Aaron O'Neill
Research lead for society, economy, and politics: Europe & global
History of the Jewish people - Statistics & Facts
The Jewish population has always been small in a global context, yet Judaism’s role in the foundation of Christianity and Islam, as well the significant Jewish contribution to many areas of societal progress has led it to be considered a major world religion. Despite its influence, the history of the Jews has been tumultuous and often overshadowed by displacement, persecution, or even genocide.
Poland became the global center of Judaism after the 13th century, undergoing a so-called Golden Age until the 17th century. Organization of the religion became centralized with its own economic and judicial systems, and Poland’s reputation as a haven for Judaism saw Eastern Europe become home to over half the world’s Jews by 1700. Poland was then partitioned among its Germanic and Russian neighbors and the status of Jews diminished – many Jews migrated elsewhere, especially the United States, although Poland remained the region with the largest Jewish population in the world until the 1940s.
After WWII, the newly formed UN sought to establish separate Jewish and Arab states in Palestine, which had been under British administration since WWI. However, neither side was willing to compromise on territory, resulting in a civil war, followed by an invasion from a coalition of seven neighboring Arab states. Despite the opposition, the Jews maintained control over their territory allocated by the UN, and took over half of the planned Arab territories, totaling almost 80 percent of the former-British mandate. The independent, Jewish-majority state of Israel was officially founded in 1948. Approximately 750,000 Palestinians were displaced as a result of the conflict, while Israel received several hundred thousand more Jews from the Arab world. Since this time, Israel has grown to become one of the most prosperous, advanced, and protected countries in the world and relations with its neighbors have mostly improved. However, Iran remains incredibly hostile to Israel, and Israel’s interactions with Palestine continues to cast a shadow over its progress.
Antiquity
Judaism developed among the Hebrew people in the 6th century BCE, replacing the ancient polytheistic religion of Yahwism. According to the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), the land of Canaan was promised to Abraham and his descendants by God in return for religious adherence. The Hebrews then went on to rule over the kingdoms of Israel and Judea (the etymological origin of "Judaism"), although they were intermittently displaced by foreign powers such as the Assyrians or Babylonians. Eventually, failed uprisings against Roman occupation in the 1st and 2nd centuries led to a more permanent exile, and the majority of the world's Jewish population was spread elsewhere in the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa until the 20th century.Middle Ages to the 20th century
The experience of the Jewish diaspora in these regions varied by time and place, ranging from assimilation or tolerance to persecution and violence, with many examples of these conditions changing rapidly. Due to factors such as prohibitions on land ownership, Jewish communities disproportionately lived in urban areas and held jobs such as artisans, merchants, and bankers, which lead to prosperity and greater influence in society in some regions. However, as Jewish communities lived separately from the majority and followed religious practices promoting cleanliness, they were often affected differently by disease outbreaks - perceptions of immunity during pandemics or excessive wealth during economic shocks often saw Jews being scapegoated for causing these events, and such theories would go on to form the basis of much of the anti-Semitic rhetoric that persists today.Poland became the global center of Judaism after the 13th century, undergoing a so-called Golden Age until the 17th century. Organization of the religion became centralized with its own economic and judicial systems, and Poland’s reputation as a haven for Judaism saw Eastern Europe become home to over half the world’s Jews by 1700. Poland was then partitioned among its Germanic and Russian neighbors and the status of Jews diminished – many Jews migrated elsewhere, especially the United States, although Poland remained the region with the largest Jewish population in the world until the 1940s.
The Holocaust and the founding of Israel
Rising anti-Semitism in Europe and severe pogroms in the Russian Empire in the late-1800s contributed to the growth of the Zionist movement, which sought to re-establish a Jewish nation in Israel, as was promised in the Tanakh. The rise of fascism in interwar Europe saw persecution intensify and emigration increased, especially in Germany where the state stripped Jews of their citizenship and wealth. During the Second World War, mostly from 1942 to 1945, the Nazi regime systematically murdered up to six million Jews during the Shoah (the Hebrew term for the Holocaust), while imprisoning and enslaving many more - this was equal to over one third of the world’s Jewish population, and two thirds of Europe’s.After WWII, the newly formed UN sought to establish separate Jewish and Arab states in Palestine, which had been under British administration since WWI. However, neither side was willing to compromise on territory, resulting in a civil war, followed by an invasion from a coalition of seven neighboring Arab states. Despite the opposition, the Jews maintained control over their territory allocated by the UN, and took over half of the planned Arab territories, totaling almost 80 percent of the former-British mandate. The independent, Jewish-majority state of Israel was officially founded in 1948. Approximately 750,000 Palestinians were displaced as a result of the conflict, while Israel received several hundred thousand more Jews from the Arab world. Since this time, Israel has grown to become one of the most prosperous, advanced, and protected countries in the world and relations with its neighbors have mostly improved. However, Iran remains incredibly hostile to Israel, and Israel’s interactions with Palestine continues to cast a shadow over its progress.
