[cookcounty]

"Again, the Jews of Spain were Sephardic, so their descendants wouldnt have Askenasi genes."

A good point, but not a foolproof one. There was significant contact back and forth, they aren't hermetically sealed groups.

I'd like to see the source though, Xinhua is only slightly more reliable than Debka.

[kabumpo]

Actually, they may as well have been. The families did not intermarry back then. Furthermore, the Askenasi were originally Khazars who converted to Judaism circa 1200 A.D. - no connection to Israel.