Rabbi Meir Katzenellenbogen, the Maharam of Padua, remains an influential religious and historical figure both for his contributions to Talmudic and rabbinical interpretation and for his role as the father of several noteworthy rabbinical lineages. Jewish genealogists as well as […]
A New Genealogy for Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise
In the past years, a wealth of 18th and 19th century Jewish genealogical resources have become available for Bohemia, the western half of Czechia (the new name for the Czech Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia). As a result, a large number of […]
Challenges Involved in Conducting DNA Tests of Pedigreed Descendants of Rabbinical Lineages
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]
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 […]
Does the Horowitz Family from Bohemia Really Descend from the Benvenisti Halevy Family from Spain? [AB-067]
Many published family trees of the historical Horowitz family of Prague and Horovice, Bohemia trace the origins of the family back to Catalonia, Spain and to Lunil, Provence, France, in particular to the esteemed Benvenisti Halevi Family, which included renowned early rabbinic […]
The Y-DNA Genetic Signature and Ethnic Origin of the Katzenellenbogen Rabbinical Lineage [AB-030]
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 […]