Christopher Columbus was genetically Jewish, new DNA study says

(JTA) – Christopher Columbus was likely Jewish, Spanish researchers have announced in a splashy new documentary aired on Spain’s national broadcaster on Saturday.

According to the documentary, the researchers spent 22 years researching Columbus’ national origins before concluding that bones buried in a Seville cathedral are in fact the famed explorer’s — and that his DNA suggests that he likely came from a Jewish family.

“We have DNA from Christopher Columbus, very partial, but sufficient. We have DNA from Hernando Colón, his son,” the lead researcher, José Antonio Lorente at the University of Granada, said in the documentary, according to Reuters. “And both in the Y chromosome (male) and in the mitochondrial DNA (transmitted by the mother) of Hernando there are traits compatible with Jewish origin.”

Whether the findings are accurate may never be known. The forensic scientists have not yet released their raw data, and their report was not peer-reviewed before the documentary aired, a standard in scientific research. A Spanish report says the research will appear in an international scientific journal in the near future.

Researchers who study Columbus say the purported findings are of only limited significance, even if true: DNA evidence would show only Jewish heritage, not identity. And Columbus’ own writings express both Christian beliefs and praise for the decree expelling Jews from Spain.