The Genetics of Bene Israel from India Reveals Both Substantial Jewish and Indian Ancestry

The Bene Israel Jewish community from West India is a unique population whose history before the 18^th century remains largely unknown. Bene Israel members consider themselves as descendants of Jews, yet the identity of Jewish ancestors and their arrival time to India are unknown, with speculations on arrival time varying between the 8th century BCE and the 6th century CE. Here, we characterize the genetic history of Bene Israel by collecting and genotyping 18 Bene Israel individuals. Combining with 486 individuals from 41 other Jewish, Indian and Pakistani populations, and additional individuals from worldwide populations, we conducted comprehensive genome-wide analyses based on F_ST, principal component analysis, ADMIXTURE, identity-by-descent sharing, admixture linkage disequilibrium decay, haplotype sharing and allele sharing autocorrelation decay, as well as contrasted patterns between the X chromosome and the autosomes. The genetics of Bene Israel individuals resemble local Indian populations, while at the same time constituting a clearly separated and unique population in India. They are unique among Indian and Pakistani populations we analyzed in sharing considerable genetic ancestry with other Jewish populations. Putting together the results from all analyses point to Bene Israel being an admixed population with both Jewish and Indian ancestry, with the genetic contribution of each of these ancestral populations being substantial. The admixture took place in the last millennium, about 19–33 generations ago. It involved Middle-Eastern Jews and was sex-biased, with more male Jewish and local female contribution. It was followed by a population bottleneck and high endogamy, which can lead to increased prevalence of recessive diseases in this population. This study provides an example of how genetic analysis advances our knowledge of human history in cases where other disciplines lack the relevant data to do so.     

Genetics,History, and Identity: The Case of the Bene Israel and the Lemba

The paper examines the impact of genetic research on the religious identity of the Bene Israel Indian Jewish community and the Lemba Judaising group of southern Africa. It demonstrates how DNA tests which happened to support the possibility of the communities' legends of origin affected their self-perception, the way they are viewed by their neighbors, and their image in the West. It is argued that in both cases what accounted most for the Bene Israel and Lemba responses to the tests was the way the results were portrayed in the mass media, the history of the development of Judaism in their communities, and the local realities.     

Film Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
The Jews of Djerba.
Pilgrimage to Ghriba.
About the Jews of India: Cochin.
About the Jews of India: Shanwar Telis or Bene Israel.
Sosua.
Religion in Suburbia.
Brighton Beach.     

Putting a notch in our understanding of nuclear migration

The nuclei of progenitor cells in developing neural epithelia change their position during the cell cycle through a process called interkinetic nuclear migration. Del Bene et al. (2008) report that defects in the machinery controlling this process lead to altered exposure to Notch signals and systemic effects on neurogenesis in the retina.     

The genetic history of Cochin Jews from India

Cochin Jews form a small and unique community on the Malabar coast in southwest India. While the arrival time of any putative Jewish ancestors of the community has been speculated to have taken place as far back as biblical times (King Solomon’s era), a Jewish community in the Malabar coast has been documented only since the 9th century CE. Here, we explore the genetic history of Cochin Jews by collecting and genotyping 21 community members and combining the data with that of 707 individuals from 72 other Indian, Jewish, and Pakistani populations, together with additional individuals from worldwide populations. We applied comprehensive genome-wide analyses based on principal component analysis, F _ST, ADMIXTURE, identity-by-descent sharing, admixture linkage disequilibrium decay, haplotype sharing, allele sharing autocorrelation decay and contrasting the X chromosome with the autosomes. We find that, as reported by several previous studies, the genetics of Cochin Jews resembles that of local Indian populations. However, we also identify considerable Jewish genetic ancestry that is not present in any other Indian or Pakistani populations (with the exception of the Jewish Bene Israel, which we characterized previously). Combined, Cochin Jews have both Jewish and Indian ancestry. Specifically, we detect a significant recent Jewish gene flow into this community 13–22 generations (~470–730 years) ago, with contributions from Yemenite, Sephardi, and Middle-Eastern Jews, in accordance with historical records. Genetic analyses also point to high endogamy and a recent population bottleneck in this population, which might explain the increased prevalence of some recessive diseases in Cochin Jews.     

