The purpose of the Jews of Rhodes Project is to try to identify the original 50 families who were Iberian, Italian, and Romaniote Jews that existed in Rhodes in 1522. This will be done by studying the paternal lines (using Y DNA testing) and the maternal lines (using mitochondrial DNA testing) of Jews whose families had lived on the Island of Rhodes.

HOW DO WE DETERMINE THE ORIGINAL FAMILIES?

First, to determine the original families that resided in Rhodes, we need to enroll lots of people and test many DNA markers in order to be able to interpret the results with a good degree of probability. Therefore, please tell your Rhodesli friends and relatives about the study.

To determine if two people are descended from the same ancestor, their DNA results would be an exact match or a near match. If we have lots of people who are exact matches or near matches, we can determine how far back in time they likely had a common ancestor. For example, if we have lots of people who have exact matches, then their common ancestor likely existed less than 200 years ago. If we have lots of people who have near exact matches, but each has a few different markers that vary, this would indicate a longer time back in the past when they had a common ancestor. The above results help to determine if the family had relatively recently moved to Rhodes (the former case) or had settled in Rhodes in 1522 (the latter case).

WHAT YOU WOULD NEED TO DO:

Family Tree DNA has given our group discounted rates for all of the tests. You may, from time to time, want to search for our project on the website at http://www.familytreedna.com . To do that, you will need to type in the search term, “Rhodes”. Please note that this will reveal a list of projects. You will choose “Jews of Rhodes Project”. Please note that clicking on just the term, “Rhodes”, is a different project. In addition, you may also access our project website directly at:
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/RHODES%20ISLAND%20SEPHARDIC%20PROJECT/

The test does not involve giving a blood sample. It only involves swiping the inside of your mouth with a cotton swab.

If you are a man whose parents both had ancestors from Rhodes:
Please order the combined tests, that is the Y DNA 67 and mt DNA Plus tests. However, the Y DNA 111 test is encouraged instead of the Y DNA 67 test, and the Full Sequence mt DNA test is encouraged instead of the mt DNA Plus test.

If you are a man whose father had ancestors from Rhodes:
Please order the Y DNA 67 test. However, the Y DNA 111 test is encouraged instead of the Y DNA 67 test.

If you are a man or a woman whose mother had ancestors from Rhodes:
Please order the mt DNA Plus test. However, the Full Sequence mt DNA test is encouraged instead of the mt DNA Plus test.

Also, in addition, please consider ordering the newer Family Finder Test. I have found it to be extremely helpful in following sequences of DNA that are passed down over generations.

For those people who want to discover more about how closely they are related to others in the study and more about their ancestry, ordering the more advanced tests, suggested above, would be advisable.

To order your test now, just click on “REQUEST TO JOIN THIS GROUP” that is located on the upper left hand side of this page.

WHAT IF I ALREADY HAVE TESTED MY DNA?

If you already have had your DNA tested by Family Tree DNA, there is no additional charge to add your results to the Jews of Rhodes Project. On the upper left hand side of this page, you will find written, “REQUEST TO JOIN THIS GROUP”. You need to click on that. Then, type in your kit number and password. Then, click “Submit”.

It is important and necessary that you provide an explanation of how you qualify for the study.