Question of the Week: Do you have any Jewish roots?

Question

Do you have any Jewish ancestors?

Please tell us about them with an answer below. You could also answer on Facebook or share the question image with friends and family on any social media to get them talking.

P.S. Did you know we have a Jewish Roots Project?

Answer 1

I do! My 2nd great grandmother was born to a Jewish mother but adopted by a Protestant family.

Answer 2

Yes. My folks came from locations in what is now Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and Romania (Piotrków, Uzda, Brest and Iaşi). The surnames in my tree are Kunofsky, Levine, Kinigstein, Rabinowitz and Heifler.

Answer 3

Interestingly, even though I'm about as Anglo-Saxon/Scottish as they come my mtDNA is Ashkenazi Jew. My brother's son (my nephew) is also half Jewish (Baltic Russian) from his mother's side although his maternal descent classifies him as full Jewish. My god-daughter, whose mother is a 'die-hard' Episcopalian, converted to Judaism and is on the women's council at her synogogue. It's indeed a very interesting world.

Comments

Well I don’t know of any Jewish ancestors but my DNA has 1.5% or so Ashkenazi Jewish. It would be great to find a linked person.

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I'm not able to find any Jewish ancestors, but, I am 5% Ashkenazi Jewish!  I too am as Anglo-Saxon-British as you can get! LOL!!

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Ashkenazi's are a sect of Hebrew's. Jewish is a name given to the religion some Hebrews practice. We are considered to Be Hebrew not Jewish.

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So, do you know where the Jewish part came from? I am mostly Scottish/Irish with some welch, however I have 2% Ashkenazi Jewish and can't figure where it came from.

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Sharon.  

You do have a point, however, there is a historical consideration.

Hebrew is the name derived from Eber, who was Abraham's 4th great grandfather.  Eber had multiple sons. While the Israelites are referred to as Hebrews, there were early Hebrews who were not Israelite, because they are not descended from Jacob. When one references Jews, we are referencing those who came from Jacob, and even more specifically, Judah.

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Tank you Robert for the clarifications. I was in an appointment and best I could do at the moment.

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My bloodlines go back to the 4th century. many people from the 1600's have Hebrew lines, most European lines come in from the Levant, especially that far back. Hebrews are in all the nations. My family originates from the Netherlands, I have a very closed bloodline. My grandmother is from the lines of the Plangnet Blue Bloods/ Royality. Theere is a Jewish site to search for names. JewishGen.org is a great place to start looking.... Best of luck

Answer 4

I do!  At least according to Ancestry (1%). I can see that it is on my father's side, but he also has only 1%.  I'm sure the next generation back toward Jewish roots would be his mother, who had German roots.  But beyond that, I don't know how to pursue it!  Many brick walls, and we don't know her father's parents, so...

Comments

 I have the exact same 1% Jewish (Ashkenazi) German father's Side I was read on one DNA sight that 1% means about 5 generations back tho I could be wrong beause of pogroms against the Jewish many Jewish People sadly Converted my Grandfather was very anti semitic if only he had known or maybe he did..! They say the loadest ones are often hidding something. Any way I hope you can crumble your walls Kurt

Answer 5

I don’t have any Jewish roots but my sister-in-law has a great-x? grandfather in England who, according to church records, converted to Christianity shortly before the baptism/christening of his child. 

Now, if I could only remember his name 

Answer 6

I think so, according to my great grandmother who passed away in 1885 we are of Portuguese Jewish descent. Currently waiting on my DNA results, hopefully it will confirm it. I’m assuming if I do it would be Sephardic Jewish ancestry

Comments

Be quick.     Portugal was been awarding citizenship to those that really can prove  Portuguese origins.  Due to abuse the scheme is closing/ almost closed/closed

Answer 7

I do, I am 3/4 Jewish. My paternal grandmother is Romanian and Hungarian, my paternal grandfather is German and Ukrainian, and my maternal grandfather is Belarusian and Moldovan or Romanian, so I have 3 Jewish grandparents.