The white coat trap: pharmacy as an ethnic-dominated occupation in Israel

Health professions are perceived by the Arab minority in Israel as a desired path of education and employment. Arabs in Israel are thus highly represented in these professions, especially pharmacy. This study analyses the unique ethnic and gender composition of pharmacists in Israel and explores their career experiences and perceptions. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies are employed. The findings reflect dual marginality in the pharmacy profession in Israel, that is currently both female and ethnic-dominated. This situation is described in the Arab pharmacists’ stories, that delineate the disparity between their aspirations when starting their careers and their hardships after working for several years as pharmacists. Arabs in Israel face unique difficulties in the labour market. Many choose the health professions, including pharmacy, as a path of mobility. Pharmacy, however, is perceived as a niche (ethnic and female-dominated) profession in Israel. Hence, its practitioners suffer from devaluation in wage and prestige.     

Genetic characterization of populations of the golden jackal and the red fox in Israel

The golden jackal and red fox are among the wildlife species protected by Israeli law as enforced by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. In 1964, as a part of a management program to control rabies in Israel, a poison eradication campaign was launched to exterminate golden jackals, considered to be the main reservoir of the disease. The program resulted in the near-complete extermination of jackals in Israel, while foxes were only mildly affected. Jackals have since regained their original numbers and have recolonized southern Israel. We here examined the population structure of the golden jackal and red fox in Israel, 48 years after the poison eradication campaign. DNA from 88 golden jackals and 89 red foxes representing five different geographic regions was extracted and amplified at 13 microsatellite loci in order to characterize the populations on a genetic level. High genetic diversity was found among the jackal and fox populations. A possible migration route through the Jordan Rift Valley was suggested for both species by the genetic similarity of populations in northern and southern Israel. However, in both species, the animals from the center of Israel were distinctive from those north or south, indicating the relative isolation of central populations, likely due to fragmentation or a high abundance of food resources. Genetic profiles obtained for the golden jackal and the red fox in Israel may aid in their conservation management and in the study of zoonotic diseases.     

A comparison of the body height of the Israeli-born and immigrants to Israel

This paper reports a study of body height in the adult Jewish population of Israel, comparing native-born with immigrant groups. The sample tested included 1,411 men and 961 women, all clinically healthy according to the results of multiphasic screening. The phenomenon observed in other immigration-absorbing countries also holds for Israel: native Israelis are significantly taller than their immigrant counterparts. The findings were verified over different age and working activity strata, and thus may be taken to reflect the influence of better socioeconomic and environmental conditions on the bodily development of those born in Israel.     

International epidemiological and microbiological study of outbreak of Salmonella agona infection from a ready to eat savoury snack--II: Israel.

OBJECTIVES: To explain an increase in the incidence of salmonellosis caused by Salmonella agona in Israel between October 1994 and January 1995 in the light of an outbreak of S agona phage type 15 infection in England and Wales caused by consumption of a ready to eat savoury snack produced in Israel. DESIGN: Epidemiology of S agona in 1994-5 was analysed and two consecutive, case-control studies of 32 and 26 case-control pairs were performed. Phage typing and molecular methods were used to characterise strains of S agona isolated from cases and samples of the snack in Israel and England and Wales. RESULTS: The increase in the incidence of S agona between October 1994 and January 1995 was countrywide. Cases of infection with group B salmonella increased from 60% to 80% in children under 5 years old. In both case-control studies, cases consumed more of the snack than did controls (4.25 v 2.94 packets per week in the first study (P = 0.086) and 4.04 v 2.37 packets per week in the second study (P = 0.034)). When the two studies were combined there was a significant dose-response relation for the number of packets consumed weekly. Compared with consumption of less than two packets, the odds ratio was 1.43 for between two and six packets and 3.37 for seven or more packets (chi 2 for trend = 5.27, P = 0.02) S agona phage type 15 was isolated from a packet of the snack sold in Israel, and the strain was identical with those isolated from packets and cases in Israel and England and Wales. CONCLUSIONS: This outbreak of S agona was caused by the contamination of a snack produced in Israel. Even under modern operating conditions, large, widespread international outbreaks of foodborne disease can occur. The success of this investigation resulted from excellent international collaboration between public health authorities.     

