Jews Share Common Ancestry Regardless of Differing Backgrounds, Studies Show

[Frodo]

I am curious why researchers still can't fully account for the Ten Lost Tribes from ancient Samaria:

Studies Show Jews’ Genetic Similarity

By NICHOLAS WADE
Published: June 9, 2010
 
Jewish communities in Europe and the Middle East share many genes inherited from the ancestral Jewish population that lived in the Middle East some 3,000 years ago, even though each community also carries genes from other sources — usually the country in which it lives.

That is the conclusion of two new genetic surveys, the first to use genome-wide scanning devices to compare many Jewish communities around the world.

A major surprise from both surveys is the genetic closeness of the two Jewish communities of Europe, the Ashkenazim and the Sephardim. The Ashkenazim thrived in Northern and Eastern Europe until their devastation by the Hitler regime, and now live mostly in the United States and Israel. The Sephardim were exiled from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1497 and moved to the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, and the Netherlands.

The two genome surveys extend earlier studies based just on the Y chromosome, the genetic element carried by all men. They refute the suggestion made last year by the historian Shlomo Sand in his book “The Invention of the Jewish People” that Jews have no common origin but are a miscellany of people in Europe and Central Asia who converted to Judaism at various times.

Jewish communities from Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasus all have substantial genetic ancestry that traces back to the Levant; Ethiopian Jews and two Judaic communities in India are genetically much closer to their host populations.

The surveys provide rich data about genetic ancestry that is of great interest to historians. “I’m constantly impressed by the manner in which the geneticists keep moving ahead with new projects and illuminating what we know of history,” said Lawrence H. Schiffman, a professor of Judaic studies at New York University.

One of the surveys was conducted by Gil Atzmon of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Harry Ostrer of New York University, and appears in the current American Journal of Human Genetics. The other, led by Doron M. Behar of the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa and Richard Villems of the University of Tartu in Estonia, is published in Thursday’s edition of Nature.

Dr. Atzmon and Dr. Ostrer have developed a way of timing demographic events from the genetic elements shared by different Jewish communities. Their calculations show that Iraqi and Iranian Jews separated from other Jewish communities about 2,500 years ago. This genetic finding presumably reflects a historical event, the destruction of the First Temple at Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. and the exile of many Jews there to his capital at Babylon.

The shared genetic elements suggest that members of any Jewish community are related to one another as closely as are fourth or fifth cousins in a large population, which is about 10 times higher than the relationship between two people chosen at random off the streets of New York City, Dr. Atzmon said.

Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews have roughly 30 percent European ancestry, with most of the rest from the Middle East, the two surveys find. The two communities seem very similar to each other genetically, which is unexpected because they have been separated for so long.

[Derek]

When they were held captive in Babylon from 587-539 that changed their religion from focusing on the Davidic Kingship to being a religion of prophesy and hope. While they were in Babylon they would've heard stories of their mythologies which led to the P source in the Old Testament. They would've been there during the lifetime of Zarathustra who spoke of 3 virgin births to come. After this, the prophets would've preached about a coming Savior and the scribes would've written about it.... ISAIAH

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

The two genome surveys extend earlier studies based just on the Y chromosome, the genetic element carried by all men. They refute the suggestion made last year by the historian Shlomo Sand in his book “The Invention of the Jewish People”’ that Jews have no common origin but are a miscellany of people in Europe and Central Asia who converted to Judaism at various times.

You don’t need genome surveys to know Shlomo Sand is an anti-Zionist who denies truth, all you have to do is believe the word of God.

[Derek]

The two genome surveys extend earlier studies based just on the Y chromosome, the genetic element carried by all men. They refute the suggestion made last year by the historian Shlomo Sand in his book “The Invention of the Jewish People”’ that Jews have no common origin but are a miscellany of people in Europe and Central Asia who converted to Judaism at various times.

You don’t need genome surveys to know Shlomo Sand is an anti-Zionist who denies truth, all you have to do is believe the word of God.

What is the Word of God and according to who is it God's Word?

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

The two genome surveys extend earlier studies based just on the Y chromosome, the genetic element carried by all men. They refute the suggestion made last year by the historian Shlomo Sand in his book “The Invention of the Jewish People”’ that Jews have no common origin but are a miscellany of people in Europe and Central Asia who converted to Judaism at various times.

You don’t need genome surveys to know Shlomo Sand is an anti-Zionist who denies truth, all you have to do is believe the word of God.

What is the Word of God and according to who is it God's Word?

Well, to begin with:  Since Jesus Christ quoted from the Old Testament and called it the word of God, that would mean Jesus Christ accepted the Old Testament as the word of God. 

You’re really not very bright considering you call yourself a “Christian” yet argue with Christ over what is and is not the word of God.

[Derek]

The two genome surveys extend earlier studies based just on the Y chromosome, the genetic element carried by all men. They refute the suggestion made last year by the historian Shlomo Sand in his book “The Invention of the Jewish People”’ that Jews have no common origin but are a miscellany of people in Europe and Central Asia who converted to Judaism at various times.

You don’t need genome surveys to know Shlomo Sand is an anti-Zionist who denies truth, all you have to do is believe the word of God.

What is the Word of God and according to who is it God's Word?

Well, to begin with:  Since Jesus Christ quoted from the Old Testament and called it the word of God, that would mean Jesus Christ accepted the Old Testament as the word of God. 

