January 17: Two-Tenths of One Percent

Haaretz reported on this date in 2006 that as many Jews live in Israel as in the United States, with the Tel Aviv metropolitan area exceeding New York in Jewish population. The international figure for Jews was set at 13 million, under .20 percent of the world population (that is, two Jews out of every 1,000 people), and the intermarriage rate among Jews living outside of Israel was estimated to be 48 percent. Today, Tel Aviv has 2.5 million Jews; New York, 1.9 million; Haifa, 655,000; Los angeles, 621,000; Jerusalem, 570,000; Southeastern Florida, 514,000. Half a million Israelis are estimated to be living in the U.S.; Israel, however, apparently still counts many of them as part of its population.

“[L]ow birthrates in the Diaspora and the erosive effects of out-marriage on the Jewish identity of children produce remarkably older age compositions. Continuation of these trends in the foreseeable future may lead to continuing Jewish population growth in Israel and a decrease in the rest of world Jewry.” —Sergio DellaPergola