Israel and the Jewish world in ten facts
From UN votes to population estimates, ten questions and answers lead back to the records behind the figures.
Why did the Soviet Union vote for partition in 1947? What area did the name Palestine describe before the British Mandate? Our historical guides go back to the records. Israel in Facts is a Zionist, right-leaning publication that supports the Jewish people’s right to a state. To understand how Israel came into being, it matters who voted, what a resolution said and when a government recognised the new state.
Jewish history also comes into focus at the scale of a family or a city. Testimony from Hebron records the killing of Jewish residents and the help that Arab neighbours gave survivors. In population studies, identifying whom a survey counts can explain why two estimates differ. Each of the following answers points to the record or definition behind it.
Ten questions about Israel and the Jewish world
How many Jewish people are there worldwide?
Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics estimated the world Jewish population at 15.8 million at the beginning of 2025. The estimate uses a defined population and reference date. See the figures by country
How is the Jewish population of France estimated?
The French census does not ask about religion. Demographers use surveys and estimates. The figure for the core Jewish population at the beginning of 2025 was 436,000 residents. Read about the definitions
Where does the name Palestine come from?
Herodotus used a Greek form of the name in the fifth century BCE. The geographical area it described varied across periods, authors and administrations. Trace the place name
How did the Soviet Union vote in 1947?
On 29 November it voted for the UN General Assembly’s partition plan for Palestine. Moscow recognised Israel in May 1948. The vote and its aftermath
What happened in Hebron in August 1929?
Rioters killed Jewish residents of the city. Arab families sheltered and saved Jewish neighbours. Testimony helps reconstruct who offered shelter and how survivors were evacuated. Read the Hebron accounts
Why did Jewish communities leave several Arab countries?
The circumstances differed across countries and decades. The guide examines nationality laws in Iraq, expulsions from Egypt and negotiated departures from Morocco. Compare the country histories
How was the Protocols of the Elders of Zion exposed as a forgery?
In August 1921, The Times of London compared the text with an 1864 political pamphlet by Maurice Joly. The comparison showed that passages had been copied. Read about the evidence of plagiarism
What was the Doctors’ Plot?
In January 1953, Soviet authorities publicly accused doctors of fabricated crimes. After Stalin died, the authorities announced in April that the accused had been cleared. Read about the two announcements
What evidence survives of Hitler’s meeting with the mufti of Jerusalem?
A German record documents the Berlin meeting of 28 November 1941. The guide places the exchange within the history of Nazi persecution and discusses what the record establishes. Examine the Berlin meeting
Why did historian Raul Hilberg study railway documents?
A railway document could reveal how deportations were organised. In Claude Lanzmann’s film Shoah, Hilberg reads one on camera and interprets its administrative detail. Hilberg’s approach to documents