Blog/August 2022/Aug 5th

Aug 5th

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It was an eventful week or so on the genealogy front, thanks to Jeremy’s DNA-sleuthing skills!

I’ve been trying to track down my elusive paternal great-grandfather Aaron for a couple decades, now, with no success. All the other great-grandparents have full names and we more or less know where they were from and who their descendants were. Sometimes we know some of their ancestors as well. Not so g-gpa Aaron.

Jeremy’s interest in genealogy lead him to explore DNA analysis, and he’s become quite good at tracking down genealogical links using DNA. In the past, he’d found some very close relatives of mine on my father’s side, for instance, of whom we’d had no idea whatsoever. That story’s worthy of a novel.

In the past several weeks, he found some more relatively close relatives on that side; we’re still working out the details, though.

In order to further winnow out non-matches, he’s asked me to try to get as many of my relatives as possible to take DNA tests and upload them to GEDmatch (a DNA analysis and matching service). That effort has already borne some interesting fruit. So I’ve been tracking down my second-cousins and trying to get them to cooperate in this enterprise. Sadly, most people are simply not interested at all in genealogy, and it’s been a long, hot, dusty, road.

But I did discover a new second-cousin I’d been unaware of (though I knew of that branch of the family tree), and most surprisingly to me, they’re also religious Jews. So miracles do happen! I also gave Jeremy information on someone who was showing up as a fairly close relative via DNA, but for whom I couldn’t find any common links in the tree. He set out his tools, rolled up his sleeves, and presented me with a detailed analysis of how she and I are related (2C2R) — another branch of the same tree containing the aforementioned second-cousin. It’s fascinating stuff, and I think he needs to take up this sleuthing as a side-job!

Various things of note:

• Warnings from an Israeli Druze who’s been tracking Iranian activities for Israeli intelligence.
• You might want to delay using air-taxis for a while, just until the kinks are worked-out…
• What does halakha say about abortion?
• Lauren Southern on whether or not monkeypox is a gay disease. Or, as Tucker Carlson calls it, “schlong COVID”.
• Gad Saad on the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s most recent recommendations for inclusiveness.

Esther’s been working hard at controlling her inner Valkyrie when confronted with clients who lack comprehension skills. Most impressive, I must say. I get to hear the ranting, but then I share my own frustrations with her; it’s a symbiotic relationship.

The weather here’s been too warm for our tastes. Esther and I have been profligate in our use of the AC, which we’ll doubtless regret when the bill comes, but at least we’ll be comfortable until then! The temperatures will remain high through shabbat, but drop (surprisingly, for August) at the beginning of the week.

Though this shabbat is actually the 9th of Av (on which day we would normally fast), since it’s shabbat, the fast is delayed until Sunday. Thus our menu contains:
homemade ḥalla, pepper beef, rice, schnitzel, various salatim, lasagna (for seʿuda shlishit), and brownies.

Until next time,
shabbat shalom and on Sunday, ṣom poreh!

May this be the last time we have to fast for 9th Av, amen!

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