Follow this link to an article about Israeli historian Shlomo Sand and his book, The Invention of the Jewish People.

The controversy is surely about his claim that the Roman Diaspora of the Jewish people a myth that has been misused to justify the current displacement of Palestinians by European Jews, whom Sand argues have no geneological connection to the Holy Land.

In a discussion of  Russian Jews:

According to Sand’s historical analysis, they are descendents of European converts, principally from the Kingdom of the Khazars in eastern Russia, who embraced Judaism in the Eighth Century, A.D.

I found this part of the story particularly interesting because I have always wondered about the origin of my Russian ancestors prior to the root of the known family tree circa 1850.

Of course this claim of this author will have to stand up to the test of time.  If you read the whole article, it does suggest some counter claims.  Just from my own thinking I can raise questions about some parts of either side of the story as presented in the article.  I may have to buy the book to see what parts are filled in by the author that are not covered in the article.

The fact that my first Hebrew name is also Shlomo is pure coincidence, I assure you.