65 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An element of interest for everyone, November 25, 2004
This review is from: DNA and Tradition: The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews (Paperback)
Whether or not genetics is your forte, DNA & Tradition: The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews has an element of interest for everyone. Professor Karl Skorecki says as much in the book's preface, when he quotes Albert Einstein: "If you can't explain something to your grandmother, then you probably don't really understand it."
With DNA and Tradition, Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman has written a book, if not for his grandmother, then for the scientifically challenged, like myself.
The premise is simple enough. If all kohanim descended from Aaron, the first high priest of Israel, then they should share certain genetic traits.
From there it becomes more technical. A sampling of Jewish males from Israel, England, and North America were asked to contribute cheek cells in order to extract their DNA. From that study, 98.5 percent of the kohanim tested were found to have the YAP (Y-chromosome Alu Polymorphism) marker.
In a second study, scientists collected more DNA samples and expanded their selection of Y-chromosome markers. Confirming their hypothesis, they discovered that a particular array of six chromosome markers was found in 97 of 106 kohanim tested. The odds against this happening by chance are less than 1 in 10,000.
This set of markers is now known as the Cohen Modal Haplotype (CMH). In Skorecki's words, "the simplest, most straightforward explanation is that these men have the Y-chromosome of Aaron. The study suggests that a 3,000-year-old tradition is correct and has a biological counterpart."
Motivated by the findings, more scientists got on board. By analyzing the Y-chromosome, which is passed virtually unchanged from father to son, they sought to ascertain whether "the scattered groups of modern Jews are actually the modified descendants of the ancient Hebrews of the Bible."
The samplings were expanded to include 29 different population groups (seven of which were Jewish). These populations were divided into five groups: Jews, Middle-Eastern non-Jews, Europeans, North Africans, and sub-Saharan Africans. The findings proved that Sephardi (from the Near East) and Ashkenazi (from Europe) Jews have nearly identical genetic profiles.
This profile, they subsequently discovered, is of Middle Eastern origin. Among other factors, this discovery is attributable to a low rate of intermarriage between Diaspora Jews and local gentiles.
"Since the Jews first settled in Europe more than 50 generations ago, the intermarriage rate was estimated to be only about 0.5%... Ashkenazi Jews are still closer genetically to Sephardic and Kurdish Jews than to any other population."
Interestingly, among the Jewish communities sampled, North Africans are thought to be the closest genetically to the Jewish/Hebrew population of the First Temple period around 2,500 years ago.
WHILE THESE discoveries may not impinge on Halacha, the implications are no less salient. Dr. Harry Ostrer, chairman of the Human Genetics Program at New York University, sums it up: "Recent work from genetics labs has validated the biblical record of a Semitic people who chose a Jewish way of life several thousand years ago. These observations are the biological equivalent to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls."
Kleiman furthers the significance when he quotes the famous sage, the Hafetz Haim: "We will immediately need kohanim [when the Temple is rebuilt] who are knowledgeable in the Service. Without kohanim there is no purpose to the building of the Temple."
Peppered throughout the book are biblical references to various prophecies and promises. One example is the ingathering of the exiles - something Israel is witnessing now as it receives a huge influx of immigrants from Peru to Ethiopia. Some of these people are considered to be members of the Lost Tribes, and these genetic breakthroughs have helped legitimize their status.
One example is the community of Djerba, off the coast of Tunisia, which has a tradition of having arrived there before the destruction of the Temple. They also have a group of people who consider themselves kohanim. In the past, such claims have been hard to prove and uncomfortable to question. Now, however, scientists can genetically test a sample of these kohanim, and have discovered that they all have the CMH.
Kleiman also dedicates parts of the book to the history of kohanim, the history of the Jewish Exile, and various accounts of Lost Tribes. He provides many interesting tidbits about the origins of some Jewish names.
For instance, the common Sephardi last name Mazeh is an acronym of the Hebrew words mizera aharon hakohen - from the seed of Aaron the Priest. Similarly, the popular Ashkenazi last name Katz is often an abbreviation of kohen-tzedek, or righteous priest. Another common name, Rappaport, is said to have come with the family of 16th century Rabbi Avraham Menahem Hakohen Rapa, of Porto, Italy.
One of the more compelling quotes I came across was from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: "The kabbalists actually maintained that everything that exists is the result of tzerufim - various permutations of the letters of an alphabet. It now turns out that this is not a metaphor at all. It is actually, literally true... the DNA string of those characters is all a series of letters - A, C, G, and T - which, as it were, extend to perform this huge language that is the DNA."
