Analysis of Ashkenazi Jewish genomes reveals diversity, history

Emory University ^ | August 26, 2010 | Quinn Eastman

[decimon]

Too dense for a casual read. For me, anyway.

[decimon]

Ping

[wideawake]

The high level of heterozygosity compared to the European average is not surprising in the slightest.

In the medieval period, Ashkenazim were the most well-traveled people in the world. It was hardly uncommon for Jewish couples to be comprised of a man and a woman who were born in communities located hundreds of miles away from one another at a time when most Christian Europeans married people who were born in a 20 mile radius of their own birthplace.

I'm not sure why this is being represented as an unexpected find.

[Talisker]

The high level of heterozygosity compared to the European average is not surprising in the slightest. In the medieval period, Ashkenazim were the most well-traveled people in the world.

Agreed. "The Wandering Jew" became almost a mythological label, they were driven away from towns and cities an a regular basis, laws were passed prohibiting them from participation in long lists of professions, and pogroms were enacted against them by numerous groups

If they now didn't have a spread of genetic diversity as a result, that would be the real surprise.

Although come to think of it, perhaps this article is a refutation of the Jewish insistence of genetic/racial purity?

[idov]

Wherever Jews lived for more than a few generations they absorbed the DNA of surrounding peoples. The Ethiopians came back to Israel looking like Ethiopians, the Indians looking like others in India, the Yemenites like the Yemenites, the Morrocans like the Morrocans and all those pale faces from Europe looking like the pale faces there. “Racial purity” is a concept of our enemies. Israelis marry Israelis no matter what their origin except perhaps in extreme fringe ultra-Orthodox groups who are out of step with the society in this and every other matter.

[wideawake]

Although come to think of it, perhaps this article is a refutation of the Jewish insistence of genetic/racial purity?

I'm not aware of any such claim being made by Jews.

The traditional Jewish claim is that all Jews are matrilineal descendants of Abraham except for the most recent converts.

That has little to do with any post-Enlightenment obsession with "racial purity" and more to do with the perennial notion of rightful inheritance.

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks decimon. ...genetically more diverse than people of European descent, despite previous assumptions that Ashkenazi Jews have been an isolated population. In addition, analyses of disease-related genes of higher prevalence in the Ashkenazi Jewish population indicate that only a minority of traits show signs of positive selection, suggesting that most have arisen through random genetic drift... The researchers were able to estimate that between 35 and 55 percent of the modern Ashkenazi genome comes from European descent... The two strongest differences between the Ashkenazi and European populations were on chromosome 2 and 12. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[Mmogamer]

Thought it said gnomes...

[blam]

The Ashkenazi Jews are reported to have the highest IQ of any other group in the world.

Eighty percent of the Jewish immigrants to the US are the Ashkenazi Jews.

Millions Of Jews Traced To Four Women

Study identifies genetic signatures for 3.5 million

"NEW YORK — About 3.5 million of today’s Ashkenazi Jews — 40 percent of the total Ashkenazi population — are descended from just four women, a genetic study indicates."

"Those women apparently lived somewhere in Europe within the last 2,000 years, but not necessarily in the same place or even the same century, said lead author Dr. Doron Behar of the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel."

[snip]

[Alas Babylon!]

I wonder if Emory University got Saudi funding for this study?

The Muslims/Arabs are keen on proving the land of Israel, which they call by its Roman name, Palestine, is Arab—not Jewish.

“Proving” the Jews are European rather than Middle Eastern has been a pet project of them.

[martin_fierro]

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[Jaded]

I thought it said “gnomes”. I really need MORE coffee.

[colorado tanker]

"NEW YORK — About 3.5 million of today’s Ashkenazi Jews — 40 percent of the total Ashkenazi population — are descended from just four women, a genetic study indicates."

. . . . and they were really, really tired.

[SunkenCiv]

Jewish gnome now, but if you hold it in your hand it turns into a suitcase.

[misappropriated old punchline alert]

[pabianice]

I understood “of,” “and,” and “the.”

[paulycy]

Thought it said gnomes...

So did I. Lol!

[tbw2]

Could the fact that the Jewish population was small and dispersed but connected in trade also be a factor? They had to search far for mates, increasing heterozygosity.

[Yaelle]

So can the Federation and synagogues lay off slamming us for intermarrying, as long as we raise ‘em up fully Jewish?? It’s not like the old timers weren’t always doing the same darn thing!

Also, interesting to see the proof that Jews are less likely to be able to tolerate milk, and less likely to have problems with alcohol. We knew it but now we know why.

[Yaelle]

The traditional Jewish claim is that all Jews are matrilineal descendants of Abraham except for the most recent converts.

Once you convert, you are not a convert. You are a Jew. There is no second class of Judaism; at least there is not supposed to be.

Jews are born with a Jewish soul, or neshama. If someone converts to Judaism, they always had that neshama. Time is not a necessary construct for our Maker.

Therefore it doesn't matter how much "Jewish blood" you supposedly have, genetically. Though as we see by this study, at least half our blood is genetically Jewish too.

[wideawake]

I understand the concept - my point is that converts are not matrilineal descendants of Abraham in the way that most people who are born into Jewish families are.

Eventually, as their children marry, their descendants will acquire that matrilineal ancestry over time.

I am not suggesting that converts are considered less Jewish - just pointing out that Jews do not picture themselves as a "race", but as a family.