“Founding Mothers” of Ashekenzai Jews
may have been converts rather than natural-born members of the
Tribe

About 80 percent of Ashkenazi maternal ancestry comes from
Europe, not the Near East, according to a study that suggests a
mass conversion of women to Judaism may have occurred in Europe
more than 2,000 years ago.

The findings come from studying mitochondrial DNA, which
passes from mother to offspring, in about 3,500 people, the authors
wrote in a paper in the journal Nature Communications. About 80
percent of the maternal linages of Ashkenazi Jews came from Europe,
the scientists found.

The Ashkenazi are the most common Jewish ethnic division.
Previous efforts to trace origins of Ashkenazi Jews have been
spotty and controversial, the authors wrote. The latest research
used a larger database than in previous attempts, allowing them to
unravel the entire mitochondrial genomes.
[…]
The four major female founders of the Ashkenazi show roots in
Europe 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. So do most of the minor
founders, the study found. Only 8 percent of the mitochondrial DNA
shows signs of being from the Near East.

Must have been that Shiksappeal.