Jacob's Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish History

by David B. Goldstein

Overview

Who are the Jews? Where did they come from? What is the connection between an ancient Jewish priest in Jerusalem and today’s Israeli sunbather on the beaches of Tel Aviv? These questions stand at the heart of this engaging book. Geneticist David Goldstein analyzes modern DNA studies of Jewish populations and examines the intersections of these scientific findings with the history (both biblical and modern) and oral tradition of the Jews. With a special gift for translating complex scientific concepts into language understandable to all, Goldstein delivers an accessible, personal, and fascinating book that tells the history of a group of people through the lens of genetics.

 

In a series of detective-style stories, Goldstein explores the priestly lineage of Jewish males as manifested by Y chromosomes; the Jewish lineage claims of the Lemba, an obscure black South African tribe; the differences in maternal and paternal genetic heritage among Jewish populations; and much more. The author also grapples with the medical and ethical implications of our rapidly growing command of the human genomic landscape. The study of genetics has not only changed the study of Jewish history, Goldstein shows, it has altered notions of Jewish identity and even our understanding of what makes a people a people.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300145106
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	05/28/2008
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

David B. Goldstein is professor of molecular genetics and director of the Institute for Genome Science and Policy’s Center for Population Genomics and Pharmacogenetics, Duke University. He lives in Durham, NC.

Table of Contents

Preface     ix
Acknowledgments     xvii
Introduction     1
Keeping God's House: Y Chromosomes and Old Testament Priests     8
Lost Tribe No More? The Black Jews of South Africa     40
Looking Out for Number Two: The Case of the Ashkenazi Levites     61
Those Jewish Mothers: The Development of Female-Defined Ethnicity in the Jewish Diaspora     75
Look on Mine Affliction: Genetic Diseases and Jewish History     100
Jews, Genes, and the Future     115
Notes     121
Glossary     127
Bibliography     129
Index     141

Editorial Reviews

Duke University geneticist Goldstein was part of a team that did groundbreaking, headline-making research on Jewish genetic history. Goldberg clearly and succinctly explains such concepts as "haplotypes" and "genetic drift" as he reviews such findings as that more than half of contemporary Cohanim, or priests—traditionally believed to descend from the biblical Aaron—actually share a genetic marker called the Cohen Modal Haplotype. Among other subjects, he also explores evidence consistent with the claim of the obscure Lemba tribe of southern Africa to be descendants of ancient Israel. Lastly, in taking on a 2005 study of a group of so-called Jewish genetic diseases—such as Tay-Sachs—and their putative evolutionary connection to high intelligence among Jews, Goldberg notes that this hypothesis is easily testable but firmly rejects "pseudoscientific genetic determinism." Goldberg's role in much of the research into Jewish genetic history, his sober, unsensationalist tone and his emphasis on the limited conclusions that can be drawn from such work lend credibility to his account of his stunning results. (June)

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Publishers Weekly

"To paraphrase the old ad for rye bread, you don't have to be Jewish to love this book. It is a specific—and gripping—example of how the lens of genetics will eventually inform our understanding of all peoples."—Michelle Press, Scientific American

Scientific American - Michelle Press

"[An] important and illuminating book—written with keen intelligence and deep love of its subject. . . . [A] short but masterful book."—Jerome Groopman, New Republic

New Republic - Jerome Groopman

"With a special gift for translating complex scientific concepts into language understandable to all, Goldstein delivers an accessible, personal, and fascinating book that tells the history of a group of people through the lens of genetics."—Duke Today

Duke Today

"An inspiring example of a magnificent analysis, written for a general audience, showing how multidisciplinary research using information from history, genetics, anthropology and more can give precious light on a great ethnos, the Jews."—Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, professor of Genetics emeritus active, Stanford Medical School

Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza

“To complement the rich heritage of ancient Jewish text, Dr. Goldstein brings a new kind of ancient record—the history contained in our DNA. From the patterns of DNA variation among populations, he gleans insight into the social history of the Jewish people. Dr. Goldstein is a superb scientist and a captivating storyteller. Jacob’s Legacy is a gem.”—Eric Lander, Director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and one of the principal leaders of the Human Genome Project

Eric Lander

"Goldstein is one of a handful of people qualified to write a book such as this, and he succeeds very well in providing accounts both of scientific studies and of Jewish historical background."—Stephen Schaffner, Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute

Stephen Schaffner

"Even readers unfamiliar with science will have no difficulty understanding this excellent book. David Goldstein clearly explains how modern genetics integrates with multiple aspects of Jewish history and demography."—Kenneth Kidd, Yale University

Kenneth Kidd