Blood groups in Persian Jews; a comparative study with other oriental Jewish communities

Population genetics in Israel in the 1950s. The unconscious internalization of ideology

This essay describes the effects of Zionist ideology on research into human population genetics carried out in Israel during the 1950s and early 1960s. I argue that the internalization of the dominant Zionist narrative is reflected in the articles that were written by Israeli geneticists and physicians during these years. My claim is based on a comparison of articles about human population genetics written and published by Israeli scientists between 1951 and 1963 with similar articles written by non-Israelis. The comparison reveals that during this period the Israeli human geneticists and physicians emphasized the sociological and historical aspects of their research and used their work, among other things, as a vehicle for establishing a national identity and confirming the Zionist narrative.

Genetic polymorphisms among Iranian Jews in Israel

Iranian Jews represent a very ancient Jewish community with a high frequency of inbreeding. A sample of Iranian Jews, mainly unrelated students, was tested for genetic markers of red blood cells and serum. The frequency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency was not uniform among Jews who had lived in different areas of Iran; it was lower among those from central Iran (6.7%) than in those from southern and western Iran (16.7% and 20.6%, respectively). The frequencies of B, CDe, cDE, S, and K alleles were among the highest recorded in Jewish ethnic groups. Iranian Jews were similar to Iraqi Jews with respect to the frequencies of the blood markers B, CDe, cde, cDe, ACP, PGM1, ADA, and Hp; however, the B and CDe markers occur with similar frequencies among indigenous Iranians. The presence of the cDe allele and the Gm1,5,13,14,17 haplotype in low frequencies indicates black admixture. Mongoloid admixture is indicated by the polymorphism of the Gm1,13,15,16,17 haplotype. The very rare phenotype Gm(3,5,13,14,17) was observed in 4.8% of 167 individuals tested. This phenotype has not been previously observed among Jews.

HLA polymorphism in Israel. 9. An overall comparative analysis

HLA gene frequencies in 11 Israeli populations and nine other relevant populations were used to calculate genetic distances in a quantitative assessment of their similarities and differences. The shortest distance found is between Polish and Rumanian Jews, while the largest is between Russian Jews and Black Africans. Estimates of "average" distances within major population groups suggest that the Ashkenazi Jews (Poles, Russians, Rumanians and Germans) are a more homogeneous population than East European non-Jews or than Middle-Eastern populations (Arabs, Armenians, Lebanese and Turks). A cline of distances between Ashkenazi Jews and other Jewish communities parallels their geographic distribution; however, the relatively large distance between the two North African communities (Libyans and Moroccans) demonstrates that geographic proximity is not necessarily correlated with genetic similarity. The Jewish populations, especially the Ashkenazi, show a clear divergence from their neighboring non-Jewish populations, among whom they have lived for many centuries. There are indications in the HLA data of a common origin for the diverse Jewish populations.