Yesterday, The Economist published a chart mapping Jewish migration patterns of the last century from different regions of the world. It came up with the astonishing statistic (maybe just astonishing to me) that 81% of the world’s Jews now live in either the United States or Israel. It’s something you know, but then you see the number and it baffles.
What also grabbed me were the first few words of the text above the chart, which are a teaser for the next issue of the magazine:
JUDAISM is enjoying an unexpected revival….
You could also pick a bone with how casually the introduction mentions Jewish emigration from North Africa and the Middle East in 1948 without naming the cause, but that all aside, I have to ask: Are we in the midst of a Jewish revival? Assimilation rates and data about intermarriage give a different impression.
So what does a revival look like?
Mapping Judaism [Economist]
Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.