Posted on 04/17/23
Jerusalem, Israel - Apr. 17, 2023:
For the first time, data from the CBS's Social Survey are included in this release.
Jews in Israel and Throughout the World[1]
Holocaust Survivors
Based on data for the end of 2022
Data from the Social Survey 2021
The number of Jews living in Israel: 7.0 million (46% of the world Jewish population)
Of them: 5.6 million were born in Israel
1.4 million were born abroad
Of them: 1.0 million were born in Europe or in America
280,000 were born in Africa
149,100 were born in Asia
On the eve of Holocaust Day 2023, there are 147,199 Holocaust survivors and victims of anti-Semitic acts perpetrated during the Holocaust living in Israel.
The data published in this release are taken from a file obtained from the Holocaust Survivors’ Rights Authority. The Holocaust Survivors’ Rights Authority serves as an arm of the State of Israel to compensate Holocaust survivors who survived in concentration camps, ghettos, and hiding places, as well as World War II disabled, persons disabled as a result of Nazi persecution, and refugees. In addition, the Holocaust Survivors’ Rights Authority has recognized the status of Iraqi residents who underwent the Farhud[3] events of June 1941, as well as that of Moroccan and Algerian residents who experienced restrictions on employment and residence during the Vichy regime and were exposed to the Nazi regime.
Women constitute 61% of the Holocaust survivors, and men constitute 39%.
About 38% of the survivors were born during the Second World War, between 1939 and 1945; they were aged 77–83 at the end of 2022. Another 40% of the survivors were aged 84–89, and the rest were over 90 (about 22%).
About 50% of the survivors were widowed, 37.7% were married, 10.3% were divorced and about 2% were never-married.
Diagram 1 - Holocaust Survivors by Sex and Age, 2022[4]
Persons born in Europe constitute 63% of the Holocaust survivors living in Israel (105,900). The largest group (36.7%) consists of persons born in the USSR (former), another 11.3% were born in Romania, and 5.2% were born in Poland.
Persons born in Morocco constitute 15.7% of the Holocaust survivors, about 2.1% are persons born in Algeria who experienced various restrictions during the Vichy regime, and 10.4% are persons born in Iraq who underwent the Farhud pogrom. Persons born in Tunisia and Libya constitute the remaining 6.5%.
Table A - Holocaust Survivors by Country of Birth, 2022
|
Country of birth |
Percentages |
|
Grand total |
100.0 |
|
European countries - total |
63.1 |
|
USSR (former) |
36.7 |
|
Romania |
11.3 |
|
Poland |
5.2 |
|
Bulgaria |
2.7 |
|
Germany and Austria |
1.7 |
|
Hungary |
1.4 |
|
France |
1.1 |
|
Other European countries |
3.0 |
|
Asian and African countries - total |
35.1 |
|
Morocco |
15.7 |
|
Iraq |
10.4 |
|
Tunisia |
3.9 |
|
Libya |
2.6 |
|
Algeria |
2.1 |
|
Other Asian and African countries |
0.4 |
|
Other countries |
1.8 |
Of the survivors, about 4.5% immigrated to Israel before the establishment of the state, during 1933–1947. About one-third (31.7%) of the survivors immigrated to Israel in the great wave of immigration (1948–1951) after the establishment of the state. Another 29.7% immigrated in the years 1952–1989, and about one-third (34.1%) immigrated since the 1990s, during the last wave of immigration from the USSR (former).
About 61.6% of Holocaust survivors from Germany and Austria immigrated to Israel before the establishment of the state. Most of the survivors from Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Iraq, and Libya immigrated to Israel in the first wave of immigration (1948–1951). Most of the survivors born in Morocco and Tunisia immigrated in the 1950s and 1960s, whereas most survivors of the USSR (former) immigrated since 1990.
