Wednesday, Sep 16, 1998

Globes

WJC: Half Diaspora Jewish Population Will Disappear within Generation 

By Itamar Levin 

Within the next decade, Israel will become the
largest Jewish community in the world, pushing
the US into second place. This was predicted by
the World Jewish Congress institute, in its
annual survey published today on the situation
of Judaism worldwide. 

The institute’s head and director of the WJC in
Israel, Avi Becker, says that the situation today
is "good for the Jews and bad for Jewry." He
explains that alongside great personal security,
equal opportunities, social integration and
considerable influence on all spheres of life,
there is a continuing and expedited trend of
assimilation. The Jewish Congress warns that if
this trend continues, the Jewish population
outside Israel will diminish 50% in the next
generation. 

The Jewish people currently numbers a total
13.5 million persons, 4.9 million in Israel and 5.6
million in the US. Among Diaspora Jews, one
million are orthodox, (characterized by high
natural increase and zero assimilation,) with the
remainder Reform, Conservative (communities in
which the situation is the reverse), and those
who are not registered in any synagogue. 

Becker also said that in the past year, a record
interest in the Holocaust was marked, and
against the backdrop of the struggle for the
restitution of Jewish property. A decline was
also posted in anti-Semitism as was a
considerable rise in interest in Jewish topics,
Jewish religion and history. 

However, Jewish natural increase exists only in
Israel, while in other Jewish communities
worldwide - in more than 100 countries - there
are fewer births than deaths. The leading
communities after Israel and the US are France,
Russia, Canada, Ukraine, the UK and Argentina.
The most severe assimilation is recorded among
wealthy Jewish communities in the US, Europe
and Argentina, with an average rate of 50%. The
Jewish Congress also said that there are
practically no Jewish communities in distress
today, and even in Iran Jewish education and
religiously observant life are possible. There are
400 remaining Jews in the Yemen, and in Syria -
around only 100 Jews are left. 

Published by Israel's Business Arena
September 16, 1998