DNA: Bennett Greenspan in Dallas, May 26

Discover Jewish history through the lens of DNA testing, with expert Bennett Greenspan, at the Dallas (Texas) Jewish Historical Society, at 7pm, Wednesday, May 26.

The program is part of the Society's Harold A. Pollman Lecture Series, at its annual meeting and elections at the Aaron Family JCC, 7900 Northaven Road, Dallas.

A familiar favorite at Jewish and general genealogy conferences, his talks always fill to capacity.

His presentation will demonstrate the overlap between Jewish DNA found in Ashkenazi/Mizrachi and Sephardic populations and will shed light on the amazing stories that non-Jews - who have found a Jewish ancestry - share with him weekly. He'll also discuss the newest test for finding Jewish relatives out to fourth or fifth cousins.

If you haven't tested yet, Bennett's presentation will inspire you to find out more about who you really are. A limited number of DNA testing kits will be available for purchase following his talk.

With more than 255,000 records, Family Tree DNA - founded in 2000 - has the largest database of its kind in the world. Importantly for Jewish researchers, it also includes the largest Jewish DNA database to test against.

An entrepreneur and life-long genealogy enthusiast - since elementary school - Bennett turned his hobby into a full-time vocation. His effort and innovation created the ever-expanding field of genetic genealogy and all its possibilities.

A native Nebraskan with a University of Texas BA, he has spent years investigating his maternal grandfather's family, an obsession which led to the founding of the company and its association with Arizona Research Labs, led by Dr. Michael Hammer, a world authority on Y-DNA genetics.

Founded in 2000, FTDNA is the largest non-medical DNA testing company in the world, and includes other cooperative ventures such as the National Geographic Society’s Genographic Project and AfricanDNA.com, and is now involved in DNATraits.com, a new medical genetic testing company

Admission is free and the program is open to the public. For reservations, call 214-239-7120 or send an email.

Click the Dallas Jewish Historical Society for more information on society holdings.