The distribution of the most favorable temperatures for citrus flower induction in Israel

In this study the distribution of optimum temperatures for the induction of citrus blossoms in Israel has been determined. The number of flowers that form on citrus plants grown in the subtropics is known to be affected by the temperatures to which the plants are exposed. However, too few records of hourly temperatures exist in Israel to make an estimate of the occurrence and/or distribution of temperatures beneficial for citrus flower induction, although maximum and minimum temperatures are widely recorded. Thus, a model derived from the hourly records could be applied to the stations recording only maximum and minimum temperatures. The average optimum temperature was mapped for citrus flower induction throughout Israel.     

A review of bird migration over Israel

The sheer number of migrating birds that pass over Israel give the country a unique situation in the study of the phenomenon, which was, not surprisingly, noticed even in biblical times. This paper is a review of current knowledge of bird migration in Israel. It includes a brief summary of migration in the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East and new information from an extensive migration survey done in the northern Arava Valley and Negev Highlands.     

Non-indigenous land and freshwater gastropods in Israel

Few comprehensive works have investigated non-indigenous snails and slugs as a group. We compiled a database of non-indigenous gastropods in Israel to explore how they arrived and spread, characteristics of their introduction, and their biological traits. Fifty-two species of introduced gastropods are known from Israel (of which nine species subsequently went extinct): 19 species of freshwater snails and 33 species of terrestrial gastropods. The majority of these species are found only in human-dominated habitats. Most of those found in natural habitats are aquatic species. Most snails are introduced unintentionally from various parts of the Holoarctic region, reaching Israel as stowaways with horticultural imports and the aquarium trade, but some are brought intentionally to be used as pets or for food. Because the study of this group in Israel is very limited, information regarding their distribution in the country and their effects on other species is incomplete. Though only nine species of non-indigenous snails have been found to date in natural habitats, some of these are very abundant. More information and research is required to enable effective management schemes.     

Why are rags tied to the sacred trees of the Holy Land?

A field study to survey the custom of tying rags on sacred trees in the northern part of Israel was carried out during 2000–2001. It included 60 interviewees: 24 Druze, 18 Moslem Arabs, 12 Moslem Bedouins and 6 Christian Arab individuals. Tree veneration was found to be quite uncommon among the Bedouins and rare among the Christian Arabs. The results of the present study suggest there are 17 reasons for tying rags on sacred trees. Five reasons, as far as the author is aware, were not previously reported from the literature (i.e., breaking an oath, marking a blessed tree, marking the road to a blessed tree, asking for permission to pick fruit, and setting out rags for needy people). These usages appear to be endemic to Israel and to the Druze. Two customs previously reported from Israel but not corroborated by the present survey are to pacify a tree’s spirit and as a charm for new clothes. Three of the 17 known reasons for tying rags on sacred trees are also known from regions beyond the Middle East (i.e., to transfer illness to the tree, to use a rag as a visiting card, and to pacify the tree’s spirits). And lastly, several customs never reported before from Israel appear to stem from the belief in ancient pagan polytheistic religions (to ensure a good yield, offerings to a tree’s deities/spirits, to pacify the ancestor’s spirits, to commemorate a death, and to pacify a tree’s spirit while picking fruits). Twelve of the reported 17 reasons for hanging rags on sacred trees are known from Israel. These findings elucidate the widespread and variable tree worship traditions that are prevalent today in the region. In spite of a monotheistic ban against ancient pagan beliefs, trees still remain a subject of worship in Israel today, as manifested by the daily tying of rags upon branches.     