Answer 8

Evidently, considering the DNA results that have come out of French-Canadian founder family lines, my Jewish ancestors were forced to convert. My DNA tests show a connection to the Middle East ( Levant and Iran ).

Comments

Interesting! A great portion of my ancestors were Acadian exiles and I don’t quite understand how they connect with this. Some family lines are not complete and the matches who share this ethnicity are surnames I find mostly on my father’s side (those are the main ones I haven’t worked much on).

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Philippe Amiot J-M172 PF5169; Marin Boucher E-35/L117 M123..; Jean Cote J-M172 and Mathurin Dube J2-M172. These are some of the men in my direct line. I imagine some people will suggest it does not mean they were following the faith before they left France. The haplogroups suggest the Middle East and we know that the Jews of France underwent forced conversion multiple times.

There are a couple of data bases that contain the results of French Candian direct lines who have submitted DNA results. FamilyTreeDNA has a French Heritage DNA group.

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I'm noticing in my own research that exiles from Spain sometimes joined the Huguenots instead of becoming Roman Catholics or sticking with Judaism on a public basis. Many Huguenots migrated to Nouvelle France as Louis XIV turned the screws on their religious freedom. His edicts weren't given as strict attention as they were in France on that end, since the colony needed the people more than it needed theological purity.

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When I click on your page it shows we are like 9th (may be wrong) cousins 1x removed. I’ve only just started using this and I find some people just don’t respond to allow me to add someone. I can see an ancestor has a page, but some won’t respond so they can connect to the person. The only one was my Babineaux family. I have verified trees, they will list the person as a child but I assume they aren’t active on here. So I’m not getting any relatives other than that line. I’m not making duplicate people. Anyway, point being, I really struggle with my ethnicity estimates due to this. A cousin related on close to every line, she is big into DNA and has most of my family lines verified and she informed me of having majority Acadian family. DNA says 45% Iberian, 31% English, 11% East European, 5% Balkan, 3% Irish Scottish and Welsh and 2.5% Ashkenazi Jew. Unfortunately, I had no interest in history and I’m from Louisiana and it’s no secret that our education system is not the best. It would be a lot easier if I had more interest as a teen and not trying to cram it all in.

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Hello Mandy, I think we might share the name Belaire. One of my 2nd great grandfathers, Guillaume Gamelin married Ludgerie Vetu ditte Belaire. The family started as Vetu and then Belaire was used by many of the decendants. I will poke around and see what I can get.

Yes, everybody down the Belaire line I am related to, including the Delpe (Delpesches). Our DNA match could be related to any and all. We share a grandma or two, we have an X match on GedMatch. But it is bound to happen. Most of my ancstors were founder families in Canada.

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Although I noticed big improvements on FS, I never rely on it because I find it has so many errors. I searched both names of your 2nd great grandparents and while I shouldn’t be surprised, they were related on different lines. Even going to a parent would show the connection differently. One showed it was connected to my my 2nd great grandfathers wife (he was a Belaire, she was a Touchet, her mom a Poirier. I never enjoyed working on the Belaire family because of my great grandfather being so abusive and sold children for alcohol. Knowing most were girls and take on their husbands name, I moved here (small town) and never knew my relatives. I felt robbed of a normal teen life because I didn’t want to have a boyfriend who I later discover is a child of one of his daughters he sold. I recognize that I can’t let that stop me from learning about their history. But every attempt, I find newspaper articles about them and disgusting crimes they committed (killing a child, stabbing his wife, things of that nature) and my heart breaks for these victims and I have to stop. I’d love to hear what you may find! I have been becoming desensitized by their history and want to learn more about the Belaire’s. I was finishing up verifying other line.

Answer 9

I do, but unfortunately I feel as though it's impossible to ever figure it out. My grandfather [[Stephens-5480]] and his sister have a different father than the individual married to their mother . My grandfather's father , based on DNA, was 100% Ashkenazi.  All we can guess is that we was likely from Brooklyn, NY where his mother was from.

