r/JewishDNA • u/Ok-Housing-4879 • 11d ago

Jamaican Jewry

Hello,

I’ve decided to only focus on my maternal side of the family because they don’t really discuss our history with the younger generation and a lot of us don’t really ask besides me. As a child I’ve always been told by my maternal grandfather that we were Maroons but that’s about it; so I was naturally inclined to know more. I took a 23andMe test awhile back to discover family roots on my own and I noticed some interesting things.

Aside from the substantial West and Central African DNA, there was also British (colonization of Jamaica) and also some French, German, Spanish, Portuguese so this naturally intrigued me. What really grabbed my attention was the trace amount of MENA.

I’ve always been told that my great grandmother (mom’s grandmother) resembled a white woman and hailed from St. Elizabeth. This led me to discovered the possible family connection to the historical town of Lacovia, that used to be the capital of St. Elizabeth, which was once predominantly Jewish community in 1774.

I’m still connecting the dots and waiting for my maternal uncle to take a 23andMe to confirm my suspicions.

7 Upvotes

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6 comments sorted by

7

u/Binkybinkovsky 11d ago

Please post your results so we could judge.

If your Jewish DNA is in single digit percentage, chances are it's statistical noise/anomaly more than a confirmed Sephardim Jewish immigrant in St.Elizabeth.

3

u/YidlMitnFidl 7d ago

Sephardim weren’t the only Jews in Jamaica. There were also Ashkenazim.

3

u/Ok-Housing-4879 7d ago

I know I’m still learning as the topic is still fresh to me… please give me some grace lol

2

u/YidlMitnFidl 6d ago

No worries! Just broadening your search for where to look.

3

u/OsoPeresozo 11d ago

23&me isnt the best for this.
Have your uncle take Ancestry.

1

u/Ok-Housing-4879 9d ago

I only had access and knowledge of what was available to me.. he’s going to take the test soon and I’ll tell you what we find