World Jewish Congress
The Representative Body of over 100 Jewish Communities Worldwide
Communities
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The Jewish community of Afghanistan can be traced back at least 800 years.
Professor Sergio DellaPergola of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has estimated “the core Jewish population” of Australia “at 113,000 in 2016—the world’s ninth largest.” Australia’s Jewish community is a diverse community comprised of both Ashkenazi ...
China is home to about 2,500 Jews. A small ethno-religious minority, the Chinese Jewish community has deep historical roots that go back centuries. There is currently no Jewish community representative body in China, although there are small active communities of expatriates in Beijing, Hong K...
Jewish settlement in Fiji can be traced back to the arrival from Australia of 20-year-old Henry Marks in 1881.
Hong Kong is home to about 2,500 Jews. The community today is largely made up of expatriates, and enjoys a relatively autonomous existence with almost no anti-Semitism. The Hong Kong Jewish community is represented by the United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong (UJC) – the Hong Kong affi...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” India was home to between 5,000 and 7,000 Jews as of 1996. With deep historic ties to the country, Indian Jews have maintained their religion and heritage while ...
In the 1850's there were at least 20 Jewish families of Dutch and German origin living in Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia.
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Japan, is home to between 1,000 and 1,400 Jews. Almost entirely composed of Jewish foreigners and expatriates, the Japanese Jewish community is well-organized an...
According to the estimates of the local Jewish community, Myanmar is home to about 20 Jews. Despite a dwindling population, Burmese Jewry remains well organized and devoted to maintaining Jewish life in the country. The community has seen a recent resurgence in interest in Burmese Jewry. The J...
The community, concentrated in Noumea, is composed of recent Jewish immigrants from France, nearly all Sephardi, who work in commercial ventures or in the state administration.
New Zealand, according to the 2013 census, is home to 6,867 Jews. The most southern Jewish community in the world, New Zealand Jews comprise a small, but vibrant part of the national character, participating in various aspects public life, including government, popular culture, and athletics. ...
During World War II, the Philippine Commonwealth Government established an ‘open door policy’ for Jews escaping the Holocaust in Europe, creating a safe haven for 1,200 Jews. While the Philippines’ diverse Jewish community has considerably reduced to approximately 100 Jews, i...
The Republic of Singapore, a city-state in Southeast Asia, is a crossroads for a number of international trade routes and has become the hub for IT, banking, and mercantile activities. Singapore is home to approximately 300 Jews, many of which are expats from the United States, Australia, New ...
Thailand, according to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” is home to between 200 and 400 Jews. Of Sephardic and Ashkenazi descent, Thai Jews have found Thailand to be open and welcoming and play a large role i...
Between 40 and 50 Jews live in Albania out of an overall population of 2.87 million in 2017. The World Jewish Congress affiliate is the Albanian Jewish Community.
According to the estimates of Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2015,” between 500 and 1,000 Jews live in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Largely Sephardic, the Bosnian and Herzegovinian Jewish community enjoys peaceful relations with other religious communities, taking...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Bulgaria is home to between 2,000 and 6,000 Jews. Nearly entirely Sepharadic and elderly, the Bulgarian Jewish community has steadily grown in recent years with ...
Croatia’s small but extremely active Jewish community numbers 1,700. Although there have been difficulties in combating anti-Semitism and other problematic ideologies in the country – in particular historical revisionism that has sought to rehabilitate the fascist Ustasha movement ...
Czechia, formerly the Czech Republic, is home to approximately 3,900 Jews. Culturally and economically diverse, the Czech Jewish community features prominently in all aspects of public life, with a presence in high office of the state, the civil service, the judiciary, and the armed forces. Th...
According to the estimates of Estonian government’s statistics department, Estonia is home about 1,971 Jews. Almost extinct at one-point, Estonian Jewry has enjoyed a rebirth that has seen a complete revival in Jewish religious and cultural life in the last 15 years. Estonian Jews are al...
