E1b1b Is Also a Founding Lineage of Ashkenazi Jews

**VikLevaPatel** · 10-30-2021, 02:38 AM

My Paternal Lineage Report from DNA Diagnostics Center (DDC) Cincinnati states that my Haplogroup E1b1b is "the third most common haplogroup in Europe" and "is also a founding lineage of Ashkenazi Jews." The term “Ashkenaz” describes a relatively compact area of Jewish settlement in northwestern Europe, including northeastern France and northern Germany, where Jewish settlement is documented dating back to at least the 6th century c.e. There is uncertainty concerning the relative contributions to Ashkenazi Jewry of, on one hand, western versus eastern immigration of Jews and, on the other hand, internally generated population growth versus conversion to Judaism. The presence of this haplogroup, R1a1, within Ashkenazi Levites is striking for several reasons. Firstly, it is found at high frequency in the Ashkenazi Levites but not in Sephardi Levites or any other Jewish grouping examined so far. This means that in paternal ancestry Ashkenazi and Sephardi Levites are genetically dissimilar, unlike Ashkenazi and Sephardi Cohanim. The Ashkenazi and Sephardi Israelites are also relatively similar to each other, which is consistent with the previous reports of shared overall paternal Near Eastern ancestries for these populations (Hammer et al. 2000; Nebel et al. 2000). Of the Jewish populations in this cluster, the Ashkenazim were closest to South European populations (specifically the Greeks) and also to the Turks:

geneticaffinities.jpg

Genetic Affinities Among Populations. Solid triangles represent Jewish populations, solid squares represent Middle Eastern populations, and open circles represent all other populations. The Ashkenazi, Roman, North African, Near Eastern, Kurdish, and Yemenite Jewish populations formed a fairly compact cluster between the North African and European groups.

According to FamilyTreeDNA (Russia-Slavic DNA - Results), Greeks belong to Haplogroup E1b1b:

Akberdin - R1a1: Eastern European Origin. The R1a lineage is believed to have originated in the Eurasian Steppes north of the Black & Caspian Seas. This lineage is thought to descend from a population of the Kurgan culture, known for the domestication of the horse (circa 3000 B.C.E.). These people were also believed to be the first speakers of the Indo-European language group. This lineage is found in central & western Asia, India, and in Slavic populations of Europe. 55% of modern day Russians share this origin.

Akhmetov - J1: Semitic Origin. Mostly found in the Middle East, Mediterranean, and North Africa. Ashkenazi Jews, and 1/3 of Ossetians, Turks, and Armenians belong to this Haplogroup. These four groups of people were settlers of Russia as early as the year 1000 AD. About 43% of Ashkenazi Jews have this origin. 4% of modern day Russians have J, J1, or J2 origin.

Aksentiev - E1b1b: Mediterranean Origin. Mostly found in the Mediterranean, Southern Europe, the Middle East, North, West, and East Africa. The Greeks belong to this Haplogroup and they were among the earliest settlers of Russia. 7% of modern day Russians share this origin.