Life history and identification of Philophthalmus lucipetus from Israel

A Philophthalmus species whose larval stages have been isolated from Melanopsis praemorsa snails collected in Israel and formerly identified as probably belonging to Philophthalmus palpebrarum has now been reevaluated as belonging to Philophthalmus lucipetus. The present determination is based on a detailed study of all the stages of the parasite's life cycle--eggs, intramolluscan stages, cercariae, and adults. They were compared to the original species P. lucipetus, recently reexamined and redescribed from source material in Vienna, Austria. The identity of the eyefluke from Israel and P. lucipetus was further confirmed by successful cross-infections employing miracidia of the Israeli isolate in European (Bulgarian) Fagotia acicularis acicularis snails on the one hand and miracidia of P. lucipetus from Bulgaria in Israeli Melanopsis praemorsa on the other hand, but none infected Melano?des tuberculata snails from Israel.     

Is there a connection between weather at departure sites,onset of migration and timing of soaring‐bird autumn migration in Israel?

Aims Different aspects of soaring‐bird migration are influenced by weather. However, the relationship between weather and the onset of soaring‐bird migration, particularly in autumn, is not clear. Although long‐term migration counts are often unavailable near the breeding areas of many soaring birds in the western Palaearctic, soaring‐bird migration has been systematically monitored in Israel, a region where populations from large geographical areas converge. This study tests several fundamental hypotheses regarding the onset of migration and explores the connection between weather, migration onset and arrival at a distant site. Location Globally gridded meteorological data from the breeding areas in north‐eastern Europe were used as predictive variables in relation to the arrival of soaring migrants in Israel. Methods Inverse modelling was used to study the temporal and spatial influence of weather on initiation of migration based on autumn soaring‐bird migration counts in Israel. Numerous combinations of migration duration and temporal influence of meteorological variables (temperature, sea‐level pressure and precipitable water) were tested with different models for meteorological sensitivity. Results The day of arrival in Israel of white storks, honey buzzards, Levant sparrowhawks and lesser spotted eagles was significantly and strongly related to meteorological conditions in the breeding area days or even weeks before arrival in Israel. The cumulative number of days or cumulative value above or below a meteorological threshold performed significantly better than other models tested. Models provided reliable estimates of migration duration for each species. Main conclusions The meteorological triggers of migration at the breeding grounds differed between species and were related to deteriorating living conditions and deteriorating migratory flight conditions. Soaring birds are sensitive to meteorological triggers at the same period every year and their temporal response to weather appears to be constrained by their annual routine.     

PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ISRAEL FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE WHITE PELICAN PELECANUS ONOCROTALUS L.

Izhaki, I. 1994. Preliminary data on the importance of Israel for the conservation of the White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus L. Ostrich 65:213-217.

The majority of the western Palaearctic populations of the Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus stop over in Israel during their autumn migration. The annual average number of pelicans observed over Israel in autumn was 71,421±5,027. Although most of these birds were transient over Israel, increasing numbers of individuals (1130±303, between 1990 and 1993) stay and winter in the northern part of Israel. The natural feeding sites for pelicans were diminished during recent decades due to human activities such as the drainage of the Hula swamp in northern Israel 40 years ago. However, intensive fishery and aqua-culture sites became their favourite feeding laces either during migration or in winter. The fish industry complained that the birds seriously affect fish yield. The pelicans not only cause direct damage to the fix industry by predation, but they also transfer nematodes to fish (Oreochromis sp.). As et. there is no solution to the problem of these parasitic nematodes. This preliminary study revealed that the average daily fish consumption per individual was 0,52kg and the small sample size did not indicate any selection for certain fish species or size. Flight range estimation indicated that the pelicans, especially the weak individuals, nee xo feed during their stopover in Israel or in the relatively rare appropriate feeding sites along their southward migratory route over the desert in order to reach their wintering areas in eastern central Africa.     

