Jewish people, I have a question for you...

[Anonymous]

Your DNA has nothing to do with your religion. If you want to explore other religions, that should be a personal choice, not an obligation due to DNA report.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why did you report posts on the other thread that told you that is possible, and then the one saying nobody is 99% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
I mean sure, you could be, if they immigrated recently a everyone married only Ashkenazi Jews, but since you just found this out, what are the chances of that?
Your mom and dad are both unaware and both married the same DNA people?
And so did your grandparents? So, completely unaware of their background and yet here you are?
Logically, this is not possible.

I'm just jumping in to say that the PP above is completely off-base. It is not at all uncommon for ancestors from the same settlements in eastern Europe to intermarry, as they had no other choices. This is the case with my family. I will not give my real name, but this scenario is real. Let's say that my Dad's last name is Friedman and there is a town called Friedman in the former USSR where the Jews were forced to live in a small settlement. I started receiving news from my family about the Friedman heritage and all about the town. I naturally assumed this was my Dad's side of the family. It wasn't - it was my Mom's side who's ancestors came from the same small settlement. I haven't done a DNA test, but I'm sure my DNA would be almost all Ashkenazi Jew.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you report posts on the other thread that told you that is possible, and then the one saying nobody is 99% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
I mean sure, you could be, if they immigrated recently a everyone married only Ashkenazi Jews, but since you just found this out, what are the chances of that?
Your mom and dad are both unaware and both married the same DNA people?
And so did your grandparents? So, completely unaware of their background and yet here you are?
Logically, this is not possible.

Well I think it’s possible because assimilation and hiding a Jewish background was more common than you’d think in the 1900s. But probably there’d be some family stories about it.

I have some Jewish ancestors via emigration from the Austro-Hungarian empire (Budapest) around the 1860s. That family only retained the memory of having been Jewish but without hiding it or discussing with a sense of trauma. In Europe, there was a secular "Freethinker" movement that had a big impact on Germans and Czechs who immigrated to the US in the 19th century. I wonder if my family tied into that based on their choices.

My hypothesis is that the Jewish part of my family were somewhat secularized German-speaking urban Jews before immigrating. My great-grandmother, their daughter, self-identified as Christian but I can see that as a likely organic result of where she was raised in the US and decision to marry her Christian Anglo-American high school sweetheart.

I would like to learn more but expect it to be quite a quest to learn anything about the Budapest-side history. There are also hints of a tie to Slovenia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, I thought I was of Polish/Czech Catholic ancestry, but my at-home DNA test indicates 99% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

By Jewish law, does this mean I am "officially" Jewish? I was raised Catholic and know nothing about the religion. (But am going to research, as I'm interested in knowing my family's story).

Nope. Unless your mother is a practicing Jew, your DNA really doesn't matter for much.

I don’t think she has to be practicing for matrilineal descent?

OP when did your relatives come from Eastern Europe and where did they settle in the US? it seems unusual but assimilation in the early 20th century wasn’t that unusual. So maybe both sets of grandparents were Jewish immigrants to the US in the 20s as children and assimilated?

Let's say that OP's mom is a practicing Catholic. That's how she was raised. Gave birth to the OP, giving OP her Jewish genes and Catholic faith and traditions. I would not say that OP was Jewish in that case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you report posts on the other thread that told you that is possible, and then the one saying nobody is 99% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
I mean sure, you could be, if they immigrated recently a everyone married only Ashkenazi Jews, but since you just found this out, what are the chances of that?
Your mom and dad are both unaware and both married the same DNA people?
And so did your grandparents? So, completely unaware of their background and yet here you are?
Logically, this is not possible.

Well I think it’s possible because assimilation and hiding a Jewish background was more common than you’d think in the 1900s. But probably there’d be some family stories about it.

I have some Jewish ancestors via emigration from the Austro-Hungarian empire (Budapest) around the 1860s. That family only retained the memory of having been Jewish but without hiding it or discussing with a sense of trauma. In Europe, there was a secular "Freethinker" movement that had a big impact on Germans and Czechs who immigrated to the US in the 19th century. I wonder if my family tied into that based on their choices.

My hypothesis is that the Jewish part of my family were somewhat secularized German-speaking urban Jews before immigrating. My great-grandmother, their daughter, self-identified as Christian but I can see that as a likely organic result of where she was raised in the US and decision to marry her Christian Anglo-American high school sweetheart.

I would like to learn more but expect it to be quite a quest to learn anything about the Budapest-side history. There are also hints of a tie to Slovenia.

you might be interested to read this book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/half-jew-susan-jacoby/1003675191

not exactly your family’s story but she discusses how many Jews chose to assimilate due to antisemitism coupled with pre-existing secularism. In the same family you might have some siblings who chose to become more Orthodox and others who assimilated or “passed.” I think we forget that assimilation would have been a wholly rational response in the face of antisemitism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you report posts on the other thread that told you that is possible, and then the one saying nobody is 99% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
I mean sure, you could be, if they immigrated recently a everyone married only Ashkenazi Jews, but since you just found this out, what are the chances of that?
Your mom and dad are both unaware and both married the same DNA people?
And so did your grandparents? So, completely unaware of their background and yet here you are?
Logically, this is not possible.

Well I think it’s possible because assimilation and hiding a Jewish background was more common than you’d think in the 1900s. But probably there’d be some family stories about it.

I have some Jewish ancestors via emigration from the Austro-Hungarian empire (Budapest) around the 1860s. That family only retained the memory of having been Jewish but without hiding it or discussing with a sense of trauma. In Europe, there was a secular "Freethinker" movement that had a big impact on Germans and Czechs who immigrated to the US in the 19th century. I wonder if my family tied into that based on their choices.

