In this video, we’re looking at a long-standing conspiracy theory that claims that Ashkenazi Jews are descendants of the Khazars.
If it were true, that would make Ashkenazim offshoots of a multi-ethnic conglomerate of Turkic people who converted en masse in the eight century in the kingdom of Khazaria.
Turns out, it’s totally false.
Unlike other conspiracy theories, though, it’s not just a fringe few who are pushing this idea. It has the backing of academics, including some in Israel – with dangerous implications.
The hypothesis has been disproved, so why does it continue to resonate and how did an attempt to use the theory to fight back against antisemitism in the 1970s end up fueling anti-Israel rhetoric to this day?
Video Sources
- Abraham’s Children in the Genome Era: Major Jewish Diaspora Populations Comprise Distinct Genetic Clusters with Shared Middle Eastern Ancestry
- Khazar Myth Disproved By History, Linguistics And Genes
- Palestinian Leader Incites Uproar With Speech Condemned as Anti-Semitic
Pro-Khazar Claims
You can find this video on our YouTube channel Unpacked.