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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for those interested in the Bible, genealogy, and anthropology., January 3, 2006
This review is from: DNA and Tradition: The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews (Paperback)
This is a groundbreaking book for those interested in the authenticity of the Hebrew Bible, anthropology, genealogy, and diaspora peoples. The title and role of the Kohan, a Jew descended from the priestly cast of Aaron has been passed down orally for millennia from father to son. Until the discovery of DNA there was no way to test these claims. The scientists in this book actually find a unique gene among the Kohanim, priests. The Y-Chromosome is passed virtually unbroken patrilineally as mitochondrial DNA is passed matrilineally. This is a fascinating testimony as the Jewish people have been in exile, and often persecuted, for two millennia. This gene is found among Kohanim from all parts of the world. The author points out that groups of people can look very different but carry very similar genetic make up. The scientists also put to rest the myth that European Jews don't have any real claim to Sinai as they were descended from the Khazarim. The story goes that the Khazars, a kingdom of Central Asians converted to Judaism after hearing arguments from the three monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The author points out that this could very well be true, but that the DNA proves that the Askenazim/ European as well as Sephardic/ North African and Middle Eastern Jews share common set of genetics.
The author also explores legends of lost tribes and DNA tests of some Mormon claims. Several genealogical websites are provided; including a few that would be of interests to the general public. This book is brief, well organized and easy for the layman to read. It is well documented without being cumbersome.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scattered and Gathered, September 3, 2006
This review is from: DNA and Tradition: The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews (Paperback)
This remarkable book reveals recent discoveries in molecular genetics that provide scientific confirmation of Biblical and oral tradition. For those completely unfamiliar with genetics, it is advised to read chapter four first. The basics of DNA are covered there, including the history of its discovery and key concepts like genes, the human genome poject, genetic markers and mitrochondrial DNA (mtDNA).
Using DNA analysis, it has become possible to find definite answers to questions of Biblical tradition and genealogy. Chapter one discusses two pioneering studies that detected Y-Chromosome markers that occur with high frequency in the Jewish priestly line of Kohanim. This genetic signature has become known as the Cohen Modal Haplotype (CMH).
Further studies of Diaspora communities revealed that Jewish people around the globe are closely related to one another, distinct from their host communities, and share a common geographical origin in the Middle East. Chapter Three looks at the genetic and biblical Matriarchs through studies of the mtDNA, which is transferred through the female line. Studies seem to confirm that people like Sarah, Rebeccah, Rachel and Leah were real individuals, not mythical constructs.
Chapter Five deals with the Ancient Hebrews and the question of the Lost Tribes. It provides a historical overview of Ancient Israel, early exile communities, legends of the lost tribes and a look at modern groups that claim Hebrew roots, complete with the results of genetic tests. These groups include, amongst others, the Pathans of Afghanistan, Georgian, Kurdish and Bukharan Jews, the Bene Menashe of India, tiny communities in China and Japan, plus the Ethiopian Jews and the
Lemba people of Southern Africa. The priestly
Buba clan of the Lemba has a significant percentage of the aforementioned CMH. The Khazar question is also explored here.
The next chapter goes into more detail on the history of the Ashkenazi of Europe and the Sefardi of the Middle East and Mediterranean communities. Genetic studies reveal that these two broadly defined groups are closely related despite the long years of separation. This chapter contains the results of numerous genetic studies and includes a map of the history of Ashkenazi movements in Europe.
Chapter Seven addresses the question of who a Kohan is, discusses Aaron the High Priest and his descendents and includes a table of Kohanim Down The Ages. There is a fascinating section on Kohan names, which include Cohn, Kahn, Kaplan, Rappaport and Shapiro, and how they were adapted or derived. This interesting chapter also describes the duties and personality of the Kohanim, their lineages, plus the Tribe of Levi and their genealogy with a list of surnames that include Levy, Lewis, Segal and Horowitz. This section concludes with information on organizations working towards the reactivation of the Kohanim.
The next chapter is devoted to ancestor research, providing helpful information on Biblical and Rabbinical genealogy, how to go about searching out one's ancestors, special interest groups, online resources and a bibliography of useful books. All the tools needed for tracking down your forebears are provided here.
The next chapter is just as interesting as chapter seven as it examines the genetic indications of the historical
Abraham. The CMH marker is also a signature of the Judeo-Christian patriarch. Research reveals that large populations in the Middle East, like Lebanese, Kurds and Armenians, share this marker. There are also Europeans, like Hungarians and the southern and central Italian people, that carry this genetic signature.
The last chapter provides a summary of the latest findings from molecular genetics as they relate to Biblical genealogy. The conclusion is that DNA research has verified both the oral and the scriptural tradition. It concludes with an illuminating section on the
spiritual heirs of Abraham and his biological heirs through Jacob, to whom the land was given as an inheritance forever.
The Appendix includes three scientific studies; from Nature: Y-Chromosomes Of Jewish Priests (1997), and Origins Of Old Testament Priests (1998). The article from the Proceedings Of The Natural Academy Of Sciences of the USA (2000) is titled Jews And Middle Eastern Non-Jewish Populations Share a Common Pool of Y-Chromosome Biallelic Haplotypes.
There are illustrations, maps, charts and tables throughout the text and the book concludes with bibliographic notes arranged by chapter. I highly recommend this well-written and beautifully crafted work to all those who cherish our Judeo-Christian tradition. Not only does it reveal close correspondences between scripture and science, but also provides other insights with significant implications for the future. I also recommend
Abraham's Children by Jon Entine.
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