Getting Started

Probably the beginning. Judaism is a religion.  On a basic level a Jewish person is a person that follows the religion of Judaism. 

On a DNA level, the story is a bit different. Fasten your seat belt because this is a little complicated. But I will try to keep things as simple as possible. (Scholars please forgive me!) We will start at the beginning beginning. 

The Israelites received Judaism and practiced Judaism in 3761 BC. Jacob, of biblical fame,  had 12 sons that became the 12 Tribes of Israel.  In the Promised Land,  the 12 tribes divided into two Kingdoms, the Northern and the Southern kingdoms.  

 The southern Kingdom came to be known as Judah. Judah was the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob and the patriarch of the Tribe of Judah. The tribe of Judah resided in the southern chunk of what we now call Israel.  The Kingdom of Judah came to include the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe of Simeon, and the Levites.

The remaining tribes resided in the northern bit of the promised land and formed the Northern Kingdom.  The two kingdoms went their separate ways early in history. The Northern Kingdom got mixed up with the Assyrians, their idol worship, and other pagan ways. They married Assyrians. They became known as Samaritans. The Southern Kingdom of Judah stuck to the strict monotheism. In short, the two Kingdoms hated each other.  

The Kingdom of Judah did not have it easy. During the age of the the Babylonians(597 BC) much of the Kingdom was kidnapped and taken Babylon(Iraq). Later the Kingdom of Judah returned to Israel. Things were good until they were not. The Romans destroyed Israel (70AD)and the Kingdom of Judah was again dispersed. This time to the east(Syria) to the west(North Africa) and to the North(Europe). 

Wait for it. I am getting to the point.  When the Kingdom of Judah left Israel, moving east, west, or north, in 70 AD, they called themselves Yehudi.... from the Kingdom of Judah. The name morphed in different languages to related but different names. It became Jew in English, Juif in French, Judio in Spanish, Jude in German, and Alyahudia in Arabic.  

When the Yehudi left Israel, the took their religion with them. No matter how far they strayed from the Kingdom of Judah, they practiced their religion. No matter what force was applied to them, they stayed true to and honored their religion. Their religion, Judaism,  and  strict adherence to it, set them apart from local people, where ever they went. Because they way they did things was so different to their neighbors,  they tended to marry amongst themselves. 

From a DNA perspective, where the Yehudi landed, matters.  To some extent, they did convert and marry local people. The Yehudi absorbed DNA from the regions in which they lived.  So, the Yehudi that went east, absorbed Iraqi, Iranian, and Turkish DNA. The Yehudi that went east absorbed North African DNA. The Yehudi that went north absorbed European DNA. 

Two things can be true at the same time. Yehudi outside Israel tended to marry amongst themselves. But, they also absorbed some local people into the fold.  

Though they absorbed local DNA, their religion and practices kept them practically separated from the local people. Jehudi did not eat pork, they did not mix meat and dairy, they circumcised their boys. The Yehudi did a laundry list of things local folk, where ever the local folk were, did not do.  So, they married amongst their own. 

On balance, Jews were more likely to marry amongst themselves than to marry non-Jews.  As a result, each of these Jewish communities, whether in Italy or Iraq,  became closed gene pools. Over time, each of these communities developed its own unique DNA signature. So unique they can be identified my modern science. When your DNA report says you are carry Mizrahi Jewish, Sephardi Jewish, or Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, it's because part of your DNA matches the characteristic DNA pattern found in one of the these Jewish communities. 

Jewish communities whose unique DNA signature has been identified by researchers would include, Algerian, Ashkenazi, Azerbaijani, Ethiopian, French, Georgian, Iranian, Iraqi, Indian(Cochin, Bnai Menashe, Mumbai, etc.), Italian, Kurdish, Libyan, Moroccan, Romanian, North African, Sephardic, Syrian, Tunisian, Turkish, Uzbek, and Yemenite. That is many of the Jewish communities but not all. Some Jewish communities have yet to be studied and their unique DNA signature identified.

What if you suspect you have Jewish ancestry but it does not come up in your DNA pie chart? 

Well, If your family comes from one of the communities that has not been studied, your Jewish ancestry will not come up on your pie chart. 

More over, even some people from established Jewish communities, with a known DNA fingerprint, do not have that Jewish community in their genetic pie chart. There are people who were born to Ashkenazic Jewish parents,  who do not "Ashkenazi Jew" in their DNA pie chart.  So, a negative test for one of the known Jewish ancestry's is not definitive. 

As an example, my pie chart reveals a small amount of  Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. However, my genealogy indicates most of my ancestors were Jews that lived in Switzerland. My Swiss Jewish ancestors have not been studied, so, their unique DNA finger print has not been identified. So my pie chart does not say "Swiss Jewish". But it does indicate  Middle Eastern, Israelite, and North African DNA. DNA often found amongst Jewish people. 

So, if your pie chart indicated you have Jewish ancestry, and you don't know why, or, if you suspect you have Jewish ancestry and want to know more, here is how to proceed. 

If you test positive for one of the main Jewish DNA finger prints, you can go to the tab on the left that refers to that ethnic Jewish group. If you suspect you have Jewish ancestry,  go to the tab on the left closest to the location where your family originated. If your DNA pie chart reveals you are 25% Ashkenazi Jewish, go to the Ashkenazi Jewish tab.  If you suspect your family was Jewish, and they are from North Africa, go to the North Africa tab on the left. 

I have tried to provide you with as many hints as I can for you to track down your Jewish roots. As I collect further resources, I will add them. 

To get started, I would get four ringed binders. One for each of the following four categories, and, with some work, start filling those binders up. 

1. Genealogy

2. History 

3. Science 

3. Professions 

By the time you have filled up those four binders, your Jewish ancestry will be less hidden. It's a system I developed when I was researching my own Hidden Jewish Ancestry. It works. Just get the notebooks and start filling them up!