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Product Details
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (May 28, 2008)
Goldstein presents what is known about Jewish genetic history, much of it based on his own research. Unfortunately, conclusions tend to be tentative at best, not only because of the limitations of genetic analysis, but because of the limitations of the DNA samples available. As Goldstein says, most DNA collection is motivated by a desire to understand disease, not human history. Goldstein has competent writing skills, but when he tries to involve the reader in the development of his own ideas, rather than in his final understanding, he is more confusing than he needs to be. Goldstein, as a good scientist, is careful and objective.
The Y chromosomes (unique to males) of Jews in Europe are more typical of semitic populations than of their European neighbors.
More than half of Jewish Cohanim share a "Cohen Modal Haplotype", and 64% share a cluster of related Y chromosome types, which are found in only 14% of Jewish Israelites (Jews not Cohan or Levites). Comparable results are found in both Ashkenazy and Sephardic communities which separated several hundred years ago . This strongly suggests that the Cohan designation does in fact pass from father to son and that the Cohan designation is derived from ancestors living many years ago. Additional genetic analysis suggests the common ancestor could have lived in the time of Moses and Aaron. Interestingly, there are some other small groups of people with high incidence of the Cohan type Y chromosomes, particularly a clan of the Lemba tribe in Africa whose rituals and oral history suggest a possible Jewish ancestry. Presumably, black pigment could have derived from females and evolution.Read more ›
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
In Jacob's Legacy, David Goldstein, ("I am a geneticist. But I am also a Jew.") demonstrates the remarkable synergy from combining genetic and historical research. The historical record suggests the possibility that the Jewish high priests might today be distinguished genetically from those of the Jews who were not high priests. Indeed, Goldstein and his colleagues were able to identify significant genetic similarities, and further to suggest that the ancestral generation (Generation 1) goes back roughly 3,000 year, or within the approximate time of Solomon, which is what the historical record would suggest. Similarly, the historical record points to the possibility that a Bantu speaking tribe in Africa (the Bantu people themselves displaying a impressive record of migration and settlement) might be of Jewish descent. Here again, Goldstein and his colleagues were able to show that one in ten of the Y chromosomes were revealed to be within the Cohan Modal Haplotype identified earlier in the study of high priests. The most surprising result in the book is the possibility, which Goldstein could not falsify, that Ashkenazi Jews may trace their origins, not so much to the ancient Israelites, as to the Khazari sources.
The historical events covered in Jacob's Legacy demonstrate a well-balanced combination of historical sources and modern genetic analytical techniques. Further, Goldstein's summaries of the historical record and his digressions on the larger meaning of the Jews in history are exceedingly concise and work to place Jacob's Legacy in the larger context of global history. If Goldstein set out to convince his readers that genetic and historical analysis can be combined to enrich their understanding of the past, he has succeeded admirably. This slender volume delivers a solid punch.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
This book, a summary of research on genetics of Jewish people, is by a person in the best position to tell the story: a geneticist and a Jew. Goldstein's research deals with tracing heredity as far back as possible, and it is his project that is probing connections between Jews all over the world. He shows it is possible that Jews who think they are descendents of high priests from the days of the First Temple really are, and that Africans who believe they originated with the early Hebrews actually did. He also contrasts genetic descent through males and females and offers an explanation of why hereditary diseases found mostly in Jews may confer an advantage. The technical portions are easy to understand and the book is no longer than it needs to be. It's a fast, jargon-free read and is highly recommended.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
What I like best is Goldstein's measured approach to presenting his conclusions. There is much here that could have been said sensationally or one-sidedly, but Goldstein is skeptical and even-handed, the more remarkably so as he is presenting his own research.
The writing is just OK. Even this is something to be grateful for: accurate, comprehensible writing about science by a scientist.
It doesn't compare, though, to classics of popular science. The conclusions could be summarized in a short article. Instead of using the extra pages to give a really understandable picture of methods and context, Goldstein gives us a fluffy narrative: I thought about studying this, then I got ready to study it, then I had lunch, I liked the salad, etc., along with some lame, professorial jokes that students would laugh at because it's expected of them.
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