The Hungarian Jewish community, estimated at between 75,000 and 100,000, is the largest in East Central Europe. Most Hungarian Jews live in the capital, Budapest, which has some 20 working synagogues and a plethora of other Jewish institutions, both religious and cultural. There are also a num...
Lithuania, according to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola, is home to between 2,700 and 6,500 Jews. Jews have a deep connection to Lithuania, as it was home to a historically large and influential Jewish community. Consequently, a large number of Jews thr...
The Republic of Macedonia, is home to about 200 Jews. Maintaining ties with all regional Jewish communities, including the ones in Belgrade, Serbia and Thessaloniki, Greece, Macedonian Jewry is a small, yet active community that is currently experiencing a revival of interest in Jewish religio...
Fewer than 10,000 Jews live in Poland, a country once known as the center of European Jewish life. On the eve of the Second World War, Poland was home to over three million Jews, making it the second-largest community in the world. Warsaw, the capital, had a population of over 300,000 Jews, mo...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Romania is home to between 9,300 and 17,000 Jews. One of the largest Jewish communities in the world before the Holocaust, Romanian Jewry today contributes to al...
Slovakia is home to about 2,600 Jews. Culturally and economically diverse, the local Jewish community is active in many facets of public life, contributing to Slovakian culture in a myriad of ways. The community is represented by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Slovakia – an affi...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Slovenia is home at between 100 and 300 Jews, of both Ashkenazi and Sephardi descent. Slovenian Jewry is well organized and participates in numerous facets of Sl...
Argentina is home to nearly 200,000 Jews, making it the largest community in Latin America and the seventh largest in the world. The majority of Argentine Jews are Ashkenazi, with roots in Central and Eastern Europe, although there is a sizable Sephardic minority. Diverse in terms of religious...
The small but active Jewish community of Bolivia has around 400 members, most of whom live in La Paz. There are also smaller communities in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The Bolivian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress is in La Paz.
The Jewish Confederation of Brazil (CONIB) estimates that there are more than 120,000 Jews in Brazil, making it the tenth largest Jewish community in the world and second largest in Latin America, behind Argentina. Brazilian Jews play an active role in politics, sports, academia, commerce and ...
Chile’s Jewish community dates back to the early 16th century, and with a population of just over 18,000, is one of the largest centers of Jewish life in South America. The representative body of Chilean Jewry, the Comunidad Judía de Chile, is an affiliate of the World Jewish Cong...
Around 4,500-5500 Jews live in Colombia, according to a recent census carried out by the CCJC and the JOINT most of them concentrated in the capital, Bogota. Smaller communities exist in Cali, Barranquilla and Medellin. There have been Jews present in the territory of modern-day Colombia since...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Costa Rica is home to between 2,500 and 3,100 Jews. Prredominently Ashkenazi, Costa Rican Jewry has a long and storied history in the country and continues to be...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Ecuador is home to between 600 and 1,000 Jews. Largely homogenous, the majority of Ecuadorian Jews are of German ancestry, though in recent years Jews from other...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” El Salvador is home to between 100 and 300 Jews. Even though small, the community makes every effort to maintain Jewish traditions and religious life. In the pas...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Guatemala is home to between 900 and 1,500 Jews. Since their arrival, Jews in Guatemala have been able to freely engage in Jewish religious and cultural life, an...
According to the estimates of the local Jewish community, Honduras is home to approximately 40 Jews, making it one of the smallest Jewish populations in Central America. Though there have been some antisemitic incidents, Honduran Jews are generally able to practice Judaism freely and openly, a...
Jews lived in Algeria from the pre-Roman period to the early 1960s. There is no Jewish community left in Algeria today.
Bahrain, according to the 2011 census, is home to about 30 Jews. The only Jewish community in the Persian Gulf, the Bahraini Jewish community is a small, but active group, present in high offices of the state. The Bahraini Jewish community is represented by the Jewish Community of the Kingdom ...
