Who Are Ashkenazi Jews?

If you’re wondering, “Who Are Ashkenazi Jews?” then you’ve come to the right place. Read on to discover more about this ancient Jewish group. Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazim or Ashkenazic Jews, coalesced during the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the 1st millennium CE. Here, we’ll cover their Origin, Migration, Diseases, and Genetic Testing.

Origin

Most Ashkenazim trace their roots back to Eastern Europe. The Ashkenazim now make up about 80 percent of the world’s Jewry. Their ancestors originally came from present-day Israel and made their way to Europe during the Roman period. By the ninth century, they were settling in Rhineland cities. They also originated in North Africa, where they were known as Sephardic Jews.

Recent DNA research has resolved an old debate about the origin of Ashkenazi Jews. According to the study, the majority of the maternal lineage of Ashkenazi Jews is derived from Europe. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Huddersfield and used archaeogenetics to study early Near Eastern migrations. It is important to note that the majority of the female lineage of Ashkenazi Jews is believed to have come from southern and western Europe.

Other recent studies have been able to confirm this fact. The use of Geographic Population Structure (GPS) to trace AJs’ migration patterns suggests that most of them were located along ancient trade routes in northeastern Turkey, adjacent to primeval villages with names resembling “Ashkenaz.” While the results supported the Iraniano-Turko-Slavic origin of the Ashkenazi people, the Rhineland hypothesis advocated Levantine and German ancestry.

Similarly, Yiddish is another key identifier of Ashkenazi Jews. Literally, Yiddishkeit referred to Jewishness. Originally, this meant studying Torah for men and living in a family and communal life governed by Jewish Law. In their secular lives, Jews tended to speak a dialect of Yiddish. This language, Yiddish, became widely spoken and even incorporated into Jewish religious rituals.

Migration

The migration of Ashkenazi Jews to the United States was unprecedented in both volume and diversity. By the fifteenth century, Ashkenazi Jewish communities occupied the largest portion of the Jewish population in the Diaspora. By the eighteenth century, the Ashkenazi Jews were outnumbered by Sephardim three to two. As living conditions improved, Ashkenazim began to gain ground and outnumber Sephardim. In the early twentieth century, Ashkenazim comprised nearly 90% of world Jewry. By 1930, Arthur Ruppin estimated that Ashkenazim made up 92 percent of the Jewish population. As a result of their migration patterns, Ashkenazim became concentrated in the Eastern European continent and eventually overtook Sephardim.

These results support the theory that Ashkenazi Jews migrated to Europe via different routes. The migration route of Ashkenazi Jews has been argued to have followed the Rhine Valley and Italy. The migration of Sephardic Jews, however, may have followed the gradual expansion of Islam. In addition, Ashkenazi Jews carry a Middle Eastern haplogroup, R-M2619, and E-M123. While there is no conclusive evidence to support these theories, they do show the migration of Ashkenazi Jews to Europe was a major force.

The vast majority of Ashkenazi Jews came to the United States between 1820 and 1880. This migration largely reflected economic hardships and the lack of opportunities for Jews in their native countries. After arriving in the United States, many Ashkenazi Jews assimilated to cities, became part of the working class, spoke Yiddish, and formed strong networks of organizations. The migration of Ashkenazi Jews to America never reached its peak, and the immigration of other European Jewish groups remained at relatively low levels.

Diseases

Diseases of Ashkenazi Jews are genetically distinct from other Jewish populations and modern European ethnic groups. This is due to a “bottleneck effect” which reduces the genetic diversity of the population, which leads to more closely related marriages and the spread of genetic diseases. This study was conducted by two scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Feinstein Institute for Psychiatric Research in New York.

A study published in the American Psychiatric Association claimed that mental illness is a genetic disease. In that article, Dr. Arnold A. Hutschnecker, a New York psychiatrist who served as personal physician to US President Nixon, said that a disease involving mental illness is endemic to the Jewish population. He went on to claim that Jews are the main carriers of a range of genetically contagious diseases, including schizophrenia.

The study also found that genetic diseases of Ashkenazi Jews can be traced to the ancestors of this population. Ashkenazim, who make up 80% of the world’s Jewish population, descended from 350 people about six thousand and eight hundred years ago. In fact, the Ashkenazi family inherited a gene responsible for schizophrenia, which has been linked to several different diseases.

While the majority of Ashkenazim were Europeans, Sephardim were Arabs, and some had African blood. These two major branches of Jewry were created within the boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire, and during the Middle Ages, the Ashkenazim were subjected to a real witch hunt. They were hunted like wild animals and killed in ways beyond logic. They were also labelled as ‘heretics’.

Genetic testing

A new test can help determine if you or your partner is a carrier of the BRCA gene, a common genetic disorder that affects the female reproductive system. Genetic counselors work with primary-care providers to find out whether or not a carrier is prone to certain cancers, including breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Genetic counseling is also recommended for anyone thinking about having children. Genetic testing for Ashkenazi Jews may be useful for identifying genetic risk factors in a family, including pre-existing conditions.

The panel also includes diseases that affect the pancreas, including familial hyperinsulinism. Children affected by this condition often develop low blood sugar levels during their newborn period or first year. Some children suffer seizures, poor muscle tone, and sleeping disorders. Left untreated, the condition can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system and sometimes result in the need for pancreas surgery. Genetic testing for Ashkenazi Jews is now available.

The test may also detect diseases such as Niemann-Pick disease, which alters lipid metabolism in the body. It can affect the liver, brain, and bone marrow, and can interfere with the child’s hearing, vision, and balance. Genetic testing for Ashkenazi Jews is available at a variety of health care facilities. Some labs use saliva or blood samples, while others use a blood sample. Depending on the results, it may take weeks to receive the results.

While the traditional approach to genetic testing for AJ individuals is still under debate, genetic providers have discovered that BRCA founder mutations are common among those with Ashkenazi ancestry and a personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer. As a result, new panels have been developed to identify a wide variety of mutations in the BRCA gene. These new panel tests are more comprehensive and include more genes than before.

Historical claim to land of Israel

The Jewish people base their claim to the land of Israel on four premises: that God promised the country to the patriarch Abraham; the land was settled and developed by Jewish people; and the international community granted sovereignty over Palestine to the Jewish people. Finally, the Jewish people captured the land in defensive wars. As a result, the land became known as Palestine. In the 20th century, the Ashkenazi Jews began to claim sovereignty over this territory.

The Jewish people were not expelled from the land of Israel during the Middle Ages; they were dispersed by various conquering powers throughout history. By the ninth and tenth centuries, the Jewish population grew considerably. The Arabs and Turks did not rule the land during this time, and Jews populated many cities in the Galilee, such as Jerusalem. In the early 19th century, a British census revealed that Jerusalem had a majority of Jews. A century later, the Ottomans confirmed that Jews were two-thirds of the city’s population.

The Ashkenazi Jews claim the land of Israel because the ancient Jewish people had no other place to go. According to the Biblical story, Abraham migrated to the land of Israel 4,000 years ago, raised a family, and purchased land to bury his wife and himself. Then, his son Jacob, named Israel by God, grew up in the area and had twelve sons. These twelve tribes would later form the Jewish nation. King Saul later unified all of these groups into one nation. The city of Jerusalem was the capital, and King David bought the mountain for 50 shekels of silver.

While the Ashkenazi Jews have made significant contributions to the country of Palestine and other lands around the world, their claim to Jerusalem cannot be based solely on the existence of the Jewish people. The claim is not grounded in security reasons, but on religious and cultural roots. This connection nourishes the Jewish national identity. And in this way, it is impossible to ignore the Jewish claim to the Holy Land.