What is Levite?
{{Infobox ethnic group | group = Levites<br/>{{lang|he|לויים}} | total = ~500,000–600,000 worldwide{{ref|a|[a]}} | region1 = {{flag|Israel}} | pop1 = 240,000 | region2 = {{USA}} | pop2 = 200,000 | region3 = {{flag|France}} | pop3 = 16,000 | region4 = {{flag|Canada}} | pop4 = 12,000 | region5 = | pop5 = | region6 = | pop6 = | region7 = | pop7 = | region8 = | pop8 = | region9 = | pop9 = | region10 = | pop10 = | region12 = | pop12 = | region13 = | pop13 = | region14 = | pop14 = | region15 = | pop15 = | region16 = | pop16 = | region17 = | pop17 = | region18 = | pop18 = | region19 = | pop19 = | region20 = | pop20 = | langs = Vernacular:<br/>[[Hebrew]], [[English language|English]]<br/> Historical:<br/>[[Biblical Hebrew]], [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] | rels = [[Judaism]], [[Samaritanism]] | related = [[Jews]], [[Samaritans]] | footnotes = Levites are the descendants of the [[Tribe of Levi]], one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Levites are integrated in Jewish and Samaritan communities, but keep a distinct status. There are estimated 300,000 Levites among Ashkenazi Jewish communities.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1038/s41598-017-14761-7 | title=The genetic variation in the R1a clade among the Ashkenazi Levites' y chromosome | year=2017 | last1=Behar | first1=Doron M. | last2=Saag | first2=Lauri | last3=Karmin | first3=Monika | last4=Gover | first4=Meir G. | last5=Wexler | first5=Jeffrey D. | last6=Sanchez | first6=Luisa Fernanda | last7=Greenspan | first7=Elliott | last8=Kushniarevich | first8=Alena | last9=Davydenko | first9=Oleg | last10=Sahakyan | first10=Hovhannes | last11=Yepiskoposyan | first11=Levon | last12=Boattini | first12=Alessio | last13=Sarno | first13=Stefania | last14=Pagani | first14=Luca | last15=Carmi | first15=Shai | last16=Tzur | first16=Shay | last17=Metspalu | first17=Ene | last18=Bormans | first18=Concetta | last19=Skorecki | first19=Karl | last20=Metspalu | first20=Mait | last21=Rootsi | first21=Siiri | last22=Villems | first22=Richard | journal=Scientific Reports |