geetarzrkool t1_iz5g4qh wrote on December 6, 2022 at 4:55 PM

Reply to comment by estherstein in Ashkenazi Jews Have Become More Genetically Similar Over Time – A new study of skeletons from a cemetery in Germany reveals a hidden history of Jews in the Middle Ages. by SebRLuck

...but the mother does, according to Deuteronomy. Can't have it both ways. If you're a "tribal nation", that just means close blood relations, which have to be defined, but never are. "Traditions" and "interpretations" are non-scientific and serve no purpose. DNA doesn't lie. That's why people hate it.

estherstein t1_iz5k9lw wrote on December 6, 2022 at 5:22 PM

I would argue though that since we only recognize matrilineal descent and we don't differentiate between descendants of converts it's a religious definition and not a tribal one. You cannot tell if someone is Jewish (according to Orthodox Jewish standards) by DNA. Maybe their great-great-great-great grandmother converted- and if that conversion was valid, and they can prove direct female descent, they're 100% Jewish.