• U.S.
  • faith

Global Jewish Population Approaches Pre-Holocaust Levels

1 minute read

The global Jewish population is nearly as large as it was before the Holocaust, according to a new tally released by an Israeli think tank on Monday.

A report by the Jerusalem-based Jewish People Policy Institute estimates that the global Jewish population has reached 14.2 million people. If accounting for people with one Jewish parent and people who identify as partially Jewish, the number reaches close to pre-Holocaust levels of 16.5 million, the Associated Press reports.

The report says that the rise is due to natural growth, mainly in Israel. In addition, 59% of adult children in the U.S. who have one Jewish parent say they identify as Jewish.

About 6 million Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust.

[AP]

World War II Erupts: Color Photos From the Invasion of Poland, 1939

Refugees near Warsaw during the 1939 German invasion of Poland. (Sign reads, 'Danger Zone -- Do Not Proceed.')
Refugees near Warsaw during the 1939 German invasion of Poland. (Sign reads, 'Danger Zone -- Do Not Proceed.')Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Burned-out tank, Warsaw, 1939.
Burned-out tank, Warsaw, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Adolf Hitler (right) prepares to fly to the Polish front, 1939.
Adolf Hitler (right) prepares to fly to the Polish front, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Post-invasion Poland, 1939.
Post-invasion Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Unfinished Polish bombers, 1939.
Unfinished Polish bombers, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Near Sochaczew during the German invasion of Poland, 1939.
Near Sochaczew during the German invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Polish soldiers captured by Germans during the invasion of Poland, 1939.
Polish soldiers captured by Germans during the invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Polish soldiers and a Red Cross nurse captured during the invasion of Poland, 1939.
Polish soldiers and a Red Cross nurse captured during the invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Captured Polish soldiers, 1939.
Captured Polish soldiers, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
German troops prepare for victory parade after the invasion of Poland, 1939.
German troops prepare for victory parade after the invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
German victory parade in Warsaw after the invasion of Poland, 1939. (Hitler is on platform, arm raised in Nazi salute.)
German victory parade in Warsaw after the invasion of Poland, 1939. (Hitler is on platform, arm raised in Nazi salute.)Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Adolf Hitler views victory parade in Warsaw after the German invasion of Poland, 1939.
Adolf Hitler views victory parade in Warsaw after the German invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Right to left, front row: Adjutant Wilhelm Brueckner, Luftwaffe fighter ace Adolf Galland, Gen. Albert Kesselring and Gen. Johannes Blaskowitz view the victory parade in Warsaw after the German invasion of Poland, 1939.
Right to left, front row: Adjutant Wilhelm Brueckner, Luftwaffe fighter ace Adolf Galland, Gen. Albert Kesselring and Gen. Johannes Blaskowitz view the victory parade in Warsaw after the German invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Head of the SS Heinrich Himmler (right), one of the chief architects of the Holocaust, speaks with an unidentified officer in Warsaw after German invasion of Poland, 1939.
Head of the SS Heinrich Himmler (right), one of the chief architects of the Holocaust, speaks with an unidentified officer in Warsaw after German invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Warsaw citizens buried their dead in parks and streets after the invasion of Poland, 1939.
Warsaw citizens buried their dead in parks and streets after the invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Warsaw citizens buried their dead in parks and streets after the invasion of Poland, 1939.
Warsaw citizens buried their dead in parks and streets after the invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Street scene following the German invasion of Poland, 1939.
Street scene following the German invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
German nationals prepare for repatriation during the invasion of Poland, 1939.
German nationals prepare for repatriation during the invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Polish farmers and peasants flee German military during invasion of their country, 1939.
Polish farmers and peasants flee German military during invasion of their country, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Polish women clean captured Polish guns in Modlin Fortress, north of Warsaw, 1939.
Polish women clean captured Polish guns in Modlin Fortress, north of Warsaw, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Jewish women and children in Gostynin, Poland, after the German invasion, 1939.
Jewish women and children in Gostynin, Poland, after the German invasion, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Polish refugees, Warsaw, 1939.
Polish refugees, Warsaw, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Warsaw, 1939.
Warsaw, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Near Modlin Fortress, Poland, 1939.
Near Modlin Fortress, Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Near Modlin Fortress, Poland, 1939.
Near Modlin Fortress, Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Scene in post-invasion Poland, 1939.
Scene in post-invasion Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Poles stand beneath monument to Polish patriot, Jan Kiliński, 1939.
Poles stand beneath monument to Polish patriot, Jan Kiliński, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Near Sochaczew during the German invasion of Poland, 1939.
Near Sochaczew during the German invasion of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Near Danzig after the German conquest of Poland, 1939.
Near Danzig after the German conquest of Poland, 1939.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Flea market in post-invasion Warsaw Ghetto, 1940.
Flea market in post-invasion Warsaw Ghetto, 1940.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Near Warsaw, fall 1939; sign points to the battle front.
Near Warsaw, fall 1939; sign points to the battle front.Hugo Jaeger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com