My hypothesis is that the Jewish part of my family were somewhat secularized German-speaking urban Jews before immigrating. My great-grandmother, their daughter, self-identified as Christian but I can see that as a likely organic result of where she was raised in the US and decision to marry her Christian Anglo-American high school sweetheart.

I would like to learn more but expect it to be quite a quest to learn anything about the Budapest-side history. There are also hints of a tie to Slovenia.

you might be interested to read this book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/half-jew-susan-jacoby/1003675191

not exactly your family’s story but she discusses how many Jews chose to assimilate due to antisemitism coupled with pre-existing secularism. In the same family you might have some siblings who chose to become more Orthodox and others who assimilated or “passed.” I think we forget that assimilation would have been a wholly rational response in the face of antisemitism.

PP. Thanks. Maybe you are the DCUM person who recommended that book on here a few months ago. I did purchase that book based on a DCUM reco and read it and absorbed it. I greatly appreciate this kind of book reco, so I've passed it along too.

My overall take was that the particular Jewish family in that book was a bit more elite and also a bit more internally-conflicted and self-hating. I think my family probably wasn't as rich or religious. As far as I can guess, my family left Europe more for economic opportunity than to escape persecution. I say this because while I'm sure they faced discrimination, I don't think they left due to specific pogroms, wars, or hate crimes. I would like to know more about them to see if my guesses are correct. And to pursue my suspicions of a Slovenian connection. We are all curious but information is lacking just due to the passage of time. I've made great strides with genealogy on one set of great-grandparents and will turn to this couple soon.

As I mentioned above, Lara Diamond's blog is just amazing. She has found a ton of unexpectedly rich detail about her family. I highly recommend her site even for mon-Jewish genealogy. Her insight is inspirational.

https://larasgenealogy.blogspot.com/?m=1

[Anonymous]

Notice that op is not coming back? And posted in the early AM hours? Might not be a troll per say, but is definitely playing some game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, I thought I was of Polish/Czech Catholic ancestry, but my at-home DNA test indicates 99% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

By Jewish law, does this mean I am "officially" Jewish? I was raised Catholic and know nothing about the religion. (But am going to research, as I'm interested in knowing my family's story).

Nope. Unless your mother is a practicing Jew, your DNA really doesn't matter for much.

judaism is literally an ethnoreligion. how does it not matter that much???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where was your family during WWII?

The US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Notice that op is not coming back? And posted in the early AM hours? Might not be a troll per say, but is definitely playing some game.

I'm the OP. I'm not a troll, but I'm currently in a radically different timezone, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you report posts on the other thread that told you that is possible, and then the one saying nobody is 99% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
I mean sure, you could be, if they immigrated recently a everyone married only Ashkenazi Jews, but since you just found this out, what are the chances of that?
Your mom and dad are both unaware and both married the same DNA people?
And so did your grandparents? So, completely unaware of their background and yet here you are?
Logically, this is not possible.

Well I think it’s possible because assimilation and hiding a Jewish background was more common than you’d think in the 1900s. But probably there’d be some family stories about it.

It's possible. But the odds that both of OP's parents were from families that hid their very Jewish heritage is small. OP, another sad possibility (if your post is real) is that you are the product of incest.

Oh my God.

Yes, of course my post is real. Why would I have posted that if not? It (didn't) seem like a potentially interesting troll thread for anybody, I would have thought.

OK, I'm done here, though. I don't know why this was so offensive to you. I was truly curious.

I'm 44, and all of my grandparents are dead. I have one living parent, and I'm going to ask him the next time I see him (not if I was born of incest, but if he knows or heard anything about our heritage).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Notice that op is not coming back? And posted in the early AM hours? Might not be a troll per say, but is definitely playing some game.

I'm the OP. I'm not a troll, but I'm currently in a radically different timezone, thanks.

Then op you do know something. How old are you? What are your grandparents' last names? When did they immigrate and from which part. How did your parents meet?
Where in the U.S. did they live, predominantly Jewish part of town? You are not a tabula rasa not to know anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you report posts on the other thread that told you that is possible, and then the one saying nobody is 99% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
I mean sure, you could be, if they immigrated recently a everyone married only Ashkenazi Jews, but since you just found this out, what are the chances of that?
Your mom and dad are both unaware and both married the same DNA people?
And so did your grandparents? So, completely unaware of their background and yet here you are?
Logically, this is not possible.

Well I think it’s possible because assimilation and hiding a Jewish background was more common than you’d think in the 1900s. But probably there’d be some family stories about it.

It's possible. But the odds that both of OP's parents were from families that hid their very Jewish heritage is small. OP, another sad possibility (if your post is real) is that you are the product of incest.

Oh my God.

Yes, of course my post is real. Why would I have posted that if not? It (didn't) seem like a potentially interesting troll thread for anybody, I would have thought.

OK, I'm done here, though. I don't know why this was so offensive to you. I was truly curious.

I'm 44, and all of my grandparents are dead. I have one living parent, and I'm going to ask him the next time I see him (not if I was born of incest, but if he knows or heard anything about our heritage).

I am the person who asked if you are a troll, however, I am not the pp you quoted here. All I posted is that odds are unlikely that you are 99% Ashkenazi, might be that you only tested paternal heritage.

[Anonymous]

Why does it matter?
The sooner we can evolve to just being fellow humans, the better the world will be.

This kind of stuff is bizarre to me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where was your family during WWII?

The US.

Can you give more background on when both sets of grandparents immigrated?

is it possible you were adopted?