Chapter Three: Life in Europe We, Boleslaw, by the grace of God the Duke of Wielkopolska, hereby make it known to both those of the present and of the future, to whose notice the present write shall come, that to our Jews living all across the lands of our Dominion, We have resolved to declare word-for-word the statutes and privileges that they have obtained from us. The Statute of Kalisz, 9 September 1264 The Ashkenazi Though we don’t know exactly when our ancestors came into Europe, it is very likely that it happened prior to 1000 CE. Starting in the … Continue reading Part 1: Beyond Our Family Tree

Chapter Two: Diaspora (תְּפוּצָה) Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them the waters of the River, strong and mighty – The King of Assyria and all his glory; He will go up over all his channels And go … Continue reading Part 1: Beyond Our Family Tree

Chapter One: From Nomads to the Jewish KingdomAdam & Eve, approximately 200,000 years ago in modern day Botswana At an unknown date, an unnamed tribe of ancient Humans lived in the Makgadikgadi Basin. Within this tribe was the mother of all living humans. This woman, our ~8,000th great grandmother[1] is known as the “Mitochondrial Eve”. Strictly speaking “Eve” is not a single or a specific woman but a group of closely related women who have given all who live today, our mitochondrial DNA.[i] Around this time[2], in an unknown location in Africa lived the father of all living men, the … Continue reading Part 1: Beyond Our Family Tree