Genes of Sephardic Jews still strong in Spain

Reuters ^ | Dec. 5, 2008 | Teresa Larraz

[decimon]

MADRID (Reuters) – From the 15th century on, Spain's Jews were mostly expelled or forced to convert, but today some 20 percent of Spanish genes can be traced to Sephardic Jews, a study has found.

A report in the American Journal of Human Genetics says almost a fifth of Spaniards' genes are of Sephardic Jewish origin and another 11 percent can be traced to North Africa.

"The genetic composition of the current population is the legacy of our diverse cultural and religious past," one of the report's authors, Francesc Calafell, from the evolutionary biology faculty at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, said on Friday.

Along with researchers from Leicester University in England and the Wellcome Trust, the study analyzed DNA samples from 1,140 men in Spain, Portugal and the Balearic Islands and compared them to established data on Moroccans, Algerians, and Sephardic Jews in Istanbul and Israel.

[decimon]

Care for some matzoh with that paella?

[Unassuaged]

“or forced to convert, but today some 20 percent of Spanish genes can be traced to Sephardic Jews, a study has found.
“

replace ‘but’ with ‘so it is no suprise that’

-Geesh!

[I Buried My Guns]

Or a nice Chianti along with those potato pancakes w/ sour cream. They are awesome.

Thinking, thinking......LATKES!

[decimon]

Or a nice Chianti along with those potato pancakes w/ sour cream.

Well, chianti is Italian but Tony Soprano did say that Italians are Jews with better food.

[I Buried My Guns]

I drew a blank when it came to Spanish wine. I know they have a long and varied history with wine, but I drew a blank. I barely was able to recall “Latkes”.

[Betis70]

Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Jerez (aka Sherry), Cava (sparkling wine, Freixenet)...

[MeanWestTexan]

This same story is true in Mexico and the old Texas families.

(Full disclosure; I was a known Sephard and participating in several rounds of the genetic testing as a bit of a base line.)

[BGHater]

ping.

[decimon]

This same story is true in Mexico and the old Texas families.

I think that was discussed here at FR a few years ago. There were suddenly a lot of stories about the possible Jewish heritage of some Hispanic groups.

[decimon]

Are those Obama jeans? If you put the legs together at the knees...

[MeanWestTexan]

It is no doubt true.

My mother’s family was literally expelled from Spain, to Portugal, then got a Spanish land grant as a means of escape.

A big part of the Texas Revolution was the revolutionary promise to permit Jews to practice their religion openly — Jews not only supplied money but fought — with at least one (Antony Wolfe) dying in the Alamo, for example.

[martin_fierro]

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[nkycincinnatikid]

I try to stay away from the televisio, on principle.
Truely, since puberty.
Last night I stopped by at the televisione chambre and sat while a show called “friends”? aired.
It is something my wife has started to watch recently.
I thought it was about gay people at first.
But it became deadly serious because of a wedding and guess what?
It became all about jewish folks.
I did not stay to sort out if they were askenasi or sephardic or levi strauss.

[nkycincinnatikid]

Ooops , my wife said we were watching Will and Grace. NTIM.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

additional info at this later topic:

Spanish Inquisition left genetic legacy in Iberia
New Scientist | 04 December 2008 | Ewen Callaway
Posted on 12/05/2008 1:47:19 PM PST by forkinsocket
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2143658/posts

[xzins]

Genetics and Jewishness.

[AnalogReigns]

It will be interesting to hear how the DNA profiles from other European countries compare to Spain.

Apparently up until the Nazis many millions of Jews lived in Germany—as since the 1500s it had been one of the most tolerant places in Europe for Jews. One reason Hitler could murder so many is that there were so many, many German Jews there available... (I’m sure one reason for Germany’s historic academically advanced culture is due to the Jewish presence). I’ve heard rumors of a Jewish ancestor or two in my mother’s line—going back to Germany.

Besides “forced” conversions, every generation sees a few voluntary conversions, and intermarriage with gentile neighbors. This is a big reason why certain of the ultra-Orthodox Jews want to have absolutely no gentile friends....

[Clemenza]

It was very common for socially prominent Jews in my paternal ancestral homeland (Poland) to intermarry with the Polish aristocracy. Hell, there were even prominent Polish gentiles who CONVERTED TO JUDAISM. See the work of Adam Zamoyski for a more detailed description of this trend.

The "Italian" side of my family is probably largely Greek and Phoenecian. Many members of the Polish side of my family (especially my grandma's side) have features similar to the Roma (gypsies), so I think I am long overdue for a DNA test to determine my true ethnic heritage.