The genetic differences between Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi Jews
Different geographical histories
The three main ethnic Jewish groups—Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi—share common ancestral and genetic roots in the ancient Levant, a region in the eastern Mediterranean that included parts of modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria. Due to the Jewish diaspora, most Jews were displaced from their homeland thousands of years ago.
Migration to different parts of the world, interaction with local populations, and regional influences over the centuries have led to not just cultural, linguistic, and culinary differences between the groups but also genetic differences.
Genetic Differences and Their Causes
Shared Middle Eastern Origins
Genetic studies confirm all three groups share a significant proportion of their DNA with other Levantine peoples, such as Druze, Samaritans, and Lebanese Christians. This common ancestry is reflected in Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups that trace back to the region.
Ashkenazi Jews: High European Admixture
Ashkenazi Jews, which makes up around 80 percent of Jews, primarily trace their ancestry to Central and Eastern Europe, where they settled after migrating from the Middle East through Italy. Over time, they established large communities in Germany, Poland, and Russia. Ashkenazi Jews developed traditions, music, and food influenced by Central and Eastern European customs. Their historic language of Yiddish is primarily a combination of Hebrew and German. As most Jews, including those in the United States, are Ashkenazi, many Americans incorrectly view Ashkenazi culture, food and music as universal to all Jews.
About 40-60% of the Ashkenazi gene pool comes from European sources, particularly maternal lineages, suggesting that local European women converted to Judaism and married into the Jewish community. Due to historical population bottlenecks and genetic isolation, Ashkenazi Jews have a relatively small effective population size, leading to a higher prevalence of certain genetic disorders, such as Tay-Sachs disease and BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations.
Sephardic Jews: Mediterranean and North African Influences
Sephardic Jews lived in the Iberian Peninsula of Spain and Portugal until their expulsion in 1492, after which they spread to North Africa, the Ottoman Empire, and parts of Italy and the Netherlands. Sephardic Jews spoke Ladino, a blend of Hebrew and medieval Spanish, and developed Mediterranean and North African-influenced culture, music, and food.
Compared to Ashkenazi Jews, Sephardic Jews retain a greater proportion of Middle Eastern ancestry, with additional Iberian and North African influences. While Sephardic Jews have some Iberian genetic markers, their overall level of European admixture is lower than that of Ashkenazi Jews. Due to their widespread migrations across the Mediterranean and North Africa, Sephardic Jews show greater genetic diversity than the more genetically isolated Ashkenazi population.
Mizrahi Jews: Strongest Middle Eastern Genetic Continuity
Mizrahi Jews remained in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, and Egypt. Their music, culture, and food are Middle Eastern and North African. They primarily spoke Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian, and other Middle Eastern and North African Jewish dialects.
Mizrahi Jews have the highest proportion of Middle Eastern ancestry, with relatively little European admixture. Due to their long history in Middle Eastern and North African regions, Mizrahi Jews share more genetic similarities with non-Jewish populations from those areas. Mizrahi Jews did not experience the same degree of population bottlenecks as the Ashkenazis, resulting in fewer genetic disorders than the Ashkenazis.
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References:
The DNA of Abraham’s Children: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
The population genetics of the Jewish people: National Library of Medicine