Genetic affinities of Jewish populations.

Genetic relations between various Jewish (J) and non-Jewish (NJ) populations were assessed using two sets of data. The first set contained 12 pairs of matched J and NJ populations from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, for which 10 common polymorphic genetic systems (13 loci) were available. The second set included 22 polymorphic genetic systems (26 loci) with various numbers of populations (ranging from 21 to 51) for each system. Therefore, each system was studied separately. Nei's standard genetic distance (D) matrices obtained for these two sets of data were tested against design matrices specifying hypotheses concerning the affiliations of the tested populations. The tests against single designs were carried out by means of Mantel tests. Our results consistently show lower distances among J populations than with their NJ neighbors, most simply explained by the common origin of the former. Yet, there is evidence also of genetic similarity between J and corresponding NJ populations, suggesting reciprocal gene flow between these populations or convergent selection in a common environment. The results of our study also indicate that stochastic factors are likely to have played a role in masking the descent relationships of the J populations.     

Bloom's syndrome in an Iranian Jewish male.

Bloom's syndrome is described in an Iranian Jewish male who subsequently developed myocardial disease. This may represent the first definitely non Ashkenazi Jewish patient in the literature and the only one to develop this complication.     

Canavan disease: mutations among Jewish and non-jewish patients.

Canavan disease is an autosomal recessive leukodystrophy caused by the deficiency of aspartoacylase (ASPA). Sixty-four probands were analyzed for mutations in the ASPA gene. Three point mutations--693C-->A, 854A-->C, and 914C-->A--were identified in the coding sequence. The 693C-->A and 914C-->A base changes, resulting in nonsense tyr231-->ter and missense ala305-->glu mutations, respectively, lead to complete loss of ASPA activity in in vitro expression studies. The 854A-->C transversion converted glu to ala in codon 285. The glu285-->ala mutant ASPA has 2.5% of the activity expressed by the wild-type enzyme. A fourth mutation, 433 --2(A-->G) transition, was identified at the splice-acceptor site in intron 2. The splice-site mutation would lead to skipping of exon 3, accompanied by a frameshift, and thus would produce aberrant ASPA. Of the 128 unrelated Canavan chromosomes analyzed, 88 were from probands of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. The glu285-->ala mutation was predominant (82.9%) in this population, followed by the tyr231-->ter (14.8%) and 433 --2(A-->G) (1.1%) mutations. The three mutations account for 98.8% of the Canavan chromosomes of Ashkenazi Jewish origin. The ala305-->glu mutation was found exclusively in non-Jewish probands of European descent and constituted 60% of the 40 mutant chromosomes. Predominant occurrence of certain mutations among Ashkenazi Jewish and non-Jewish patients with Canavan disease would suggest a founding-father effect in propagation of these mutant chromosomes.     

Narratives of Jewish Identity

Sojourners: The Return of German Jews and the Question of Identity. John Borneman and Jeffrey M. Peck. Lincoln
Recovered Roots: Collective Memory and the Making of Israeli National Tradition. Yael Zerubavel. Chicago
The Masada Myth: Collective Memory and Mythmaking in Israel. Nachman Ben-Yehuda. Madison     

Gaucher disease: gene frequencies in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.

DNA from over 2,000 Ashkenazi Jewish subjects has been examined for the four most common Jewish Gaucher disease mutations, which collectively account for about 96% of the disease-producing alleles in Jewish patients. This population survey has made possible the estimation of gene frequencies for these alleles. Eighty-seven of 1,528 individuals were heterozygous for the 1226G (N370S) mutation, and four presumably well persons were homozygous for this mutation. The gene frequency for the 1226G allele was calculated to be .0311, and when these data were pooled with those obtained previously from another 593 Jewish subjects, a gene frequency of .032 with a standard error of .004 was found. Among 2,305 normal subjects, 10 were found to be heterozygous for the 84GG allele, giving a gene frequency of .00217 with a standard error of .00096. No examples of the IVS2(+1) mutation were found among 1,256 samples screened, and no 1448C (L444P) mutations were found among 1,528 samples examined. Examination of the distribution of Gaucher disease gene frequencies in the general population shows that the ratio of 1226G mutations to 84GG mutations is higher than that in the patient population. This is presumed to be due to the fact that homozygotes for the 1226G mutation often have late-onset disease or no significant clinical manifestations at all. To bring the gene frequency in the patient population into conformity with the gene frequency in the general population, nearly two-thirds of persons with a Gaucher disease genotype would be missing from the patient population, presumably because their clinical manifestations were very mild.     

Jewish children under the camera: An ethnographic study of Jewish children in Britain

This article seeks to explore the use of photography as a tool for ethnographic research, having regard to the nature of participant observation as the primary method involved. A study of Jewish children in the center of England highlights a range of creative possibilities for the use of photography. An examination of the Jewish tradition reinforces the need for depth of understanding if one is to forge a truly empathetic relationship that links subject and object in photographic exploration.