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The Jewish cemetery at Erfurt served its medieval population from the late 11th century until 1454, when Jews were expelled from the city. Erfurt had been home to a thriving Jewish community(opens in new tab) until that time, although a brutal massacre in 1349 killed more than 100 Jews in the city, possibly because they were incorrectly accused of being responsible for the Black Death.After the 1454 expulsion, a barn and a granary were built on the site of the Jewish cemetery. Centuries later, in 2013, archaeologists unearthed 47 Jewish graves during an archaeological excavation ahead of the site's redevelopment...

Analysis identifies the remains in an English well as those of medieval Jews, who were probably the victims of an antisemitic massacre...Construction workers discovered human bones at the site in 2004, and further investigations found an ancient well that held the remains of 6 adults and 11 children. The burial was situated outside any consecrated ground, raising suspicions that the dead were victims of violence, disease or famine...Radiocarbon dating established that the bodies had been deposited between 1161 and 1216 — a time frame encompassing a historically documented antisemitic massacre in Norwich in 1190. Analysis of the individuals’ DNA suggests...

Is it possible for your ancestry, religious affiliation, or nationality to determine your intellect? According to a study performed by Cambridge University called, "From Chance to Choice: Genetic and Justice," Ashkenazi Jews have a median IQ of 117. That’s 10 points higher than the “accepted” IQ of their biggest competition, Northeast Asia, and 20% higher than the global average. The Ashkenazim make up approximately 80% of all Jews with descendants from Medieval Germany and throughout Europe. The other 20% is made up of Sephardic Jews. I bet you’re frantically searching ancestry.com right now. Genetic research from the Albert Einstein College...

Genetic evidence links Jews to their ancient tribe By Judy Siegel JERUSALEM (November 20) - Genetic evidence continues to provide additional proof to the claims that the Jewish people are descended from a common ancient Israelite father: Despite being separated for over 1,000 years, Sephardi Jews of North African origin are genetically indistinguishable from their brethren from Iraq, according to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They also proved that Sephardi Jews are very close genetically to the Jews of Kurdistan, and only slight differences exist between these two groups and Ashkenazi Jews from Europe. These conclusions are reached in an...

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday celebrated his recent discovery that he has Jewish ancestry. “Guess I need to start saying ‘L’Chaim’ now, too!” Ryan tweeted, along with a gif of him toasting with a glass of Guinness. The clip was from a toast Ryan gave during an annual Friends of Ireland luncheon, using the Irish toast “sláinte.” Ryan discovered his Jewish heritage during an upcoming episode of the PBS show “Finding Your Roots.” Host Henry Louis Gates Jr. told Ryan during the show that about 3 percent of his DNA is Ashkenazi Jewish, and that he traced the ancestry...

As Philip Klein points out, it’s a good thing that this “history lesson” comes from the Left’s favorite Palestinian moderate. Lord knows how this would have unfolded with a less rational personage than Mahmoud “Abu Mazen” Abbas. The Palestinian leader opened the first Palestinian National Council in 22 years yesterday, hoping to firm up his credibility enough to establish his preferred line of succession as well as unite Palestinians under his leadership. And what better way to accomplish this than some unadulterated and absolutely bat-s*** crazy anti-Semitic conspiracy theories? In a long and rambling at speech in Ramallah at...

France's Jewish community, the largest in Europe, chose a Sephardi Jew as its leader Sunday for the first time in half a century. Francis Kalifat, 63, said his priority as president of the CRIF umbrella grouping of Jewish organizations was to "fight against anti-Semitism in all its forms." He succeeds 79-year-old Roger Cukierman for a three-year term, breaking the dominance of Ashkenazi Jews in the organization which groups together 70 associations.

‘Bottleneck’ dates back 600 to 800 years, genome analysis shows; researcher says among population ‘everyone is a 30th cousin. Illustrative photo of Ashkenazi Jews, taken from Nurit Ben Sheetri's 'The Redheads' exhibit at Dizengoff Center (courtesy Nurit Ben Sheetrit) A new study concludes that all Ashkenazi Jews can trace their ancestry to a “bottleneck” of just 350 individuals, dating back to between 600 and 800 years ago. The study, published in the Nature Communications journal Tuesday, was authored by Shai Carmi, a computer science professor at Columbia University, and more than 20 medical researchers from Yale, Columbia, Yeshiva University’s Albert...

Hair samples said to have come from a hairbrush used by Hitler’s long-term lover, Eva Braun, were tested by a BBC’s documentary and discovered to share qualities with the Eastern European Jewish genome. […] The scientists were surprised to discover a specific genome sequence—haplogroup N1b1—within the small group of maternal DNA which is associated with Ashkenazi Jews. …

A man leading a demonstration against the recent acquittal of George Zimmerman in a murder trial that mesmerized the United States, was caught on camera wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with anti-Semitic language, Breitbart.com reports. Shots of the protester and his T-shirt, were broadcast on KTLA-5 Los Angeles, and featured by the Los Angeles Times — neither of which spotted the offensive language. The shirt reads: “YOU ASHKENAZI CRAFTED DEVIL,” an apparent reference to Zimmerman, who is not Jewish as his name might suggest. The term Ashkenazi refers to Jews of Eastern European origin, rather than Sephardic Jews who lived in...

