Thank you to Jan Meisels Allen, IAJGS Vice President for sharing this A new genetic study of Jews from North Africa led by Dr. Harry Ostrer, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in New York City, provided evidence that Middle Eastern Jews settled in the region during Classical Antiquity, married local populations and formed distinct populations that remained largely intact for more than 2,000 years. Dr. Ostrer, has a video where he talks about the study which may be viewed at: http://www.einstein.yu.edu/. Dr. Ostrer noted that obtaining a comprehensive genetic fingerprint of various Jewish subpopulations can help reveal genetic links to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other common diseases. The study found, North African Jews exhibited marriage within their own religious and cultural group in accordance with custom (endogamy). Two major subgroups within this overall population were identified: Moroccan/Algerian Jews and Djerban (Tunisian)/Libyan Jews. The two subgroups varied in their degree of European mixture, with Moroccan/Algerian Jews tending to be more related to Europeans-most likely stemming from the expulsion of Sephardic Jews from Spain during the Inquisition, starting in 1492. To read the press release go to: http://tinyurl.com/9gzp7q4 original url: http://www.einstein.yu.edu/news/releases/824/new-study-defines-the-genetic-map-of-the-jewish-diasporas/ The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and may be obtained for a fee at: http://tinyurl.com/93talwy original URL: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/07/31/1204840109.full.pdf+html?sid=df1abe4e-cac7-4e53-9c06-cbdd88c82200 In a previous study by in 2010, Dr. Ostrer, found that Jews from the major Diaspora groups formed a distinct population cluster, albeit one that is closely related to European and Middle Eastern non-Jewish populations. The genetic analysis showed that the two major groups, Middle Eastern Jews and European Jews, diverged from each other approximately 2,500 years ago. Information on that study may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/93fth7p original url: http://www.einstein.yu.edu/news/releases/509/study-finds-genetic-links-among-jewish-people/
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