Are the Jews who remained in the Middle East more Semitic and closer to the ancient Israelites genetically?

Question

I've heard this before but I'm wondering if its really true: Are the Jews who remained in the Middle East and maintained their own communities in the Middle East more genetically closer to the original ancient Israelites than the Ashkenazi Jews who moved up to Europe? Are the Jews who remained in the Middle East since the beginning of the Diaspora more genetically Semitic and more closely related to the ancient Hebrews/Israelites? Wasn't the amount of assimilation and mixing with non-Jews less frequent in the Middle East than it was in Europe over the centuries?

(I know both Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews are Jewish regardless of where they come from but I'm just wondering about the genetics)

Answer 1

Not necessarily.  Jews who moved to Europe tended to stay in their own communities after all.

Both groups had some inter-marrying, conversion, etc to modify the gene-pool; but its easier to see with those who bore offspring with Europeans, who were more genetically different than the other Semitic peoples.

And its not as if you can easily prove it- we don't have a good pool of ancient Israeli's DNA with which to compare modern Israelis.  (and don't forget the destruction of the kingdom of Israel & the expulsions of the Jews from Judea by the Romans took place centuries apart)

Answer 2

Perhaps.  But, I have no concept of why this would relate to what exists there now.

Answer 3

Anna,

You are surely not buying into the John Berchian fantasy of a Jewish world conspiracy made by "fake Jews" posing as real Jews?

Any Semite, Jewish or otherwise Arabian, that has only ancestors from Southwest Asia are morel likely to be more Semitic than someone from that area who's ancestors mated with Homo Sapiens from other parts of, say, Europe.

We are all one race, the differences we see are purely ethnic in nature. All Jews in the Middle East and all the other peoples there are the same people; they just have differing religious fantasies.

Answer 4

Yes, your thinking seems correct!

For specific individual differences, it's best to have a DNA sample taken, and then study the precise Haplogroups indicated!

Good Luck!