It's funny that the studies only focus on the Ashkenazi jews. What about the sephardic jews? How do their IQ stack up? Also- how 'jewish' are these white skinned jews anyways? Are they really descendents of the 12 tribes, or are they just a bunch of converted europeans?

icemilkcoffee:

It's funny that the studies only focus on the Ashkenazi jews. What about the sephardic jews? How do their IQ stack up? Also- how 'jewish' are these white skinned jews anyways? Are they really descendents of the 12 tribes, or are they just a bunch of converted europeans?

The measured IQ of Sephardi Jews seems to be only slightly above average.

Genetic studies show that Ashenazi Jews are more closely related to Sephardi Jews than to any other group, and after that, to the Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians.

Of course, to the extent that there has been interbreeding with non-Jews, the Sephardim would have interbred with Arabs, Persians, Turks and the Spanish, whereas the Ashkenazim would have intermixed mostly with the French, the Germans, Hungarians, and the various Slavic peoples. Living in a northern climate would have selected for pale-skinned people who could manufacture more vitamin D, just as the climate of India gave brown skins to IndoEuropean-speaking people who to this day have facial features indistinguishable from the Swedes. More than once I have run into a pale, blue-eyed Ashkenazi Jew whose facial features were identical to that of a Saudi sheik. Nevertheless, Ashkanazi Jews are often found with swarthy complexions, at least in comparison with gentiles from "the old country".

Not an easy question to answer in that Judaism is in the gray area between an ethnicity and a religion. As religion goes, Ashkenazim are quite Jewish. Some of the strictest sects of Judaism are Ashkenazi. (think hasidic)

On the ethnicity side of the coin, there is the event of The Khazar Empire converting to Judaism, This Medieval Slavic Empire located in the Ukraine, and extending to the Black Sea and even down to the Caspian Sea, famously converted to Judaism when their Emporer decided it was the most authentic religion. Many of these Khazar jews converted to other religions after the fall of the empire. Many jews from other parts of the world moved to Khazaria for its tolerance and scholarly community. How much Slavic blood entered the Jewish gene pool is unknown.

If you look at Judaism as a familial descent from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, then it is possible that Ashkenazim are a bit more diluted than say the Yemenites or Sephardim. Hard to say really. The Jewish belief is that due to so many diasporas and lost tribes, anyone who really wants to be Jewish must have a Jewish soul. (why else would you want to become a persecuted pariah people without a nation? kidding)

Fact is that all branches of Judaism have intermingled. Despite the taboo on "outbreeding" (what a horrible word), Moses, King David, King Solomon, Jacob, Joseph, nearly every other major player all had foreign wives. The entire book of Ruth is about the holiness of a Jewish convert wife.

Anyway.

Great post, JahSun. Haven't seen you around in what seems like forever!

Don't be a stranger.

Thanks TP.

Good to see you too.I haven't been on the Fray since this new setup came up.

How did you find my post so fast? You are like a blog bloodhound...

;-)

drop by at faith based when you get a chance.

Why would this question matter? The article points remain the same even if the ashkenazi are not descended from the israelites.