Y-DNA, MT-DNA, or Family Finder test for Jewish lineage?

[mmmariam]

Shalom reader,

I want to check if I have Jewish lineage on my mothers’ and father’s side of the family. Do I have to get the Y-test for the father’s side and a separate mt-dna for the mother’s side or do I just get the Y-test only since I am a male? What if I were to get the family test done, will that cover both the mother and father’s ancestral line?

My mother’s maiden name is Madaje and the surnames on her maternal side are Maratas, Duterte, and Marte. I have never met my biological father or any members on his side of the family. But, I do know his name is Leonello Mosot. I checked the Sephardic genealogy website and it listed Marte and Madaye (mother’s surname is Madaje) as known Sephardic Jewish surnames. For my father’s side, there was a Motot, off by one letter, just like my moms’. Thank you in advance for reading my post and responding.

Baruch HaShem,

Micah

[efgen]

As a male, you can take the Y-DNA, mtDNA and Family Finder tests.

Y-DNA is only going to tell you about your direct paternal line (your father's father's father, etc.)

mtDNA is only going to tell you about your direct maternal line (your mother's mother's mother, etc.)

Family Finder will tell you about your overall ancestry, but cannot distinguish between individual lines of your ancestry.

So each test is independent, and which one you take depends on your goals. You may need to take more than one test to find the information that you're looking for.

See the following FAQ for some information about how DNA testing can help with Jewish ancestry questions:

http://www.familytreedna.com/faq/answers.aspx?id=18#291

Elise