I’m pleased to say that (after many hours of writing and formatting) I have just published my new historical novel on Amazon.com.
A DNA test by 23AndMe showed that my genetics is 99.9% Ashkenazi Jewish and 0.1% East African.
Gemini AI calculated that the African contribution, a 0.1% segment, roughly corresponds to a single ancestor who lived 9 to 11 generations ago (around the early to mid- 1700s ), or a slightly larger contribution from an ancestor even further back. This novel is an imagining of the way an East African Beta Israel Jewish trader could have traveled, met and married into an Ashkenazi Jewish family in about 1753, eventually migrating to the new city of Odessa in 1794. I would be proud to be the descendant of such an enterprising person. The story honors the unbroken thread carried through our DNA over centuries.
The protagonist is a Beta Israel Ethiopian Jew, born in 1732. He grows up to become a long-distance merchant. The book is full of travel, 18th century commercial details and derring-do (sword fights, travel over land and sea, etc.). He meets an Ashkenazi woman in Istanbul and they eventually move to Odessa, where my great-grandfather was born.
According to Gemini, there is no other book set in this place and time. It’s unique and just right for readers who are tired of the same-old, same-old subjects.
For the sake of identity protection, I won’t post the title. But if you want to read it, message me via Motley Fool and I will e-mail you the link to Amazon.com where you can order it for $3.
To simplify greatly, Ashkenazi is 50% Italian and 50% Canaanite. There can be 0 to 15% Slavic or Germanic DNA as well. That is a very crude measure of DNA for the group.
I am close to having 50% Ashkenazi, close to half Irish, possibly Irish Scots underneath that, and 7% Finnish.
Yes, genetic studies show that Ashkenazi Jewish DNA is largely a mixture of Southern European (primarily Italian/Greco-Roman) and Levantine/Middle Eastern (including ancient Canaanite/Israelite) ancestry. [1, 2]
Genetic Breakdown
Southern European/Italian: Studies estimate that roughly 50% to 70% of Ashkenazi autosomal DNA traces to Southern European or Italian sources. This happened during antiquity and early migrations when Judean populations mixed with local populations in the Roman Empire, including local European converts who joined the Jewish community.
Levantine/Canaanite: Roughly 15% to 30% of the DNA directly traces to Middle Eastern/Levantine lineages, reflecting ancient origins in the Southern Levant (the region of ancient Israel and Canaan).
Other Components: Smaller portions include Eastern European (acquired later after settling in Central and Eastern Europe) and minor regional inputs. [3, 9]
The Historical Journey
Roman Era Admixture: Following the Roman conquest of Judea, many Jews moved or were transported to the Italian peninsula.
Intermarriage and Conversion: Over centuries in Southern Europe, the existing Judean population intermarried and absorbed local Mediterranean populations and converts, creating a distinct genetic pool.
The European Migration: By the Middle Ages, this merged population moved further north into the Rhineland and Eastern Europe, undergoing a genetic bottleneck that amplified these combined traits into what is recognized as modern Ashkenazi DNA. [6, 10]
Would you like to explore how commercial DNA tests like 23andMe or AncestryDNA interpret these specific Italian and Levantine components in your results?
Can’t remember the names of any other DNA tests, but have you “cross tested” any others? I read an article a few months ago about someone using the canine equivalent on their “mutt” and 3 tests gave drastically different results. Although being 99.9% a certain lineage doubt that would change.
Oh, the 99.9% isn’t in question. It’s the 0.1% that’s the kicker.
It doesn’t really matter whether it’s true or a lab artifact anyway. Such a small contribution probably wouldn’t have any practical impact…and if it did it wouldn’t be possible to attribute it anyway.
But it piqued my curiosity and creativity. For a creative person, that spark is valuable. Those blank pages are blank no longer.
And I do more than octopus paintings.
Wendy
Yes different testing labs use different admixture DNA analysis. Admixture in DNA analysis is a statistical method that estimates the geographic and ancestral origins of a person’s genome by comparing their genetic markers against reference panels from around the world. [1, 2]
How Admixture Analysis Works
Genetic Mixing: Admixture happens when individuals from previously isolated populations mate, combining their DNA in their descendants. [1]
DNA Testing: Commercial autosomal DNA tests examine hundreds of thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)—common genetic variations. [1, 2]
Reference Comparison: Algorithms compare your unique variant patterns against global reference populations to calculate the percentage breakdown of your ancestral components. Popular consumer platforms like Family Tree DNA, 23andMe or AncestryDNA use these models to build your ethnicity estimate. [1, 2]
Applications of Admixture
Biogeographical Ancestry: Traces deep family history, ancestral migration paths, and historical events like colonization.
Admixture Mapping: A gene-mapping technique used by researchers to locate disease-causing genetic variants by studying populations with recent mixed ancestry. [1, 2, 3]
Limitations
Reference Dependency: Results depend entirely on the diversity and accuracy of the reference datasets used by the testing company.
Estimates, Not Absolutes: Because DNA is inherited randomly through recombination, percentages are statistical probabilities rather than exact historical records. [1, 2, 3]
If you like to explore how to upload your raw DNA data to third-party tools like GEDmatch ( https://www.gedmatch.com/ ) for deeper admixture calculators, or learn more about admixture mapping for disease studies then here are some references:
ISOGG… | International Society of Genetic Genealogy - Admixture analyses - ISOGG Wiki Mar 31, 2026 — From ISOGG Wiki. Admixture analysis (more properly known as biogeographical ancestry analysis) is a method of inferring someone’s ancestry https://isogg.org/wiki/Admixture_analyses
Wikipedia Genetic admixture - Wikipedia Mapping. Admixture mapping is a method of gene mapping that uses a population of mixed ancestry (an admixed population) to find someone’s ancestry Genetic admixture - Wikipedia
You can join and upload your 23And Me to GEDMatch for free. There are more than 400 million people in GEDCOMs.
GEDmatch provides more applications for comparing your DNA test results with the most people worldwide, for free! Compatible with DNA data from all major DNA testing companies
