Christopher Columbus was genetically Jewish, Spanish researchers say
New research uses DNA analysis to add to longtime speculation about the explorer’s identity
DNA
The Latest
-
Fast Forward -
Fast Forward 23andMe agrees to $30M settlement over data breach that targeted Jewish and Chinese users
The data was first stolen by a hacker nicknamed “Golem,” after the Jewish mythical defender made of clay
-
Theater A neglected Jewish pioneer is having her say — this time in a musical
‘Double Helix’ tells the story of Rosalind Franklin, DNA and life itself
-
Opinion What killed the Jews thrown down the Norwich well is still alive today
DNA analysis confirms the 17 dead in the Norwich well were Jewish victims of antisemitic violence
-
Culture Finding out I wasn’t genetically related to my father brought me closer to him
How a surprising discovery on 23andMe led to an even more surprising realization
-
Opinion Israeli Rabbis Are Using DNA Testing To Police Civil Rights. This Shouldn’t Shock You.
On Tuesday, Judy Maltz reported in Haaretz that the Israeli Rabbinate, which controls conversion, marriage and divorce in Israel, is using DNA testing to verify a person’s Jewishness. Since a person who isn’t Jewish can’t marry a Jew in Israel, which has no civil marriage, the rabbinate is using the DNA test to deny people…
-
News Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Sephardic Claim Unleashes Fierce Debate About Jewish Identity
Crypto-Jews. Secret Jews. Conversos. Marranos. B’nai Anusim. These are the terms used for Jews, mainly of Spanish descent, who were forced to convert to Catholicism or die during the period of Spain’s Inquisition. While many Sephardic Jews did convert, some continued to practice their Judaism in secret. Now, this 500-year history of hidden Jewish lineage…
-
Opinion Elizabeth Warren’s Stunt Shows Danger Of DNA Testing For Jews
DNA is not identity. We aren’t our genetic markers. That’s the message Native American writers and activists have been trying to convey to Massachusetts Senator and likely 2020 presidential contender Elizabeth Warren. But it’s a message Jewish people at this moment could stand to hear as well. Elizabeth Warren, a white woman, has in the…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News Your complete guide to Trump’s Jewish advisers and pro-Israel cabinet
- 2
Fast Forward Why neo-Nazis marched in Ohio this weekend, and almost every weekend in the US
- 3
Fast Forward Trump AG nominee Matt Gaetz has left a trail of antisemitic comments
- 4
Opinion The group behind Project 2025 has a plan to protect Jews. It will do the opposite.
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Jessica Tisch, Jewish public servant, appointed as commissioner of NYPD
-
Fast Forward ‘A sense of wariness’ for many Jews when they see keffiyehs in public
-
Opinion A ceasefire may be imminent in Israel’s war in Lebanon — why not Gaza?
-
Fast Forward Man who attempted terror attack on Jewish New Yorkers in 2022 sentenced to 10 years in prison
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
