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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2010-07 > 1280597475


From: SVass <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] Jewish DNA
Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:31:15 -0700
References: <mailman.18287.1280594631.11644.genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com>
In-Reply-To: <mailman.18287.1280594631.11644.genealogy-dna@rootsweb.com>


I assume that you wish to know if your yDNA, mtDNA, and/or autosomal DNA has a similarity to those with Sephardic ancestry. Each of these can and has been tested by various means. Two recent papers discuss autosomal connections:
Abraham’s Children in the Genome Era: Major Jewish Diaspora Populations Comprise Distinct Genetic Clusters with Shared Middle Eastern Ancestry, 2010, Ostrer et alii
and The genome-wide structure of the Jewish people, 2010, by Behar et alii. Family Finder at FTDNA and Relative Finder at 23andMe offer tests and comparisons for most people.

Behar wrote a study on Jewish mtDNA. As to yDNA, most studies are ancient (read obsolete) and incomplete as many new SNPs and clusters particularly in your R1b1b2 haplogroup confuse the issue. I would suggest a Deep Clade test from FTDNA and checking your actual data for 67 markers against http://www.familytreedna.com/public/JewishR1b/ to see if there are any matches versus those at http://www.familytreedna.com/public/R1b-U152/default.aspx

PS-A Jewish mother was required only during a limited span of time and only by some groups.

Sam Vass, Kent, WA, USA
C27F2 at ysearch and mitosearch
Ashkenazi and Sephardic in both y and mt DNA haplogroups


On Jul 31, 2010, patrick holland wrote:

> I have been following the extensive discussion about the DNA evidence of Sephardic Jewish ancestry in the contemporary inhabitants of places
> such as Mexico and other places in the New World where Jews settled following the Jewish diaspora from Spain during the 400 years of the
> Spanish Inquisition.
>
> From an Anthropological perspective, a Jew is, by definition , someone who is born of a Jewish mother, it has nothing to do with DNA.
> Therefore, I ask myself, from a genealogical perspective, what is, ' Jewish DNA ' ?
> ......
> According to my Y-DNA test, I belong to Haplogroup R1b1b2 . I have a DYS 391=10, so my Haplotype is a ,Type # 6 , variation of the Atlantic Modal
> Haplotype. Therefore, I may have Sephardic Jewish ancestry if any of my ancestors came from the Sephardic Jewish community which settled in
> the Netherlands. So what DNA tests can I have done which will tell me if I have Sephardic ancestry ? I know that FTDNA have a Jewish
> ancestry test.. Has anybody had it done ?
>
> In conclusion, does anybody know if a comparative study of DNA has been done in contemporary Israel on individuals of Arab and Jewish ethnicity
> which has been able to prove that a distinctive, ' Jewish DNA ' actually exists ?


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