![\"A](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1087\/2017\/01\/20172037\/Autorecessive.jpg\")
Figure 1. Tay-Sachs is an autosomal recessive disease. This means that children can only inherit the Tay-Sachs if both of their parents are carriers for the disease.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn both the Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish communities, there is an increased rate of a number of genetic disorders such as Tay\u2013Sachs disease, an autosomal recessive disorder that goes unnoticed in carriers, but is fatal within the first few years of life in almost all homozygotes.\r\n\r\nDor Yeshorim screens only for recessive traits that give rise to lethal or severely debilitating disorders, providing preventative, rather than diagnostic services. They do not screen for disorders arising from dominant gene mutations, as these cannot be prevented by informed mate selection. Orthodox Judaism generally opposes selective abortion, and although preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is often approved by Halakha, it is a difficult and costly process. By avoiding marriages between carriers of the diseases, the incidence of the disorders decreases without having to resort to these\u00a0methods.\r\n\r\nDor Yeshorim advocates anonymous testing. Individuals are tested during large sessions in Jewish schools and processed anonymously with only a PIN linking the sample with the candidate.\u00a0When two members of the system contemplate marriage, they contact the organization and enter both their PINs. When both carry a gene for the same disorder, the risk of affected offspring is 25\u00a0percent, and it is considered advisable to discontinue the plans. In the context of shidduchim (a system of matchmaking in Jewish communities), the \"carriership check\" is often run within the first three dates, to avoid disappointments and heartbreak.\r\n\r\nAccording to the Dor Yeshorim website, they are \"credited with singlehandedly eradicating Tay Sachs from the Jewish community and effectively closing the Tay Sachs ward at Kingsbrook Medical center forever.\"[footnote]\"Our History\", Dor Yeshorim<\/em>,\u00a0https:\/\/doryeshorim.org\/history-achievements\/<\/a>.[\/footnote]\r\n