Only 100 Jews remain in Egypt out of a population that topped 80,000 in 1948, following a decades long decline in which Egyptian Jewry has dwindled to near extinction. There is currently no Jewish representative body in Egypt, though the community is formally affiliated with the World Jewish C...
The Jewish community of Persia, modern-day Iran, is one of the oldest in the Diaspora, and its historical roots reach back to the 6th century BC, the time of the First Temple. Their history in the pre-Islamic period is intertwined with that of the Jews of neighboring Babylon. Cyrus,...
The Iraqi Jewish community is one of the oldest in the world and has a great history of learning and scholarship.
Jews have lived in Lebanon since ancient times.
Even though Jews lived in Libya for over three thousand years, nothing remains today of that Jewish community. Following the country’s independence, its Jews were forced to leave, losing their homes and their property.
Morocco has the largest remaining Jewish community in North Africa, dating back more than two millennia to the pre-Roman Jewish colonies of Mauretania Tingitania. The Jews of Morocco represent a remnant of an ancient, thriving community that numbered more than a quarter of a million peopleat i...
Prior to 1947, there were some 30,000 Jews in Syria made up of three distinct communities, each with its own traditions: the Kurdish-speaking Jews of Kamishli, the Jews of Aleppo with roots in Spain, and the original eastern Jews of Damascus, called Must'arab. Today only a tiny remnant of ...
The Jewish community of Tunisia is one of the oldest in the Diaspora, dating back at least to the second century of the Common Era. According to some traditions, there has been a Jewish presence in Tunisia since the days of the Punic Empire and even earlier. More than 100,000 Jews have emigrat...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Turkey is home to between 15,500 and 21,000 Jews. Of Sephardic origin with deep historical ties to Anatolia, Turkish Jewry. The Turkish Jewish community is repre...
The Jews of Yemen trace their origins back to biblical times, and the first recorded reference to Yemenite Jews appears in the 3rd century.
The Bahamas were first settled by the British in 1620, but at that time, relatively few Jews came to the islands.
While Barbados is home to between 80 and 100 Jews, the island’s Jewish community has a rich history dating back to the 17th century. Its historic Nidhe Israel Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, is within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of historic Bridgetown and it...
Canada, according to the Berman Jewish Databank, is home to 391,665 Jews, making it the fourth largest Jewish community in the world. The Canadian Jewish community is mainly Ashkenazi, but has a sizeable Sephardic community that is primarily centered in Montreal and includes immigrants from No...
Population: 52,000
Jewish population: ~100
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population 2016,” Cuba is home to between 500 and 1,500 Jews. Comprised of three main communities: the Sephardi, Ashkenazi, and Orthodox. In December 2006, the Jewish community of ...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” the Dominican Republic is home to between 100 and 300 Jews. Consisting of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, Dominican Jewry is a small, yet active community. The Jew...
In 1659 the Dutch West India Company nominated a refugee from Brazil, David Nassy, as a patron of an exclusive Jewish settlement on the island of Cayenne named Remire.
The first Jewish immigrants came from Brazil in the 17th century, after Haiti was conquered by the French.
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Jamaica is home to between 200 and 400 Jews. The Jamaican Jewish community is ethnically diverse, of Ashkenazi and Sephardic descent, and from a variety of count...
According to the estimates of the local Jewish community, Martinique is home to about 90 Jews. Though quite small, the Martiniquais Jewish community is well-organized and thriving. There is little antisemitism on the island, and Jews in Martinique are afforded a sense of stability in openly pr...
According to Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Puerto Rico is home to between 1,500 and 2,500 Jews, making it the largest Jewish community in the Caribbean. Considered the wealthiest Jewish community in the Caribbean, Puerto ...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Suriname is home to between 200 and 600 Jews. One of the oldest Jewish communities in the Americas, Surinamese Jewry has long standing and deep historical ties t...