You’re really not very bright considering you call yourself a “Christian” yet argue with Christ over what is and is not the word of God.

Who said that Christ quoted the Old Testament? It is the pen of scribes who claim that. Just like Jeremiah 8:8 when it tells how the law was written by the lying pen of scribes. I'm not taking a side. I'm trying to get people to think outside the box.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Who said that Christ quoted the Old Testament? It is the pen of scribes who claim that. Just like Jeremiah 8:8 when it tells how the law was written by the lying pen of scribes.

i already went over Jer 8:8 and proved that it does not say that the scribes miscopied the Law, but rather that the people went along with the scribes (priests) false teachings.

----

I'm not taking a side. I'm trying to get people to think outside the box.

yeah, just like Satan got Eve to think "outside of the box" (i.e. reject the word of God)

[The Mikado]

Not a huge surprise.  People advocating alternate theories like the whole "modern Jews are descended from the Khazars and have nothing to do with the Jews of Roman and pre-Roman times" tend to be motivated by sensationalist contrarianism at best and anti-Semitism at worst.

What is surprising is how close the blood links between the Sephardim and the Ashkenazim are.  500 years is a long time for divergent bloodlines.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Hardly the first study to show this.

[The Mikado]

Hardly the first study to show this.

Al, I know this isn't the first survey to suggest that Jews came out of the Middle East in the time period in question, or that they diverged from Babylonian Jewry in roughly 500 BCE.  However, this is the first study I remember seeing describing an incredibly close blood relationship between modern-day Ashkenazim and Sephardim.  Has that been generally accepted for a while?  There are huge cultural and linguistic differences between the groups, and while it might not be the most surprising thing in the world that they're still closely related, it's certainly interesting.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Al, I know this isn't the first survey to suggest that Jews came out of the Middle East in the time period in question, or that they diverged from Babylonian Jewry in roughly 500 BCE.  However, this is the first study I remember seeing describing an incredibly close blood relationship between modern-day Ashkenazim and Sephardim.  Has that been generally accepted for a while?

Ah, right. I didn't catch that part. The answer is that I don't know.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Makes sense though, when you remember the reality of persecution and enforced segregation in Europe.

[Derek]

Who said that Christ quoted the Old Testament? It is the pen of scribes who claim that. Just like Jeremiah 8:8 when it tells how the law was written by the lying pen of scribes.

i already went over Jer 8:8 and proved that it does not say that the scribes miscopied the Law, but rather that the people went along with the scribes (priests) false teachings.

----

I'm not taking a side. I'm trying to get people to think outside the box.

yeah, just like Satan got Eve to think "outside of the box" (i.e. reject the word of God)

Jeremiah 8:8 directly says that the law of the Old Testament is a lie. It doesn't say it was miscopied. You and I agree on that. Rather it is an ALL OUT LIE!!!!!!!!!!! most likely for political purposes. You FAILED to answer my question about according to whom is the Bible the Word of God? Satan in ancient Hebrew means opposition or accuser. Fruit from the tree of knowledge is blatantly and allegory to man's path towards finding knowledge. Once we saw "outside of the box" we were no longer captive in Eden.

[fezzyfestoon]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

So you are part-Jewish and part-Austrian?

[fezzyfestoon]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

So you are part-Jewish and part-Austrian?

I'm not Austrian, I just lived there.  My mom's mom's parents were Jewish though.  And now my mom's mom insists I am.

[phk]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

So you are part-Jewish and part-Austrian?

I'm not Austrian, I just lived there.  My mom's mom's parents were Jewish though.  And now my mom's mom insists I am.

Halachically speaking you are.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

So you are part-Jewish and part-Austrian?

I'm not Austrian, I just lived there.  My mom's mom's parents were Jewish though.  And now my mom's mom insists I am.

What do you consider yourself?

[fezzyfestoon]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

So you are part-Jewish and part-Austrian?

I'm not Austrian, I just lived there.  My mom's mom's parents were Jewish though.  And now my mom's mom insists I am.

Halachically speaking you are.

Yeah, but I don't believe their religion or their laws so it still makes no sense...even though it does to them.

[fezzyfestoon]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

So you are part-Jewish and part-Austrian?

I'm not Austrian, I just lived there.  My mom's mom's parents were Jewish though.  And now my mom's mom insists I am.

What do you consider yourself?

Nothing.  Religion plays no part in my life.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

So you are part-Jewish and part-Austrian?

I'm not Austrian, I just lived there.  My mom's mom's parents were Jewish though.  And now my mom's mom insists I am.

What do you consider yourself?

Nothing.  Religion plays no part in my life.

In terms of ethnicity though? Jews alone seem to be both a religious group and an ethnicity...

[fezzyfestoon]

Cool, I guess I'm part Middle Eastern.

So you are part-Jewish and part-Austrian?

I'm not Austrian, I just lived there.  My mom's mom's parents were Jewish though.  And now my mom's mom insists I am.

What do you consider yourself?

Nothing.  Religion plays no part in my life.

In terms of ethnicity though? Jews alone seem to be both a religious group and an ethnicity...

Well, the Jewish parts of me were from Germany and Russia so I consider them German and Russian.  Then there's a big mashup of other things including some black and Native American mixed in and I guess Middle Eastern from waaaaay back.  All things considered I'm just a typical European white.

[Derek]

We all go back to the primates or aliens depending on what you think.