Jeffrey Mark Paull

About Jeffrey Mark Paull

Dr. Jeffrey Mark Paull was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He earned his BS in Chemistry and Master of Science in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Pittsburgh, and his MPH and Doctorate of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Paull’s career as an environmental toxicologist and scientific expert in the field of occupational and environmental health spans over thirty years (1976 – 2008).

Since that time, Dr. Paull has devoted himself to his passion for Jewish genealogical research and writing. His first book, entitled: A Noble Heritage: The History and Legacy of the Polonsky and Paull Family in America, traces his family’s ancestry over a millennium of history, and discovers their lost rabbinical heritage dating back to Rashi (1040 – 1105). His book was recently featured on the PBS website, “Finding your Roots, with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.”

Dr. Paull is very active in the field of genetic genealogy, and has published numerous pioneering autosomal and Y-DNA studies in which he has identified the unique Y-DNA genetic signature of some of Eastern Europe’s most renowned tzaddiks, rabbinical lineages, and Chassidic dynasties, including the Katzenellenbogen and Polonsky rabbinical lineages, the Twersky and Savran-Bendery Chassidic dynasties, and the Shpoler Zeida's lineage. Research studies to identify the Y-DNA genetic signature of the Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berdichev, Rabbi Raphael of Bershad, Rabbi Yehuda Kahana of Sighet, and the Rappaport-Cohen, and Shapiro rabbinical lineages are currently underway.

Dr. Paull’s many genealogy-related book chapters, research articles, and publications have surpassed 16,000 views, placing him in the top one percent of all researchers on Academia.edu. More in-depth information regarding Dr. Paull’s books, and related genealogy and family history projects, may also be found on his Noble Heritage Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ANobleHeritage.

The Y-DNA Genetic Signature and Ethnic Origin of the Twersky Chassidic Dynasty [AB-069]

Filed Under DNA Studies By Jeffrey Mark Paull, Jeffrey Briskman and Yitzchak Meyer Twersky on September 11, 2017

Throughout the centuries, the Jewish people have always prided themselves on their yichus (lineage, distinguished birth, or pedigree). Yichus was especially important for rabbinical families, and many of them have created genealogy charts or family trees in which they have […]

Challenges Involved in Conducting DNA Tests of Pedigreed Descendants of Rabbinical Lineages

Filed Under DNA Studies, Rabbinic genealogy By Jeffrey Mark Paull, Susan K. Steeble, Jeffrey Briskman and Yitzchak Meyer Twersky on November 21, 2016

Introduction The authors have considerable experience conducting DNA lineage studies, with a focus on Y-DNA studies of the world’s historic rabbinical lineages.[1], [2], [3], [4], [5] Each of these studies presents its own unique challenges. Two of the more challenging aspects […]

The Y-DNA Fingerprint of the Shpoler Zeida, a Tzaddik Who Touched the World [AB-068]

Filed Under DNA Studies, Rabbinic genealogy, Україна By Jeffrey Mark Paull and Jeffrey Briskman on July 1, 2016

Yehuda Leib of Shpola (c.1725 – 1811) – better known as the Shpoler Zeide (Yiddish for “Grandfather of Shpola”) or Saba Kadisha (Hebrew for “Holy Grandfather’) – was a beloved Chassidic folk rebbe, great kabbalist, and a revered tzaddik (saintly or holy […]

The Y-DNA Genetic Signature and Ethnic Origin of the Katzenellenbogen Rabbinical Lineage [AB-030]

Filed Under Collaboration, DNA Studies, Europe - Northern, Mediterranean, Rabbinic genealogy By Jeffrey Mark Paull, Neil Rosenstein and Jeffrey Briskman on March 7, 2016

Introduction According to Arthur Kurzweil: “For the Jewish people, our royal families have been those of the illustrious rabbis.”[1] If that is true, then the Katzenellenbogen rabbinical lineage is foremost among these noble families. For centuries, Jewish men and women […]

The Jewish Surname Process in the Russian Empire and its Effect on Jewish Genealogy

Filed Under DNA Studies, Methods, Surnames By Jeffrey Mark Paull and Jeffrey Briskman on August 21, 2015

Did you ever wonder why your autosomal DNA and Y-DNA genetic match lists contain so many unfamiliar surnames? Did you ever question where the myriad number of bewildering and unexpected surnames, even among your close genetic matches, comes from? If […]