Man Converts to Judaism After Test from DNA Spectrum Uncovers Jewish Ancestry
Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) August 28, 2013 -- Until he took DNA Spectrum’s autosomal ancestry test, the Full Spectrum Plus, James Shoemaker from Berkeley Springs W. Va. had no idea about his heritage. He thought he was just an average American like his Appalachian neighbors.
Monday, The Waynesboro, Pa. resident met with Rabbi Ari Plost to prepare to formally convert to Judaism, and this Friday will be meeting with him again to begin mentoring another young man who is coming into the Jewish congregation. Shoemaker is now in Hebrew school and attends B’nai Abraham, a Reform Jewish congregation in Hagerstown, Md.
Although raised in a Pentecostal church, Shoemaker said he always felt a strong attraction toward Judaism. Last November, he went to his doctor and asked for a DNA test. “I wanted to see if there was any Jewish ancestry,” Shoemaker said.
But it wasn’t the doctor who helped. Not until Shoemaker visited El Shaddai, a Messianic Jewish congregation in Frederick, Md., and a friend referred him to DNA Spectrum did he find out the truth.
“I got all three ancestry markers for Jewish I, II, and III in the company’s Full Spectrum Plus,” Shoemaker said, “so I went to see my mother, Jacqueline Rose, at the nursing home in Hagerstown, and she admitted, ‘Well, yeah, my parents, they were both Jewish.’”
How did this test reveal the family’s secrets? According to Paul Yates, CEO of DNA Spectrum, “Taking DNA ancestry tests based on older science is like trying to paint the Mona Lisa without a smile. There is a mystery or surprise in every autosomal analysis. A first-generation DNA test like the Y-chromosome or mitochondrial can only follow the male or female side of the family, but our second-generation method uses autosomal DNA spread across all 22 non-sex-linked chromosomes to get information on your entire family history.”
“I am 53 years old,” said Shoemaker. “Mom never said a word about having Jewish ancestors. DNA Spectrum’s analysis turned my life around.”
DNA Spectrum is a DNA testing company headquartered in Phoenix, with offices in Las Vegas, Nev., and Seal Beach, Calif. Its specialties are consumer genetics and unlocking the story hidden in one’s DNA. Its cheek-swab tests are priced from $99 to $299 using DNA samples clients mail in from the comfort of their home, so no doctor or lab visits are required. This month, it is introducing myDNA safe, a cutting-edge and secure storage system for DNA that can preserve an individual’s entire genome.
Media contact:
Paul Yates
1-800-471-6164
press(at)dnaspectrum(dot)com
http://www.dnaspectrum.com
Paul Yates, DNA Spectrum, http://www.dnaspectrum.com, +1 (800) 471-6164, [email protected]
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