Jacob's Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish History | 
 enlarge | Author: David B. Goldstein
Publisher: Yale University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 76524
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 176
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0300125836
Dewey Decimal Number: 909.04924
EAN: 9780300125832
Publication Date: May 28, 2008
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Product Description
Who are the Jews? Where did they come from? What is the connection between an ancient Jewish priest in Jerusalem and today’s Israeli sunbather on the beaches of Tel Aviv? These questions stand at the heart of this engaging book. Geneticist David Goldstein analyzes modern DNA studies of Jewish populations and examines the intersections of these scientific findings with the history (both biblical and modern) and oral tradition of the Jews. With a special gift for translating complex scientific concepts into language understandable to all, Goldstein delivers an accessible, personal, and fascinating book that tells the history of a group of people through the lens of genetics. In a series of detective-style stories, Goldstein explores the priestly lineage of Jewish males as manifested by Y chromosomes; the Jewish lineage claims of the Lemba, an obscure black South African tribe; the differences in maternal and paternal genetic heritage among Jewish populations; and much more. The author also grapples with the medical and ethical implications of our rapidly growing command of the human genomic landscape. The study of genetics has not only changed the study of Jewish history, Goldstein shows, it has altered notions of Jewish identity and even our understanding of what makes a people a people.
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 3000 years in 176 pages August 22, 2008
Outside Food (Lafayette Hill, PA)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book, a summary of research on genetics of Jewish people, is by a person in the best position to tell the story: a geneticist and a Jew. Goldstein's research deals with tracing heredity as far back as possible, and it is his project that is probing connections between Jews all over the world. He shows it is possible that Jews who think they are descendents of high priests from the days of the First Temple really are, and that Africans who believe they originated with the early Hebrews actually did. He also contrasts genetic descent through males and females and offers an explanation of why hereditary diseases found mostly in Jews may confer an advantage. The technical portions are easy to understand and the book is no longer than it needs to be. It's a fast, jargon-free read and is highly recommended.
The Jews in History & the History in Jews ..a remarkable synthesis November 8, 2008
Gary C. Marfin (Sugar Land, Texas USA)
In Jacob's Legacy, David Goldstein, ("I am a geneticist. But I am also a Jew.") demonstrates the remarkable synergy from combining genetic and historical research. The historical record suggests the possibility that the Jewish high priests might today be distinguished genetically from those of the Jews who were not high priests. Indeed, Goldstein and his colleagues were able to identify significant genetic similarities, and further to suggest that the ancestral generation (Generation 1) goes back roughly 3,000 year, or within the approximate time of Solomon, which is what the historical record would suggest. Similarly, the historical record points to the possibility that a Bantu speaking tribe in Africa (the Bantu people themselves displaying a impressive record of migration and settlement) might be of Jewish descent. Here again, Goldstein and his colleagues were able to show that one in ten of the Y chromosomes were revealed to be within the Cohan Modal Haplotype identified earlier in the study of high priests. The most surprising result in the book is the possibility, which Goldstein could not falsify, that Ashkenazi Jews may trace their origins, not so much to the ancient Israelites, as to the Khazari sources.
The historical events covered in Jacob's Legacy demonstrate a well-balanced combination of historical sources and modern genetic analytical techniques. Further, Goldstein's summaries of the historical record and his digressions on the larger meaning of the Jews in history are exceedingly concise and work to place Jacob's Legacy in the larger context of global history. If Goldstein set out to convince his readers that genetic and historical analysis can be combined to enrich their understanding of the past, he has succeeded admirably. This slender volume delivers a solid punch.
Untangling the past July 27, 2008
L. Veid (Beckley, WV USA)
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
Dr. Goldstein does an excellent job of educating the reader about genetic tracing without overwhelming us with scientific jargon. He re-examines and expands on the story about modern-day Jewish priests, traces the probable Jewish heritage of an African tribe, explains why Jewish women in certain Jewish populations have a vastly different genetic history from their men, and looks into genetic disease specific to Jews. Along the way he drops many little tidbits of knowledge that enhance the story and entrance the reader. (Hint: Commander Spock makes an appearance). I look forward to futher reports from Dr. Goldstein and his team.
good technical view August 27, 2008
C. Weiner (minnesota)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a concise book about the current genetic data about various sub groups of Jews. It covers several of the small groups who may have identifiable DNA 'finger prints'. The concentration is on using DNA for identification and not for illnesses. This is written by a genetic analyst, who provides the background information about the limits of DNA tracking. Overall the book is interesting and useful.
 Some steps are missing... October 6, 2008
Jacyr Pasternak
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a trial of explaining how genetic investigation can help historial investigation. It's not a new device: the patron of those studies is Luca Cavalli-Sforza. The author jewishness relates to his study and we understand some trends from jewish diaspora: the Lemba have the male genetic markers of jewish priests but have some, not many, jewish traditions; the abyssinian jews that are halachic jews do not have those markers. The askenazi have some markers that suggests strongly the contribuition of a turkish tribe, the Khazars, to their gene pool. The book is easy to understand with somebody with biological information basis, it will be not so easy for completly lay persons.
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