The United States is home to the largest, or second-largest, Jewish population in the world, depending on sources cited and methods used. The American Jewish community boasts a wide range of Jewish cultural traditions encompassing the full spectrum of Jewish religious strands and traditions. A...
According to statistics from the local Jewish community, Botswana is home to approximately 21 Jews. Mainly comprised of Israeli expatriates, the Botswanan Jewish community is considered the youngest and only growing organized Jewish community in sub-Saharan Africa. It enjoys a sense of securit...
There are only 300 Jews in Kenya. The community is primarily concentrated in the capital city of Nairobi, with a small sect – the “Kasuku Gathundia” Jewish community – residing in the Kenya highlands. The Kenyan affiliate of the World Jewish Congress is the Nairobi Hebr...
Despite the presence of a vibrant Jewish community during Mozambique’s colonial period, only about twenty Jews are left in the country, all of whom live in the capital city of Maputo. The Mozambique Jewish Community is affiliated with the World Jewish Congress.
According to the estimates of Hebrew University Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Namibia is home to between 100 and 300 Jews. Non-existent before the 19th century, the Namibian Jewish community is a small, concentrated community that has played a minor, ...
South Africa, according to the 2001 census (the 2011 census did not account for religion), is home to 75,555 Jews, making it the largest Jewish community in Africa, and twelfth largest in the world. Comprised of primarily Ashkenazi Jews, with a smaller Sephardic population (including several t...
Like most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Zambia boasts a small Jewish presence. Numbering only 35 members, the local community is mostly concentrated in Lusaka, the capital. The Zambian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress is The Council for Zambia Jewry, Ltd.
Zimbabwe is home to about 400 Jews. The main body of representation for Zimbabwean Jewry is the Zimbabwe Jewish Board of Deputies – the Zimbabwean affiliate of the World Jewish Congress.
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola's “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Belarus, a historically important center of Jewish learning in eastern Europe, is home to between 10,400 and 25,000 Jews. Despite being able to practice Jewish rel...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Georgia is home to between 2,600 and 6,000 Jews. One of the oldest Jewish communities in the Diaspora, Georgian Jewry constitutes a distinct ethnic group with un...
Today, between approximately 3,300 Jews live in Kazakhstan. They are mostly Russian-speaking and identify with Russian culture. Approximately 2,000 are Bukharian and Tat (Mountain Jews). Almaty is the main Jewish centre of the country. Smaller Jewish communities are spread out across this larg...
Most Jews of Kyrgyzstan are concentrated in Bishkek (Frunze), the capital. They constitute a relatively new community – nearly all of them having migrated to the country after the Russian Revolution or as evacuees or refugees from European Russia during World War II. The affiliate of the...
According to the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, Moldova is home to about 20,000 Jews, while Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola estimated that there were between 3,500 and 7,500 Jews in the country as of 2004. Historically devastated by the Shoah and a brutal civil ...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s World Jewish Population, 2016, Russia is home to 179,500 Jews and comprises the world’s seventh largest Jewish community. Despite repeated instances of anti-Semitism throughout the centuries, Russian ...
Jewish life is centered in Dushanbe, the capital, but there is a smaller community in Shakhrisabz. About 40% of Tajik Jews are of Bukharian origin, and the rest are Ashkenazim who came from other parts of the Soviet Union during World War II. The Tajik affiliate of the World Jewish Congress is...
Currently there are an estimated 1000 Jews (source: eajc.org) residing in Ashkhabad, Mary, Dashoguz (formerly Tashauz), Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnovodsk), Balkanabat (formerly Nebit Dag), Turkmenabat (formerly Chardzhou), and Kerki. These are predominantly Ashkenazi Jews. The descendants of ...
According to the estimates of Hebrew demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Ukraine is home to between 56,000 and 140,000 Jews, making it the fourth largest Jewish community in Europe and the eleventh largest in the world. Ukrainian Jews are preval...
