22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Jews in History & the History in Jews ..a remarkable synthesis, November 8, 2008
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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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jewish genetic history, August 6, 2009
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.
===================================Summary===============================
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. "Jewishness", according to Jews, derives from the female, not the male, but this tradition dates only to the Roman period.
There was a 7th century kingdom in the Caucasians, Khazaria, whose aristocrats converted to Judaism for political reasons. Genetic analysis of Y chromosomes shows a link between a group of Russian believed to be descended from the Khazars (the Chuvash), and Ashkenazy Jews - but only to the Levite subset group of Askhenazy Jews. The Levite designation, like the Cohan, is traditionally passed from father to son.
Examining Jewish female genetic history, there are 9 geographically distinct subpopulations across the globe whose mitochondrial DNA was analyzed. In 8 of the 9, there was much less variation than expected, suggesting a genetic bottleneck, i.e. each of these sub-populations were descended from a different group of relatively few women. In 7 of the 9 populations, the DNA was very different from their neighbors. The lack of genetic variation is not true in the Y chromosomes of the males of these subpopulations, suggesting male traders moving and settling, but relatively few females travelling with them.
There is some evidence of above average intelligence among Askenazi Jews, and there are evolutionary speculations to rationalize this. These same Jews share a higher than average incidence of a family of diseases characterized by a problem in the use of lysosomes to destroy cellular waste products, so there is speculation that the putative higher intelligence and susceptibility to disease are linked, just as sickle cell anemia and resistance to malaria are linked. Goldman suggests that if there is linkage, it may be due to proximity on a chromosome of genes involved in the disease and in intelligence, rather than a direct linkage.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
3000 years in 176 pages, August 22, 2008
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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