For years, thalassemia, or Cooley's anemia, was thought to affect only Greek, Italian, Asian, and Sephardic Jewish families. In recent years, it became clear that Ashkenazic Jews also carry the trait and could be at risk for the fatal disease.

In 1993, Dr. Charles Scriver (Montreal) and Dr. Ariella Oppenheim (Jerusalem) independently discovered that my family and a family in Jerusalem carry a newly identified mutation of this trait. As a result, I launched a project for which I need the participation of genealogists, the press, and the medical and scientific community around the world.