There are two distinct Jewish communities in Uzbekistan: the more religious and traditional Bukharan Jewish community and the more progressive Ashkenazi community made up primarily of Jews of European origin. There were 94,900 Jews in Uzbekistan in 1989; less than 5,000 remained in 2007 ...
Before the Holocaust, Austria, and in particular Vienna, had an important and influential Jewish community, whose prominent members included Theodor Herzl, Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Arthur Schnitzler and Stefan Zweig. Many Austrian Jews fled the country after its annexation by Nazi Germany ...
The Belgian Jewish community currently numbers around 30,000 (out of a total population of 11 million), most of whom live in Brussels or Antwerp, the country’s two largest cities. While most Jews in the mainly French-speaking capital of Brussels are secular, the Dutch-speaking port city ...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Cyprus is home to between 100 and 300 Jews. Recently revived, Cypriot Jewry is largely comprised of Israelis, as well as Russian and British Jews. The Cypriot Je...
According to the estimates of Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Denmark is home to between 6,400 and 8,500 Jews. The Danish Jewish community has had an almost continuous presence in Denmark since initial Jewish settlement and consists of a wide array of J...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Finland is home to between 1,300 and 1,900 Jews, making it the third largest Jewish community in Scandinavia (following Sweden and Denmark). Largely integrated i...
With around half a million Jews, France is home to the third biggest community in the world, exceeded only by Israel and the United States. There has been a Jewish presence in France since the early Middle Ages. During the medieval period France was widely known for the quality of its Torah sc...
The Jewish community in Germany numbered 100,000 in 2017, making it the eighth-largest Jewish community in the world, and the forth largest in Western Europe. Most Jews living in Germany today are originally from the former Soviet Union. The umbrella organization of German Jewry, the Zentralra...
Gibraltar is home to 763 Jews. With a longstanding historical presence on the peninsula, the Jews of Gibraltar constitute one of the largest religious minorities in the British colonial territory. Largely Sephardic, Gibraltarian Jewry has contributed significantly to the cultural and political...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Greece is home to between 4,300 and 6,000 Jews. Heirs to a long and storied history, the Greek Jewish community has long maintained ties with Jews in the Land of...
The Republic of Ireland – not including Northern Ireland – is home to 1,948 Jews, according to the 2011 census. Mainly Ashkenazi, the Irish Jewish community has traced a faint but colorful counterpoint within mainstream Irish society, involved in the social, artistic, professional,...
The presence of Jews on the Italian peninsula can be traced back as far as 200 bce during the late Roman Republican period. Italian Jewry is especially diverse, comprising a mix of Italian, Sephardic, Ashkenazic, Persian and Libyan Jews. The 30,000 Jews living in Italy today form a thriving co...
Approximately 1,200 Jews - roughly 300-350 families, including diplomats and expatriates - live in Luxembourg today, and constitute one of that country’s largest ethnic minorities. Most live in Luxembourg City, with a smaller community in the town of Esch-sur-Alzette.
The...
According to Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Malta is home to between 100 and 300 Jews. Largely of Sephardic origin, the Maltese Jews live in harmony on the island and there has been a recent resurgence in the practice of J...
Today Monaco has almost no Jewish citizens, but it does have a not insignificant number of Jewish residents from other countries, believed to number around 1,000 according to a U.S. State Department report on religious freedom. A number of these residents are believed to be Jewish retirees pri...
There has been a consistent and vibrant Jewish presence in the Netherlands since Jews settled there after being expulsed from Spain and Portugal at the end of the 15th century. Tragically, this community was decimated during the Holocaust. Between the Spanish exile and the Holocaust, however, ...
According to according to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Norway is home to between 1,300 and 2,000 Jews, making it the second smallest Jewish community in Scandinavia, after Iceland. Norwegian Jewry is inv...