A rare adenosine deaminase allele (ADA6) in an Arab Moslem village in Israel

Summary The rare allele, ADA⁶, was detected in seven members of an Arab Moslem family from northern Israel. All had the electrophoretic pattern of heterozygotes ADA 6-1. This phenotype was formerly described in a small German family. The individuals examined in this study are a small branch of a much larger family only part of which lives in Israel. The origin of the family was traced back to a tribe which migrated to Jordan in the XVIII th century from the Kingdom of Hegaz in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula.     

Inability of Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) to overwinter in the Judean hills

The overwintering potential of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in cold winter areas within its northern distribution is a key element in understanding its ecology. Recent studies have suggested that although originating in tropical Africa, the fly has become adapted to the cold weather that prevails within its northernmost areas of distribution. We address the question of whether the Mediterranean fruit fly has expanded its overwintering range to include the mountains of central Israel. Doing so would imply that the fly has developed either a behavioral or a physiological mechanism to cope with low temperature and/or damp conditions in combination with cold. We monitored adult populations year round, sampling fruit, calculating expected emergence days for overwintering flies, and studying adults captured within dense and sparse apple orchards. We also performed several manipulative experiments to study preimago ability to survive the winter under natural or seminatural conditions. The study was conducted in the central mountains of Israel at 700-m altitude from 1994 to 2003. Comparison experiments also were conducted at 400 m and at sea level. Our results show 1) no adults captured during the winter and spring, 2) an absence of new infestations during the winter and spring, and 3) inability of preimago stages to overwinter in the central mountains of Israel. Thus, we conclude that the fly does not overwinter in the central mountains of Israel. We discuss the ecological and applied significance of our findings.     

Areal distribution of the discomfort index in Israel

The areal distribution of monthly mean values of the Discomfort Index (DI) in Israel is presented for key hours of the day for the summer half of the year. The DI as used in this study, is defined as the arithmetic average of the dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperature (°C), a value of 24 representing conditions at which half the people would feel uncomfortable. Data were collected from 95 meteorological stations situated in different parts of Israel. The raw data consisted of daily values of dry and wet-bulb temperatures for the hours 08:00, 14:00, and 20:00h for the years 1963–1972. Maximum values of the monthly mean DI in Israel generally occur in August. Geographically, the number of days of the year with DI greater than 24 ranges from 30 in the mountain regions, to 120 in the coastal plain, to 180 in the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea, and Arava regions. The dominant control of the observed distribution of DI in Israel appears to be topography. The DI is not a good measure of human discomfort for particularly hot and dry conditions, typical of those occurring during Sharav weather conditions. For such conditions, a new index was developed based on the difference between the dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures. The mean areal distributions of this difference index as well as that of the DI are presented for typical intense Sharav conditions. The new difference index appears to better represent discomfort during such conditions.Presented at the Eighth International Congress of Biometeorology, 9–14 September 1979, Shefayim, Israel.     

Changes in the breeding avifauna of Israel during 2003–2016

Based on information obtained from publications, online material and experienced birdwatchers we describe changes in the breeding avifauna of Israel between 2003 and 2016. We provide details on nine species that were found breeding in Israel during this period for the first time (Common Shelduck, Great Cormorant, Black-winged Kite, Caspian Tern, White-cheeked Tern, Common Wood Pigeon, Black Bush Robin, Basra Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff); two species that were found breeding in Israel after they were not documented breeding for more than 50 years (Great Crested Grebe, Pallid Scops Owl), one species that significantly extended its breeding range in Israel (Striated Heron), and two exotic species that have recently established populations in Israel (Monk Parakeet, Vinous-breasted Starling). This brings the number of bird species breeding in Israel in 2016 to 220. We also report here that out of six new breeding species reported in 2003, three species established breeding populations in Israel, while the other species did not continue to breed in Israel regularly.