People share over 99% of our DNA with one another, and no single gene is unique to people of a particular ancestral region. The https://internalancestrysupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/53933316730515-/hc/en-au/articles/53933330544787-Update-Q2-2022-218-New-Communities https://internalancestrysupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/53933269700243-/hc/en-us/articles/53933269959827-/hc/en-us/articles/53933318476179-/hc/en-us/articles/53933340474387-test explores the less than 1% of DNA that varies among humans to estimate the populations your ancestors came from. Our ancestral regions measure the amounts of shared DNA. When DNA data forms a cluster around people who share similar frequencies of some genes, we turn that cluster into an https://internalancestrysupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/53933316730515-/hc/en-au/articles/53933330544787-Update-Q2-2022-218-New-Communities region.
People aren’t naturally divided into definable genetic populations. In general, the more contact one population of people has with another population, the more DNA those two groups share. In the same way, when a population is isolated from other people, the more genetically distinct it becomes. A group of people can be isolated due to geographic barriers, like mountains or bodies of water, or for cultural reasons, like language or religion.
The history of the Jewish people can be traced back to a part of the Middle East known as the ancient Levant or ancient Canaan. Judaism is the faith of the ancient Hebrew people, or ancient Israelites, and its sacred text is the Hebrew Bible. The Babylonian destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE led to their first exile. Though they were later able to return, the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE led to the Jewish people’s dispersal throughout the world in what is known as the Jewish Diaspora. These Jewish communities share a common history and have perpetuated Jewish traditions.
Through this geographical dispersion, several sub-ethnic groups emerged. The three main groups are the Azhkenazim, the Sepharadim, and the Mizrahim. Today, Ashkenazi Jews constitute over 80% of the Jewish population worldwide. This population had historically settled in the Rhineland Valley before fleeing to Eastern and Central Europe due to persecution in the Middle Ages. These Jewish communities in Eastern and Central Europe were decimated during the Holocaust.
Sephardic Jews originally settled in the Iberian Peninsula. Their expulsion from this area in the 15th century gave rise to many Sephardic diasporas, notably in North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean area. Mizrahi Jews—meaning “Eastern”—come from several communities in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Their oldest and largest communities were in modern Iraq, Iran, and Yemen.
While these subgroups share a common history and common rituals, they also developed their own traditions, languages, and cultural identities. These Jewish subgroups also share distinct genetic heritage. For instance, people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage may be at higher risk for some cancers due to hereditary genetic mutations.
What it means to be Jewish is a complex issue, and being Jewish can mean different things to different people. It can be a matter of religion, and for religious purposes, being Jewish is traditionally defined as being born to a Jewish mother. But being Jewish can also be a matter of ancestry, ethnicity, and culture. In other words, Jews may be atheists and still identify as Jewish because of their religion, culture, or ancestry. Conversely, people may also convert to Judaism and, therefore, identify as Jewish because of their faith rather than their lineage.