REPORT: GENETIC EVIDENCE THAT MODERN JEWS ARE DESCENDED FROM ANCIENT JEWS

“Genetic research continues to provide additional proof that the Jewish people are descended from a common ancient Israelite father, with new evidence indicating the genes of North African Jewry are virtually indistinguishable from Jews from Iraq, even though they have been separated for over 1,000 years…These conclusions are reached in an article published recently in the American Journal of Human Genetics…Surprisingly, the study shows a closer genetic affinity by Jews to the non-Jewish, non-Arab populations in the northern part of the Middle East than to Arabs. These findings indicate that the Jews are direct descendants of the early Middle Eastern core populations, which later divided into distinct ethnic groups speaking different languages…It is believed that the majority of today’s Jews – not including converts and non-Jews with whom Jews intermarried – descended from the ancient Israelis that lived in the historic Land of Israel until the destruction of the Second Temple and their dispersal into the Diaspora…” (ICEJ NEWS – 11/20/2001)