Contemporary Jews comprise an aggregate of ethno-religious communities whose worldwide members identify with each other through various shared religious, historical and cultural traditions^1,2. Historical evidence suggests common origins in the Middle East, followed by migrations leading to the establishment of communities of Jews in Europe, Africa and Asia, in what is termed the Jewish Diaspora^3,4,5. This complex demographic history imposes special challenges in attempting to address the genetic structure of the Jewish people⁶. Although many genetic studies have shed light on Jewish origins and on diseases prevalent among Jewish communities, including studies focusing on uniparentally and biparentally inherited markers^{7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16}, genome-wide patterns of variation across the vast geographic span of Jewish Diaspora communities and their respective neighbours have yet to be addressed. Here we use high-density bead arrays to genotype individuals from 14 Jewish Diaspora communities and compare these patterns of genome-wide diversity with those from 69 Old World non-Jewish populations, of which 25 have not previously been reported. These samples were carefully chosen to provide comprehensive comparisons between Jewish and non-Jewish populations in the Diaspora, as well as with non-Jewish populations from the Middle East and north Africa. Principal component and structure-like analyses identify previously unrecognized genetic substructure within the Middle East. Most Jewish samples form a remarkably tight subcluster that overlies Druze and Cypriot samples but not samples from other Levantine populations or paired Diaspora host populations. In contrast, Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel) and Indian Jews (Bene Israel and Cochini) cluster with neighbouring autochthonous populations in Ethiopia and western India, respectively, despite a clear paternal link between the Bene Israel and the Levant. These results cast light on the variegated genetic architecture of the Middle East, and trace the origins of most Jewish Diaspora communities to the Levant.

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Commenting on this article is now closed.

1. Jihad Orabi2 July 2010, 09:31

   Jews Yemenite samples are located closer to Saudi and Bedouins populations i.e. same geographical area. Similarly, Ashkenazi and Georgian Jew cluster closer to the Georgian and Armenian population, i. e. same geographical area. Even the Moroccan Jews cluster outside of the Levant populations. From PCA it is clear that Jews outside Levant cluster closer to their native population rather than to the Jews or non Jews from Levant.

2. Otero Hector Horacio5 September 2010, 13:43

   In my hypothesis, the "L2" mtDNA marker is present in the two populations also the derived and sibling mtDNA Hg "M" and "N", as well as the Y markers Hg E3b and 4s too, all of this from East Africa and so. They belong respectively at one of the three nucleous or center jewish ancient populations, that evolving the called "Syrian-European nucleous"(helenistic and Roman times).
   The oldest center <del>Ethiopians belong these</del> were that developed in Napata and Elephantine (Kush) and whose nucleous or center was after Alexandria, and I called "Coptic Nucleous" derived in two bias, and split forwards the North via Europe <del>intermixed with the Syrian Europe nucleous</del> or the South, via Nile and the Horn Of Africa.
   The "Babilonian and Persian nucleous" is other of the above three mentioned centers and included Bukara, Iranian and Iraki mainly.
   All of this Nucleous take Judaea and Israel like a axis and pendulo.
   Another fourth Nucleous or center I call "East Europe" <del>not mainly conected with ME</del>, is not ancient like the three others and was the Jewish Khazar Empire stiring into Askenazy current population and others. All of this events were naturaly intrajewish asimilations in all jews current populations.
   The Ashkenazim hyperhaploydia is explained by the superposition and overlay of diverse fount or source population , that are all of this of Jewish origin (that consider converted into intraJewish assimilations) , one coming from the ?Syrian European nucleous? ? that Sephardic as well as preAshenazim bring inside -. The other convergence were the ?Coptic Jewish nucleous?, coming from Alexandria, the main and largest Judaic center in ancient times ? the buried and graves in Jewish graveyards and catacombs of Tuscan, and Alsace as too Rhineland cities take a lot of Egyptian ornaments and display figures from these, as well as Y and mtDNA markers - . The great Jews migration from Egypt beginning after the Muslim invaders from Arabia in the VII AE century. The ?Babylonian and Persian nucleous? take place and contacts newly with and when the ?preAshenazim second fase? were migrating to the East Europe. A remarkable contact was with the fourth ?East Europe Jews nucleous?<del>not related or little related with ME</del>, with the descendant of the Jews Khazarians ones, spreading every where and carrying a lot of East Europe and Eurasian markers. That happen between the XI and XII century AE.
   The Tuscan host populations come from Anatolia like infers mtDNA markers, and others, yet present today ? a thread Etruscan link &#8211 and are so common in South East Basin like Albanian, Grecian, Tunisian and Anatolian , as well as the entirely Italy and some South France spots, practical absent in central or North Europa or East Asia. If we compare Ashkenazy jews with this South European Tuscan population will see a more European genes pool coming from Europe than if we compare with Central and North European population.

   Dr Hector H. Otero C.
   Argentina.

   See too:
   http://www.nature.com/news/...
   See, my comment 11149 and 12952 in the above Html, with table 1 <del>partial</del>, remember that the sibling Hg "M" and "N" <del>from "L3"</del> too correspond to East African origin, and are not included at all-see complete table 1, in reference-.