OMG, REALLY??
23andMe does not try to isolate a “Jewish” gene — just Ashkenazic genes. 23andMe lists “Ashkenazi Jewish” as a reference population within the larger European population. Ancestry.com calls Jewish genes “European Jewish.” Sephardic Jews are not considered a distinct population by either company, or by researchers — their genetic make-up is not sufficiently different from surrounding North African, Iberian and Greek populations. Ashkenazic Jews often find themselves in the peculiar situation of being 90% Ashkenazi Jewish and 99% European. Sephardic Jews may be told they are mostly Middle Eastern and North African and less than 10% Ashkenazic.
Yet even as many Jews flock to 23andMe to learn more about their genetic ancestry, the company’s inadvertent endorsement of an unscientific theory might cause them to think twice about accepting its genetic reports as fact.
“It sort of assaults your sense of self a little bit,” Golden said. “Let’s be careful with things that are totally unprovable.”
Read more: https://forward.com/news/breaking-news/381367/why-did-23andme-tell-ashkenazi-jewcould-be-descended-from-khazars/s-they-