish?"Presenter: Jeffrey K. Actor, Ph.D.
Thursdays, April 4, 11, and 18, at 7:00 PM
In person at Brith Shalom and on YouTube
April 4 "Waiter, There's a Gene in My Soup!"
Genetic engineering alters blueprints of plants and animals to create new varieties of foods and seeds. We will explore the Jewish ethics of manipulating the building blocks of life within plants, vegetables and animals, and discuss related issues of halakha and kashrut.
Materials for April 4. Click here to download.
April 11 "Ethics of Genetic Engineering and Synthetic Biology"
Genetic engineering makes the creation of synthetic "life" possible, with great potential to address many of the world's problems. We will explore the positives and negatives of this potential, and discuss the Jewish ethics of manipulating the building blocks of life that give rise to synthetic biological entities.
Materials for April 11. Click here to download.
April 18 "Cloning and other Modern Ethical Dilemmas"
This session will open a dialog to discuss the Jewish perspective and biomedical ethics of cloning, exploring the complex relationships between modern technology, ethics and Jewish law.
Materials for April 18. Click here to download.
About the presenter:
Jeffrey K. Actor, Ph.D., was a tenured Professor at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School who held titles in the Graduate School of Biomedical Science in programs in Immunology. He taught graduate and medical students aspects of immunology and infectious disease, and was a member of the Academy of Master Educators. He has a strong interest in medical Jewish bioethics, and a love for science fiction. Jeffrey, his wife Lori, and their twins have been members of CBS for over 25 years.