Portugal’s Jewish community, with a cultural and religious legacy dating back to antiquity, numbers over 1,000, most of whom live in Lisbon. There are smaller communities in Oporto, Belmonte and Algarve. The World Jewish Congress affiliate is the Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa (Jewish Co...
In its heyday Spanish Jewry was one of the largest, most prosperous and cultivated Jewish communities in the world. Despite centuries of unrivaled Jewish success, this “Golden Age” came to an end in 1492 with the promulgation of the “Alhambra Decree,” which presented th...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Sweden is home to between 15,000 and 25,000 Jews, making it the largest Jewish community in Scandinavia. Jews in Sweden have enjoyed a relative sense of stabilit...
Switzerland, with a Jewish population of 17,500, is the tenth largest Jewish community in Europe. The country’s Jewish presence dates back to the 13th century. Switzerland is notable for being the site of both the First Zionist Congress in 1897, and the founding plenary assembly of the W...
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is home to over 260,000 Jews, making it the fifth largest Jewish population in the world, and the second largest in Europe after France. Diverse in terms of religious and cultural affiliation, as well as in socioeconomic terms, the Briti...
In recent years, the Jewish population of Israel has become the largest of any nation, reaching just under 6.6 million in 2018, according to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola estimated the Jewish population of Israel at 6,336,400 as of...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Mexico is home to between 40,000 and 50,000 Jews, making it the fourteenth largest in the world. Characterized by its strongly traditionalist communities, rangin...
According to the estimates of the local Jewish community, Armenia is home to about around 500 Jews, mostly of Ashkenazi origin with some Mizrahi and Georgian Jews. An ethnically diverse country, Armenia has had a deep historical connection to Judaism. Today, the small Armenian Jewish community...
The Jewish community of Azerbaijan includes various subgroups, mainly Mountain Jews, Georgian Jews, and Ashkenazi Jews, as well as Kurdish Jews, Bukharian Jews, among others. The Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan are neither Sephardim (from the Iberian Peninsula) nor Ashkenazim (from Germany and Eas...
According to the estimates of the local Jewish community, Nicaragua, is home to between 70 to 100 Jews. Nicaraguan Jewry is slowly rebuilding itself after decades of dormancy and is experiencing a sense of revitalization and renewed interest in Jewish life. The Nicaraguan Jewish Community is r...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Panama is home to between 10,000 and 12,000 Jews, making it the largest Jewish community in Central America. Panamanian Jews are active in all aspects of Panaman...
Established during the latter part of the 19th century, the Jewish community of Paraguay is small, comprising only some 1,000 people. Largely traditional, though not Orthodox, Paraguayan Jewry is highly Zionist and concentrated in Asunción, the capital. It is represented by the Consejo ...
Uruguay, is home to around 17,000 Jews, constituting the fifth largest Jewish community in Latin America. The Comité Central Israelita del Uruguay (Israelite Central Committee of Uruguay, or C.C.I.U), the Uruguayan affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, is the primary Jewish communal b...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Venezuela is home between 7,700 and 12,000 Jews. Divided equally between Sephardi and Ashkenazi, Venezuelan Jewry has been heavily involved in the development of...
Peruvian Jewry dates back to the Spanish colonial period when Iberian Jews, seeking refuge from the inquisition, made their way to the new world. Today Peru is home to approximately 2,500 Jews, most of whom live in Lima, the capital. The Asociación Judía del Perú (Jewish A...
The Jewish community in Montenegro is one of the youngest Jewish communities in the world, having been officially registered in July 2011. At the end of January 2012, the Jewish community and the Government signed the Act on Mutual Relations whereby Judaism was recognized as the fourth officia...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Serbia is home to between 1,400 and 2,800 Jews. Jewish life in Serbia is stable and Judaism is officially recognized by the Serbian government. The Jewish commun...