Table B - Holocaust Survivors by Country of Birth and Immigration Period, Percentages
|
Country of birth |
Total |
1933-1947 |
1948-1951 |
1952-1989 |
1990-2022 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
4.5 |
31.7 |
29.7 |
34.1 |
|
Thereof: USSR (former) |
100.0 |
0.5 |
1.6 |
13.5 |
84.3 |
|
Romania |
100.0 |
5.8 |
47.9 |
43.9 |
2.4 |
|
Poland |
100.0 |
18.1 |
61.2 |
18.3 |
2.5 |
|
Bulgaria |
100.0 |
6.7 |
85.7 |
4.4 |
3.1 |
|
Germany and Austria |
100.0 |
61.6 |
16.2 |
15.0 |
7.2 |
|
Hungary |
100.0 |
21.5 |
52.9 |
21.6 |
4.0 |
|
Morocco |
100.0 |
0.3 |
16.2 |
78.9 |
4.6 |
|
Iraq |
100.0 |
3.2 |
94.0 |
2.6 |
0.2 |
|
Tunisia |
100.0 |
0.3 |
27.2 |
58.9 |
13.6 |
|
Libya |
100.0 |
1.5 |
90.1 |
8.0 |
0.4 |
|
Algeria |
100.0 |
0.8 |
15.8 |
44.2 |
39.2 |
About 87% of the survivors are 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their lives, similar to 88% of all Jews and Others[5] aged 76 and over.
About 81% of the survivors are 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their economic situation, similar to 80% of all Jews and Others aged 76 and over.
About 94.2% of the survivors are 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their relationships with family members, similar to 95.8% of all Jews and Others aged 76 and over.
17.3% of the survivors frequently felt lonely, compared with 12.6% of all Jews and Others aged 76 and over.
46.8% felt depressed, 10.2% of them often, compared with 43.4% and 9%, respectively, of all Jews and Others aged 76 and over.
Diagram 2 shows that 31.6% of the survivors were in contact with their friends (they meet or talk on the phone) every day or almost every day, compared with 35.8% of all Jews and Others aged 76 and over.
Diagram 2 - Frequency of Contact With Friends Among Holocaust Survivors and Among Jews and Others Aged 76 and Over, Social Survey 2021
The Jewish population was asked in the survey: Do you consider yourself Ultar-Orthodox, Religious, Traditional-religious, Traditional not-so-religious, or Secular?
Of the survivors, 47.8% consider themselves secular (similar to 47.2% of Jews and Others) and only 9.1% consider themselves Ultra-Orthodox or Religious (compared with 13.2% of Jews and Others).
Diagram 3 - Extent of Religiosity Among Holocaust Survivors and Among Jews and Others Aged 76 and Over, Percentages, Social Survey 2021
The Social Survey has been conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics since 2002, providing information on the welfare of the Israeli population in the following areas: housing, vehicles, health, education, use of the internet, work, leisure, relationships with family and friends, volunteer activity, financial situation, satisfaction, and trust.
In 2021 the special topics of the Social Survey were: transport, road safety, usage of languages, and well-being indicators.
The survey includes 7,416 participants aged 20 and over, representing about 5.9 million persons in these ages.
[1] The definitions of the population in all countries, except for Israel, refer to a “core” Jewish population that includes people who define themselves as Jewish, or people who were born to Jewish parents who do not have a religious or ethnic self-definition.
These data about world Jewry are based on the decades-long work of Prof. Sergio Della Pergola at the Division of Jewish Demography and Statistics, Avraham Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This work was transferred to the authority of the CBS in partnership with the Hebrew University and supported by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.
[2] Statistical Abstract of Israel 2022, Table 2.9.
[3] The Farhud refers to the pogrom against the Jewish population in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, on the Shavuot (Pentecost) holiday in 1941. At least 179 Jews were murdered, 2,118 were wounded, and 242 children were orphaned. The property of about 50,000 persons was looted (Wikipedia, Feb. 21, 2023).
[4] The data of persons aged 100 and over might include reporting errors.
[5] “Others” include non-Arab Christians and persons not classified by religion in the Population Register.
[6] During the 12 months preceding the interview.