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Jewish People & Arab People
Silly Question - Apart from the obvious cultural and religious differences, are there any physical / genetic / racial differences between Jewish and arab people ? CRETE and others of similar ilk - NO silly answers,please!
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I would suspect that the genetic differences must be quite large...in as much as there is between the races (black and white). For the simple reason that over many generations there has hardly been any inter breeding between the jewish and arab peoples. as a result the genetic variation has been preserved. just a guess.
As with any populations there are genetic differences between individual Arabs, such as Iraqis, Egyptians and Senegalese as examples and there are differences between different Jewish populations. As a matter of fact the genetic differences between Jewish and Arabs is not that great. To be expected since each population claims the same progenitor...
A sticky one this, I'll try and answer the best way I can, leaving out the religious aspect.
If you go back to pre-Roman times, then there would have been no difference at all, as they were really the same people, all coming originating from the Middle East.
The physical and genetic differences came about, mainly with the Jews, when Rome decided to eradicate the state of Judah, and dispersed the Jews around the Empire, where they intermarried with local populations, taking on their characteristics.
Having said that, there have always been some Jews living in the Middle East, and they look no different to the Arabs.
If you go back to pre-Roman times, then there would have been no difference at all, as they were really the same people, all coming originating from the Middle East.
The physical and genetic differences came about, mainly with the Jews, when Rome decided to eradicate the state of Judah, and dispersed the Jews around the Empire, where they intermarried with local populations, taking on their characteristics.
Having said that, there have always been some Jews living in the Middle East, and they look no different to the Arabs.
goldenboy, yes, there is a difference, we'er going more into it here, I mentioned the Diaspora above, when the Jews were dispersed by the Romans, the majority settled in Spain, some went to Eastern Europe, Russia etc,
Over time, these two groups formed their own style of worship, while keeping to the main points, the two names you mentioned, relate more to the style of worship, Ashkenazi (note the last four letters), and Sephardi.
Ashkenazi use the Eastern European form of worship, and Sephardi the Spanish.
All Jews, regardless of where they come from, use one or the other, this also incorperates different foods.
As for genetic differences, they are the same differences as any two people who come from different parts of the world. The majority of Jews nowadays, genetically, have no relationship to Arabs at all.
Over time, these two groups formed their own style of worship, while keeping to the main points, the two names you mentioned, relate more to the style of worship, Ashkenazi (note the last four letters), and Sephardi.
Ashkenazi use the Eastern European form of worship, and Sephardi the Spanish.
All Jews, regardless of where they come from, use one or the other, this also incorperates different foods.
As for genetic differences, they are the same differences as any two people who come from different parts of the world. The majority of Jews nowadays, genetically, have no relationship to Arabs at all.
While not wanting to start a debate, the following excerpt is instructive:
In the article in the November 2001 issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, Ariella Oppenheim of the Hebrew University of Israel wrote that this new study revealed that Jews have a closer genetic relationship to populations in the northern Mediterranean (Kurds, Anatolian Turks, and Armenians) than to populations in the southern Mediterranean (Arabs and Bedouins).
A previous study by Ariella Oppenheim and her colleagues, published in Human Genetics in December 2000, showed that about 70 percent of Jewish paternal ancestries and about 82 percent of Palestinian Arabs share the same chromosomal pool. The geneticists asserted that this might support the claim that Palestinian Arabs descend in part from Judeans who converted to Islam. With their closer relationship to Jews, the Palestinian Arabs are distinctive from other Arab groups, such as Syrians, Lebanese, Saudis, and Iraqis, who have less of a connection to Jews.
A study by Michael Hammer et al., published in PNAS in June 2000, had identified a genetic connection between Arabs (especially Syrians and Palestinians) and Jews, but had not tested Kurds, so it was less complete.
In the article in the November 2001 issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, Ariella Oppenheim of the Hebrew University of Israel wrote that this new study revealed that Jews have a closer genetic relationship to populations in the northern Mediterranean (Kurds, Anatolian Turks, and Armenians) than to populations in the southern Mediterranean (Arabs and Bedouins).
A previous study by Ariella Oppenheim and her colleagues, published in Human Genetics in December 2000, showed that about 70 percent of Jewish paternal ancestries and about 82 percent of Palestinian Arabs share the same chromosomal pool. The geneticists asserted that this might support the claim that Palestinian Arabs descend in part from Judeans who converted to Islam. With their closer relationship to Jews, the Palestinian Arabs are distinctive from other Arab groups, such as Syrians, Lebanese, Saudis, and Iraqis, who have less of a connection to Jews.
A study by Michael Hammer et al., published in PNAS in June 2000, had identified a genetic connection between Arabs (especially Syrians and Palestinians) and Jews, but had not tested Kurds, so it was less complete.
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