Invitation to Av Beit Din Members to Participate in Rabbinical Lineages Project

Rabbinical Researchers,

As you may know there is project at GENI dedicated to identifying rabbinical lineages using the gender-linked portion of the genome called yDNA.

Matching these lineages can be an effective research strategy, not only for rabbinical history scholars, but also for everyday genealogists looking to connect with a deeper ancestral tradition. Your participation could also make the index more accurate for future scholars and researchers.

This year we identified lineages for the following historical figures:

R' Avraham HaRofe, bca 1725: Wertheim and Giterman Ancestor: Rabbi Avraham Ha'rofe
R' Shmuel Zalman Shapiro, bca 1345: 1st Shapiro of Speyer: Rabbi Samuel Zalman Shapira, [1st Shapira - of Speyer]
R' Yoel Ashkenazi Katzenellenbogen bca 1550: 'Knesset Yekhezkel' Ancestor: R' Joel Ashkenazi-Katzenellenbogen
R' Mordechai Jaffe bca 1530: 'Baal HaLevushim': Rabbi Mordechai Jaffe, Ba׳al "Halevushim"
R' Tuvia Hassid Bacharach bca 1650: a Ruzhany Martyr: Tuvia Hassid Bachrach
R' Yakov ben Yehuda Weil bca 1385: 'Mahariv' https://tinyurl.com/rdbprwz8
R' Yitzach de Vitry bca 1120: 'R"I Hazaken' HaRav Yitzhak Ben Shmuel Jaffe, R"I HaZaken of Dampierre
R' Yehuda ben Moshe bca 905: 'Sir Leontin' Rabbi Yehudah Ben Moshe HaKohen, "Sire Léonṭin"
R' Zerechiah HaLevy of Girona bca 1115: Benveniste and Epshteyn ancestor Zerachiah Gracian-Hen haLevi of Girona (Ba'al haMaor)
R' Shabtai Ashkenazi bca 1621: 'Shakh' HaRav Shabty Ashkenazi HaCohen Katz, the "SHaCH"
R' Shmuel ben Chaim of Ostrow bca 1730: 'Charif' HaGaon HaGadol HaRav Shmuel "Hacharif" Ostrah (Ostrog)

Lineage details for these rabbis and about 35 others are available at the project site (https://www.geni.com/projects/Rabbinical-Lineages-yDNA-and-Haplogro...) by viewing the file named 'yDNA_Rabbinical', available on the 'Photos and Documents' page.

The easiest way to participate is to propose the rabbi(s) of your choice in a new Discussion at the Rabbinical Lineages Project. All proposals will be vetted to make sure the lineage is not already represented in the project. Then the goal is to identify a specific genetic pattern (aka ydna haplogroup) which we can associate with the lineage and then add that haplogroup to the project 'Index'. Researchers may then use the index to find lineages associated with their own haplogroup results (as provided by various testing companies). Questions at any stage of the process may be posted as a new Discussion.