This comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the genetic origins of Ashkenazic Jews focuses on their 129 maternal haplogroups and their connections to the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and East Asia. It definitively shows that all Ashkenazim descend both from the ancient Israelites and from converts to Judaism.

This book presents up-to-date information on the origins of the Ashkenazic Jewish people from central and eastern Europe based on genetic research on modern and pre-modern populations. It focuses on the 129 maternal haplogroups that the author confirmed that Ashkenazim have acquired from distinct female ancestors who were indigenous to diverse lands that include Israel, Italy, Poland, Germany, North Africa, and China, revealing both their Israelite inheritance and the lasting legacy of conversions to Judaism. Genetic connections between Ashkenazic Jews and other Jewish populations, including Turkish Jews, Moroccan Jews, Tunisian Jews, Iranian Jews, and Cochin Jews, are indicated wherever they are known.