Note: The following laws are based on Ashkenazi tradition, and some points are subject to varying opinion. When in doubt, AYLOR (ask your local Orthodox rabbi)1. What are the main changes when Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat or Sunday?When Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat, the main changes are: The fast is postponed until Sunday.Bathing is permitted on Rosh Chodesh.Marital relations are forbidden on Friday night.Washing any part of the body with hot water is forbidden on Shabbat. When Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat or Sunday, the main changes are: There is no special Seuda Hamafseket before the fast.Some of...

Ever heard about the 'Khazar' myth pushed by the Neo-Nazis/KKK? In fact, Jews are both a nation and a religion. the percentage of those with any roots in khazaria is so minimal, that there was only one non-historian "writer" that came up with the idea to say that the percentage is higher. As a penpal who is of Jewish background told me once: 'Before the WW2 Were were told to go BACK to Palestine where we came from... now the same haters don't even grant us that...' Hitler VS Khazar mythOddly enough, Hitler's "aryanism" and anti-Jewish sick obession was AGAINST...

Unfortunately for all of us still breathing braniacs, the title only applies to those of us who are also medieval Ashkenazi Jews, according to the authors of the 2006 paper "Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence".Discussing "race" and intelligence is always a touchy subject and definitely not politically correct; but science should not be fettered by the chains of political correctness like a mangy circus lion. It must run free across the intellectual savanna, striking down the juvenile wildebeest of ignorance. Following articles on the biology and significance of race by Michael White, Massimo Pigliucci, and moi, my attention was directed...

above-average intelligence in Ashkenazi Jews — those of northern European heritage — resulted from natural selection in medieval Europe, where they were pressured into jobs as financiers, traders, managers and tax collectors. Those who were smarter succeeded, grew wealthy and had bigger families to pass on their genes, they suggested. That evolution also is linked to genetic diseases such as Tay-Sachs and Gaucher in Jews. The new study was funded by the Department of Energy, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Aging, the Unz Foundation, the University of Utah and the University of Wisconsin.

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Major General Gabi Ashkenazi is awaiting final confirmation as Israel's new army chief of staff after his predecessor quit over the handling of last summer's war in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office announced the appointment of the 52-year-old Ashkenazi, currently director general of the defence ministry, late on Monday night. "After consultations between the prime minister and Defence Minister Amir Peretz, it was decided that... General Gabi Ashkenazi be named the 19th chief of staff of the Israeli army," the premier's office said in a statement. The nomination must be confirmed by the cabinet and...

Veteran of Entebbe to lead forces in Israel By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem Last Updated: 2:31am GMT 23/01/2007 An army officer with a reputation for plain speaking is to become Israel's next armed forces chief. Maj Gen Gabi Ashkenazi will take control after the unexpected resignation of Lt Gen Dan Halutz last week. Gen Ashkenazi, 53, fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur war and took part in the legendary 1976 Entebbe raid. His promotion suggests a desire among the Israeli military elite to return to the well-established formula of relying on army officers to run the military establishment. Gen Halutz...

Excerpt - 07:09 Report: PM mulling Ehud Barak, Gabi Ashkenazi as new defense minister (Army Radio) 07:07 Olmert aides: PM plans to remove Peretz from Defense Ministry (Army Radio

Minarets tower over two of the tallest roller coasters in the world, on the flyer announcing today’s big event at Six Flags’ Great Adventure & Wild Safari.  On this day, the park will be “transformed,” as thousands of Islamists from across the northeast come together in Jackson, New Jersey for "The Great Muslim Adventure Day."  Regrettably, Muslims will be the only ones having fun, as non-Muslims have been told that they are not welcome. The event, which also goes by the name "Muslim Youth Day," is being sponsored by the New Jersey chapter of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA),...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four Jewish mothers who lived 1,000 years ago in Europe are the ancestors of 40 percent of all Ashkenazi Jews alive today, an international team of researchers reported on Friday. The genetic study of DNA paints a vivid picture of human evolution and survival, and correlates with the well-established written and oral histories of Jewish migrations, said Dr. Doron Behar of the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, who worked on the study. The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, suggests that some 3.5 million Jews alive today all descended from four women. For their...

Although they probably weren't named Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, four Jewish "founding mothers" who lived in Europe 1,000 years ago have been credited with being the ancestors of nearly half of all Ashkenazi Jews, who constitute the majority of the current Jewish population. About 3.5 million people - or 40 percent of Ashkenazi Jews currently alive - are descended from these matriarchs, who were among a small group, probably after migrating from the Middle East, according to the Israeli researchers, who also provide evidence of shared maternal ancestry between Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi (Sephardi and Oriental) Jews. The studies that...