Annual Assessments

2019 Annual Assessment

Global Trends and Policy Recommendations
Integrated Anti-Semitism Index: Europe and the US
Special Chapters: Jewish Creativity and Cultural Outputs

PROJECT HEAD

Shmuel Rosner

Contributors

Avinoam Bar-Yosef, Dan Feferman, Shlomo Fischer Avi Gil, Inbal Hakman, Michael Herzog, Dov Maimon, Gitit Paz-Levi, Steven Popper, Uzi Rebhun, John Ruskay, Noah Slepkov, Adar Schiber, Rami Tal, Shalom Salomon Wald

EDITOR

Barry Geltman

2019 Annual Assessment

2019 Annual Assessment

  1. The number of Jews worldwide continues to rise. Alongside this overall growth, the share of Israeli Jews in the world Jewish population is climbing. The consistency of this trend justifies a slight positive movement of the demographic gauge.
  2. The growing proportion of Jewish belonging to the older age groups entails monitoring and an adjustment in the distribution of communal resources, as well as a gradual increase in the funds and services intended for this population, which is gradually reaching retirement age and becoming available for other activities. Among other things, adult Jewish education services need to be planned and expanded. Not only can enriching people’s knowledge of the Jewish bookshelf, Jewish history, and Jewish customs/values help reinforce their Jewish identity; in the case of older learners, such enrichment can have a broader impact on the family circle and on Jewish society as a whole. At the same time, Jewish communities and organizations, at the local, national, and international levels, need to prepare for leadership transitions in the Jewish world.
  3. Israel is now a medium-sized country. As its population grows, the more varied its human mosaic becomes, and this can translate into tension between sectors. At the same time, population growth is enhancing Israeli society’s productive and entrepreneurial capabilities, with positive implications for human capital and the local economy.11 These opportunities will multiply should the trend continue of large sectors, the Haredi and Arab Israeli sectors in particular, joining the labor market.

World Jewish Population and Immigrants to Israel by Major Countries, 2018

Country Jewish Population, 2018A Cumulative Percentage Aliyah to Israel, 2017B
Total 14,606,000 26,357
Israel 6558100 44.9
US 5700000 83.9 2567
France 453000 87 3157
Canada 390500 89.7 280
England 290000 91.7 468
Argentina 180300 92.9 246
Russia 172000 94.1 7135
Germany 116000 94.9 155
Australia 113000 95.7 138
Brazil 93200 96.3 618
South Africa 69000 96.8 281
Ukraine 50000 97.1 7046
Hungary 47000 97.4 52
Mexico 40000 97.7 76
Netherlands 29800 97.9 50
Belgium 29200 98.1 117
Italy 27500 98.3 115
Switzerland 18600 98.4 84
Chile 18300 98.6 26
Uruguay 16700 98.7 69
All the rest 193800 100 3677

A) Source: Sergio DellaPergola. “World Jewish Population, 2018,” in Arnold Dashefsky and Ira M. Sheskin. (Editors) The American Jewish Year Book, 2018, Volume 118 (2018) (Dordrecht: Springer) pp. 361-452.
B) Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel, 2018, Table 4.4.

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