History of the Jews in New York

Not to be confused with History of the Jews in New York City.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish residents in Brooklyn, nicknamed "the most Jewish spot on Earth"[1] and home to the US largest Jewish community, with over 561,000 Jews living in the borough, more than in Tel Aviv[2]
The Jewish Museum on Fifth Avenue
The Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City

As of 2020, the Jewish population in New York State was 1,598,000, accounting for 21% of all Jews in the United States.[3] In New York City alone, there are approximately 960,000 Jews, establishing it as the largest Jewish community in the world, surpassing the combined totals of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.[4]

Nearly half of the city's Jews live in Brooklyn.[2][1] The first recorded Jewish settler was Jacob Barsimson, who arrived in August 1654 on a passport from the Dutch West India Company.[5] In 2012, the largest Jewish denominations were Orthodox (both Haredi and Modern Orthodox) and Conservative Judaism.[6] Reform Jewish communities are prevalent through the area. Congregation Emanu-El of New York in Manhattan is the largest Reform synagogue in the world.

Jews have settled in New York State since the 17th century. In August 1654, the first known Jewish settler, Jacob Barsimson, came to New Amsterdam. The Dutch colonial port city was the seat of the government for the New Netherland territory and became New York City in 1664. The first significant group of Jewish settlers came in September 1654 as refugees from Recife, Brazil to New Amsterdam. Portugal had just conquered Brazil from the Dutch Republic, and the Spanish and Portuguese Jews there promptly fled to New Amsterdam, the precursor to present-day New York City. A group of 23 Jewish immigrants in New Amsterdam was greeted by director general Peter Stuyvesant who was at first unwilling to accept them.

The Jewish population in New York City went from about 80,000 in 1880 to 1.6 million in 1920. By 1910, more than 1 million Jews made up 25 percent of New York's population[7] and made it the world's largest Jewish city. As of 2023, about 960,000 residents of New York City, or about 10% of its residents, were Jewish.[8] As of 2011, New York state had about 1.75 million Jews, constituting approximately 11 percent of the state's total population.[9] Due in large part to the rise in the Hasidic Jewish population, New York City's Jewish population is once again increasing rapidly. Long Island and the Hudson Valley represent the two largest suburban concentrations of Jews in New York.

  1. ^ a b Danailova, Hilary (January 11, 2018). "Brooklyn, the Most Jewish Spot on Earth". Hadassah Magazine. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Weichselbaum, Simone (June 26, 2012). "Nearly one in four Brooklyn residents are Jews, new study finds". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  3. ^ Saxe, Leonard; Parmer, Daniel; Tighe, Elizabeth; Magidin de Kramer, Raquel (March 2021). "American Jewish Population Estimates Summary & Highlights" (PDF). Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies Steinhardt Social Research Institute. American Jewish Population Project. p. 9. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011 Comprehensive Report" (PDF). UJA-Federation of New York. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 16, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  5. ^ Levine, Yitzchok (August 3, 2005). "Glimpses Into American Jewish History (Part 5)". The Jewish Press. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "A 'staggering' 61% of Jewish kids in New York City area are Orthodox, new study finds". The Times of Israel. The Times of Israel. June 13, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  7. ^ Ritterband, Paul. "Counting the Jews of New York, 1900-1991" (PDF). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  8. ^ Gergely, Julia (2024-05-09). "Nearly 1 million Jews live in NYC, new study finds". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  9. ^ "7 things to know about the Jews of New York for Tuesday's primary". 2016-04-18.