Ashkenazi Jews Have Become More Genetically Similar Over Time

NYT SCIENCE: Ashkenazi Jews Have Become More Genetically Similar Over Time
By Elie Dolgin
Section: Science
Source: New York Times
Published Date: November 30, 2022 at 02:00AM
A new study of skeletons from a cemetery in Germany reveals a hidden history of Jews in the Middle Ages.

A study of skeletons unearthed from a medieval Jewish cemetery in Germany has revealed a surprising genetic split among Ashkenazi Jews of the Middle Ages that no longer exists.

The analysis, the first of its kind from a Jewish burial ground and the product of yearslong negotiations among scientists, historians and religious leaders, shows that Ashkenazim have become more genetically similar over the past seven centuries. Two Jews walking the cobblestone streets of 14th-century Germany were more genetically distinct, on average, than any two Ashkenazi Jews alive today.

“That is wild!” said Dr. Harry Ostrer, a medical geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx and a co-author of the new study. “Despite the rapid growth of the Ashkenazi Jewish population during the last 700 years, the population became more homogeneous.”

Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/science/ashkenazi-jews-genetic-history.html

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