The Avotaynu DNA Project managed by Adam Brown, Raquel Levy-Toledano and Michael Waas of the non-profit Avotaynu Research Partnership LLC has entered its second phase and now seeks male participants for a study of Eastern Sephardi paternal yDNA lineages, specifically men whose family directly descends through Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Rhodes and related areas. Eligible participants must be direct paternal line descendants of members of the eastern Mediterranean.
Adam Brown, a representative of the study team will be in Seattle at the conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies at the Seattle Sheraton from Friday 8/5 through Friday 8/12 and will be happy to meet with any individual or group which wishes to participate either at the Sheraton or at another location in Seattle of your choosing. Please contact Adam at AdamBrown@AvotaynuDNA.org for more information or to make an appointment.
The project aims to shed light on the origins of the Sephardim and to establish a strong dataset of DNA results, grounded in archival research, in order to stimulate further intensive studies. At least 50 men will be tested. Participants must supply a paternal genealogy with as much information as possible. DNA testing kits will be provided at no cost. Individual privacy will be protected and the results of the study will be published.
A detailed study protocol can be found here: http://adam.learnpress.esy.es/a-genetic-study-of-eastern-sephardic-jewish-men/
Relevance: A DNA study may offer insight into the early international distribution of the Sephardi community as well as the genetic origins of its parent Iberian Jewish community. Alongside genealogical research adhering to the Genealogical Proof Standard, historical research and other academic disciplines, this can then serve as an anchor for a more extensive study of former Iberian Jewish populations. Given the relatively limited number of generations – corresponding autosomal markers in this cohort may serve in the future as a bi-parental marker reference for population admixture.
I recently sent in my DNA sample to ancestry.com for analysis.
My father and his father came from Thessaloniki, Greece; I do not know how far back.
Before that Spain and before that my guess is Aleppo, Syria.
Would you be interested in having my DNA in your study?
Thank you,
Joe
Hello there,
I have recently sent in my DNA sample. Although my mother’s side (Plapinger) is Askanasic and hails from Europe, i am really excited to find out about the Edelstein background of my father. All i know is the little i was told, as my father and his father were far from close. He would not speak about him. His father died when my father was 13, so i am looking forward to find out about my DNA. At some point i will have to research the Cohen side of my family. My great-ggrandfather was ha Cohen and his wife for whom i am named was ha Cohen too. Another name i have to research is Bernstein. That is my the other side of Dad’s family.
Joseph
My family (all 4 of my grandparents) is also from Thessaloniki
If the names Amon, Bourla, Hazan, or Bueno connect with you, please contact me at
leeamon (at) pacbell (dot) net
I have a sample at 23 and me. My grandparents (all 4) came from Thessaloniki in the early 1900s (around the time of WWI) – They referred to it as Salonika – as it was part of Turkey (Ottoman?) at the time they left
I know that my father’s grandfather also lived in Salonika – I am currently 60 and my father would be 93 if he were alive – (born in 1924) – I assume his grandfather would have been born in the 1870s-1880s