What Changes Have Jews Undergone from the Holocaust to Today?

How many Jews are living in the world today? If you're looking for the most accurate answer, your source is likely Professor Sergio Della Pergola (74) from the Hebrew University, considered a leading researcher of Jewish demography worldwide. Professor Della Pergola travels globally to study Jewish communities and can include even tiny communities like the Jewish community in the Virgin Islands in his counts. As part of his research, he notes, he has visited every country with at least 10,000 Jews—except Chile and Belarus.

So, how many Jews are there in the world today, Professor?

"14.5 million," he announces. "This number can be disputed, as there are different methods to count Jews. If you count by the Law of Return, which requires just one Jewish grandparent, you increase the number by several million. On the other hand, I tend to believe that this increase would offset Jews-by-Halachah who do not identify as Jews themselves. For my count, I use the Supreme Court's definition: someone with one Jewish parent or who has converted and does not belong to another religion. Since surveys on Judaism are based on self-reporting, I filter out, for example, full-fledged Jews who converted to another faith or descendants of converts".

By how much has the Jewish population grown since the Holocaust?

"At the end of the Holocaust, there were 11 million Jews worldwide, and it's essential to distinguish between the demographic story since then in the Jewish community of Israel and that of diaspora Jews. In Israel, there were 630,000 Jews at the establishment of the state - today, there are 6.5 million. This significant growth parallels the entire world's population growth and reflects waves of immigration to Israel plus natural increase. The diaspora story is different: after the Holocaust, there were 10.5 million Jews outside Israel, now there are 8 million. Some of this decline is explained by immigration to Israel, but not all. The second explanation is the low birth rate and high assimilation among diaspora Jews. If Jews decide to raise their child as a complete gentile - perhaps they are eligible for the Law of Return, but self-identifying, they lack a Jewish identity and do not report themselves as Jewish".

Anyone examining Israeli Jewish fertility rates compared to diaspora Jews cannot fail to notice the vast difference. Even before considering intermarriage, diaspora Jews simply do not have as many children.

"We must remember that Israel's fertility rate is exceptional - the highest in the Western world," notes Professor Della Pergola. "A Jewish woman in Israel gives birth to, on average, a bit more than three children. The ultra-Orthodox sector, where the average number of children is double and more, obviously contributes to this figure. However, it's important to note that this sector is only 10 percent of the population. In other words, the entire Jewish population contributes its part to the high fertility rate."

"Elsewhere in the world, Jewish fertility rates reflect an educated public with a relatively high socioeconomic status - to which most Western Jews belong".

The low growth rate of American Jews is an example of this trend, says Professor Della Pergola. At the end of World War II, there were 4.5 million Jews in the United States; today, there are 5.7 million. A very modest growth by any measure. "Not to mention that in the U.S., there's a significant debate on the definition of being Jewish. There's, for example, a huge portion that defines itself as 'half-Jewish,' and it's simply not possible to calculate such data in social science questionnaires. Some fully assimilate and are not Jewish according to Halachah but do define themselves as 100% Jewish—and vice-versa".

Where is the world's Jewish population concentrated outside Israel today?

"The highest number resides in the U.S., of course. Together, Israel and the U.S. account for close to 85 percent of the world's Jews. If you're looking for other countries with more than one hundred thousand Jews, Europe includes France and England. Canada is particularly interesting: its community grows consistently, partly due to immigration from France. Germany once had many Jews, but its peak was about 120,000 - this is an aging and diminishing population. In Russia and Argentina, the numbers are constantly declining. In Australia, on the other hand, there's positive community growth due to Jewish immigration from various places".

Are there data on the number of Israelis living outside Israel?

"Yes, there are a little over half a million. Their largest concentration is in the United States, where they number about a quarter-million people. But there are also large émigré communities in Canada and Australia. Some are former immigrants, by the way. The Israeli media tends to exaggerate when describing the phenomenon of emigration. They talk about fifty thousand Israelis in Berlin, but when I checked Berlin's population registry, I didn’t find more than four thousand Israelis. I don't have the ability to find every Israeli hiding in a Berlin basement, but official numbers are very far from media drama."

The research Professor Della Pergola engages in holds significant value beyond providing raw numbers. His data on the number of Jews in Israel and demographic trends are scrutinized by local politicians who need to make decisions about maintaining the Jewish majority within the state's borders. His data on diaspora Jews are utilized by a wide range of organizations and agencies trying to maintain the spark of Jewish identity among increasingly assimilated populations. His tracking of immigration trends from countries worldwide reflects the success (or failure) of absorbing immigrants from various places. "For instance, there was a significant immigration from France starting in 2016, but their absorption has not been simple at all," he notes. "Mainly relatively young families immigrated, at their stage of self-establishment, and they faced many challenges. The French language is quite marginal here, and the absorption agencies don't quite understand that they need to accept professional certificates even if they're written in French. The disappointment and criticism from these immigrants will significantly impact the number of immigrants expected to come here next year."

For inquiries and reports: Division for Preventing Assimilation: Tel 073-2221333 or 052-9551591. Email:kalina@htv.co.il