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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob descend from Shem, one of the three sons of Noah. They are, therefore, S(h)emites. Hence the term, 'anti-Semite.' If the _Ashkenazi_ Jews are descended not from Shem, but from Japheth...then that rather confuses the narrative a bit about being 'God's Chosen' who have a 'divine right' to the land. A rather important talking point these days...
Ragamuffin's avatar
Ragamuffin 3 months ago
I 100% didn't know where the ashkenazi term thing came from... Was today years old.
The Khazars (Eastern Europeans) evidently converted to Judaism around 740 A.D. as an opportunistic way to maintain independance from, and a measure of peaceful relations with, the Islamic Turks to the Southeast and the Christians (Byzantine) to the Northwest... Their own documents (if accurate) trace their ancestry through Ashkenaz to Japheth... Which also means they're of the line of Gomer and so related more closely to the Gernanic family line that to the actual Semites...what a mess... [[ Interesting anecdote, this explains why my in-laws who are of Polish-Ukrainian descent have Ashkenazi blood markers--I'd always been confused by that but only out of ignorance. ]] I'm about halfway done with Koestler, might read Schlomo Sand next.