I have also tried to help my sister in law's father learn more about where he comes from as a his father passrd when he was a child. [[Portenoy-6]]

Answer 10

According to Ancestry DNA, I am 6% Jewish.  I know this comes through my paternal grandmother's grandmother.  Although I have yet to see the graves in person, her parents are buried in the Hebrew Cemetery in Richmond, VA.  Her father's parents were born in London in the late 1700s.

Answer 11

I do - 27% Ashkenazi Jewish toors according to 23 and Me DNA Ancestry.  Probably from the Koch side of my family from Central Europe.  I had no idea until the DNA test results.

Answer 12

This is a very interesting question which has been exercising me a lot recently. My family all deny it, but Ancestry reported my father's 4 top DNA "communities" with one as Ashkenazy. Now that's odd, because all the others were regional (Midlands, Southeast England etc.). And Ashkenazy DNA is pretty well documented so it should be pretty reliable. Of course "top 4" just means of people who've used Ancestry for DNA testing, so that's a bit random, but actually, three of my father's grandparents correspond solidly to the three regional communities, and the fourth one - well, he was already a mystery. That line is East London all the way back to about 1780, so Jewish is not impossible. But it's very speculative

Answer 13

Yes, of course.  I'm ✡️  jew

Answer 14

My sister shows I% Jewish ancestor but my DNA shows zero.  Just like I know that my 4th great grandmother was 100% Native American but neither my sister or myself do not show any Native American ancestory.  DNA is strange in what it shows up or what it does not show up.

Comments

From what I understand Native Americans dont allow their DNA to be tested so Native Indian is based more on S. American native american.

Answer 15

Yes.  The progenitor of my mother's side of the family was born in 1750 & with one of his brothers emigrated from Prussia to Virginia ~1785.  He became a merchant & plantation owner (yes, slaveholder too).

Answer 16

Thanks to DNA, we know my late mother, a foundling, had a Jewish father.

Comments

How interesting! DNA is an amazing contribution to genealogy research!

Answer 17

Only by Haplogroup - so in that respect a contribution to ancient Jewish history - and indellible - and likely the attachment ended around 950-1100 CE

Although my mother has minor Ashkenazi ethnicity likely from the shepherds of Bavarian areas or Huguenots lines

Answer 18

Yes, I am half Jewish on my father's side, so not considered Jewish by most Jews. My father (as a child) and grandmother  escaped Austria in 1939: although they were both brought up as Christians, the Nazi laws defined them as Jews.

I have traced my patrilineal line to what is now Western Poland, then a part of Germany, as far as the 18th century, but no further; other lines on that side are in what is now Czechia, formerly Austria-Hungary, and Danzig, now Gdansk.

Answer 19

I have always wondered!  My maternal grandmother's maiden name was salmon.  If she had been born in Canada, I would have wondered about First Nations roots, but she was from a family with British aristocratic heritage several generations back, and I thought that in the distant past the name might have been Salamon or Solomon.

Comments

I wasn't planning on commenting, but I saw the surname you mentioned... I'm curious how common that last name is, as my paternal grandfather's mother's last name was Salman (and in other records is also spelled Salmon)! Perhaps we are distantly related :)

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It's possible - we don't know a great deal about our earlier Salmon ancestors.  The earliest we know of was George Salmon, Gent., born March 17 1688 in England.  He was my 8-generation ancestor.  His great-grandson, General William Broome Salmon, served in the army in India, and married an English woman who was born in 1790 in India.  They lived and raised their family there, and three generations later my grandmother (1888) and her sisters were also born in India.

Answer 20

Apparently I do have Jewish ancestors, although pretty far back. Last winter an article was published about the origins of the Coryell family of NJ, after DNA research was done by the Correll/Coryell Y-DNA Project. It had always been family lore that the Coryells were French Huguenots, but it turns out they have Sephardic Jewish origins in Spain. The article is here:  https://avotaynuonline.com/2023/01/the-surprising-origins-of-the-coryell-family-of-colonial-new-jersey/

The first American Coryell is here:  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Coriell-36
although the profile needs updating with this new information.