Pre-Publication Drafts by Yitz Twersky
Avotaynu Online, Nov 20, 2016
The authors have considerable experience conducting DNA lineage studies, with a focus on Y-DNA st... more The authors have considerable experience conducting DNA lineage studies, with a focus on Y-DNA studies of the world’s historic rabbinical lineages. Each of these studies presents its own unique challenges. Two of the more challenging aspects that are common to all such studies are the difficulty in finding pedigreed descendants of a rabbinical lineage, and then, once they are identified and located, convincing them to take a DNA test.
In this article, we shall focus on the some of the difficulties that we have encountered in convincing pedigreed descendants to agree to take a DNA test, the predominant reasons why they are reluctant or refuse to test, and some of the strategies that we have found effective in dealing with these difficulties and in encouraging them to test.
Avotaynu Online, 2017
The Twersky Chassidic dynasty, founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky (1730 – 1797), prod... more The Twersky Chassidic dynasty, founded by Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky (1730 – 1797), produced a long line of distinguished rabbis and notable personalities over the centuries. The dynasty is tightly interwoven with many of the most renowned Ashkenazi rabbinic families of Europe, and has many tens of thousands of descendants throughout the world.
Extensive genealogical research of the Twersky family laid the necessary groundwork for identification of eight son-after-son descendants of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty for this Y-DNA study.
Based upon the matching Y-DNA results of these eight pedigreed paternal descendants, we have succeeded in identifying the haplotype and haplogroup that characterizes the Y-DNA signature of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty, back to their most recent common ancestor, and founder of the lineage, Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky (1730–1797). An unexpected finding of this research is that the Twersky Chassidic dynasty has a Sephardic ethnic origin.
With the successful identification and characterization of the Y-DNA genetic signature of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty, we hope to enable many current and future generations of Jewish descendants to connect themselves and their families to this illustrious rabbinical lineage, and to discover their remarkable lost heritage.
Related Publications by Yitz Twersky
The following genealogical study -- a culmination of the author’s more than 30 years of research ... more The following genealogical study -- a culmination of the author’s more than 30 years of research spanning 31 countries -- is the first surname study of a Chassidic dynasty which reconstructs the genealogical lines bearing its surname.
The Twersky Family is known as the most prolific Chassidic dynasty in the world. In addition to present-day Grand Rabbis, Twersky descendants have made their mark in professions including, but not limited to, academia, medicine, law, and business. In rabbinic, Chassidic, and genealogical circles, it is generally presumed that all Twerskys are related and descend, in one way or another, from Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky (1730–1797) of Chernobyl, Ukraine.
But is this presumption correct? What of Twerskys who are unaware of their lineage, and countless others who, at first glance, bear no links to the family tree of the Twersky Chassidic Dynasty? It is these questions that the author will address in this study.
Uploads
Pre-Publication Drafts by Yitz Twersky
In this article, we shall focus on the some of the difficulties that we have encountered in convincing pedigreed descendants to agree to take a DNA test, the predominant reasons why they are reluctant or refuse to test, and some of the strategies that we have found effective in dealing with these difficulties and in encouraging them to test.
Extensive genealogical research of the Twersky family laid the necessary groundwork for identification of eight son-after-son descendants of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty for this Y-DNA study.
Based upon the matching Y-DNA results of these eight pedigreed paternal descendants, we have succeeded in identifying the haplotype and haplogroup that characterizes the Y-DNA signature of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty, back to their most recent common ancestor, and founder of the lineage, Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky (1730–1797). An unexpected finding of this research is that the Twersky Chassidic dynasty has a Sephardic ethnic origin.
With the successful identification and characterization of the Y-DNA genetic signature of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty, we hope to enable many current and future generations of Jewish descendants to connect themselves and their families to this illustrious rabbinical lineage, and to discover their remarkable lost heritage.
Related Publications by Yitz Twersky
The Twersky Family is known as the most prolific Chassidic dynasty in the world. In addition to present-day Grand Rabbis, Twersky descendants have made their mark in professions including, but not limited to, academia, medicine, law, and business. In rabbinic, Chassidic, and genealogical circles, it is generally presumed that all Twerskys are related and descend, in one way or another, from Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky (1730–1797) of Chernobyl, Ukraine.
But is this presumption correct? What of Twerskys who are unaware of their lineage, and countless others who, at first glance, bear no links to the family tree of the Twersky Chassidic Dynasty? It is these questions that the author will address in this study.
In this article, we shall focus on the some of the difficulties that we have encountered in convincing pedigreed descendants to agree to take a DNA test, the predominant reasons why they are reluctant or refuse to test, and some of the strategies that we have found effective in dealing with these difficulties and in encouraging them to test.
Extensive genealogical research of the Twersky family laid the necessary groundwork for identification of eight son-after-son descendants of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty for this Y-DNA study.
Based upon the matching Y-DNA results of these eight pedigreed paternal descendants, we have succeeded in identifying the haplotype and haplogroup that characterizes the Y-DNA signature of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty, back to their most recent common ancestor, and founder of the lineage, Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky (1730–1797). An unexpected finding of this research is that the Twersky Chassidic dynasty has a Sephardic ethnic origin.
With the successful identification and characterization of the Y-DNA genetic signature of the Twersky Chassidic dynasty, we hope to enable many current and future generations of Jewish descendants to connect themselves and their families to this illustrious rabbinical lineage, and to discover their remarkable lost heritage.
The Twersky Family is known as the most prolific Chassidic dynasty in the world. In addition to present-day Grand Rabbis, Twersky descendants have made their mark in professions including, but not limited to, academia, medicine, law, and business. In rabbinic, Chassidic, and genealogical circles, it is generally presumed that all Twerskys are related and descend, in one way or another, from Grand Rabbi Menachem Nachum Twersky (1730–1797) of Chernobyl, Ukraine.
But is this presumption correct? What of Twerskys who are unaware of their lineage, and countless others who, at first glance, bear no links to the family tree of the Twersky Chassidic Dynasty? It is these questions that the author will address in this study.