The origin of East European Ashkenazim via a southern route

Two populations are mentioned in the literature as ancestors of the Eastern European Ashkenazim: German Jews and Khazars. A German origin is not demographically possible, a Khazarian origin can also not be proven and is also not plausible. The author suggests the model that the ancestors of the Eastern European Ashke nazim initially arrived around the Cimmerian Bosphorus, primarily from Anatolia and southern Europe. He provides evidence that there was a Jewish presence in Crimea before the turn of the century, which lasted until the 7th century. In addition, Jews from Byzantium came during the 7th and 8th centuries. This thesis is supported by genetic evidence that shows a difference between Western and Eastern European Ashkenazim. The author explains the conversion from a Slavic to a Yiddish-speaking Jewish population using the “languagecumethnic shift” model according to Ehret.

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