Only a handful of approximately six Jews belong to the Lesotho Jewish Community, which is affiliated with the World Jewish Congress.
There are only 14 Jewish families in Swaziland, totaling around 50 people. Despite their small numbers, Swazi Jews have played an important role in the growth and development of the country, particularly in the business and legal communities. The Swazi affiliate of the World Jewish Congr...
In 1940, approximately 1,600 Jews were denied entry into Palestine and were deported to Mauritius, a former British island in the Indian Ocean. There, the Jewish refugees were detained in a Mauritian prison until the end of World War Two. Today, the Mauritius Jewish Community honors and rememb...
With only 85 Jews (as of 2010), the Jewish community of Aruba is small but vibrant, and contributes significantly to the Caribbean island’s public life, with members playing important poles in politics and the judiciary. The main body of representation for Aruban Jews is the Israelit...
Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island country 40 miles off the South American coast of Venezuela, is home to a small, Jewish community of fewer than 350 people. Consecrated in 1732, the Mikve Israel Emanuel Synagogue is the oldest Jewish house of worship in continuous use in the Americas. T...
According to the estimates of Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Greece is home to between 4,300 and 6,000 Jews. Heirs to a long and storied history, the Greek Jewish community has long maintained ties with Jews in the Land of...
Mongolia is home to a Jewish community of Israeli citizens and expatriates who mainly live in the country temporarily. Despite this, Jews in Mongolia are well integrated into general Mongolian society and experience almost no anti-Semitism. The Jewish community in Mongolia is represented by th...
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About WJC
The World Jewish Congress is the international organization that represents Jewish communities and organizations in 100 countries around the world. It advocates on their behalf towards governments, parliaments, international organizations and other faiths. The WJC represents the plurality of the Jewish people, and is politically non-partisan.
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Ronald S. Lauder
President
International philanthropist, investor, art collector, and former public servant, Ronald S. Lauder has served as president of the World Jewish Congress since June 2007. President Lauder also demonstrates his deep commitment to his Judaism through a wide range of other philanthropic endeavors that reach around the world. As president of the WJC, Amb. Lauder has met with countless heads of state, prime ministers and government representatives in advancing those causes that are of most concern to Jews and Jewish communities internationally. He firmly believes in the importance of supporting Israel, especially in times when the State, and its citizens are under attack, whilst also encouraging and aiding the development of vibrant Jewish communities around the world.
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ROBERT SINGER
CEO & Executive Vice President
Robert Singer has served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), the leading umbrella organization of Jewish communities around the world, since May 2013. As WC CEO, Mr. Singer has traveled extensively, visiting Jewish communities while enhancing the WJC’s global diplomatic presence. He regularly meets with presidents and prime ministers, as well as prominent government, business, faith and civil society leaders, often together with WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. Mr. Singer also maintains direct relations with Israeli government officials and other institutions in the Jewish state, on behalf of Diaspora Jewry.These high-level meetings are critical to the WJC’s efforts in advocating for the civil and communal rights, institutional security, and overall well-being of Jews in more than 100 countries.
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Leadership
The Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress conducts the affairs of the WJC in accordance with the decisions of the Plenary Assembly and Governing Board. The body, led by WJC President Ronald S. Lauder, consists of the WJC senior lay leadership, as well as the presidents of the largest Jewish communities around the world, and representatives of other WJC-affiliated communities and organizations, and meets at least bi-annually.
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Our mission
The mission of the World Jewish Congress is to foster the unity and represent the interests of the Jewish people, and to ensure the continuity and development of its religious, spiritual, cultural, and social heritage.
Read MoreWJC Issues
Antisemitism
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Jews From Arab Lands
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Holocaust Legacy
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Inter-Faith Dialogue
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Supporting Israel
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Community Affairs
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Jewish Communal Security
Read MoreAntisemitism
There has been an alarming rise in antisemitism across the globe in recent years, on both the far-right and the far-left. The growth of extreme far-right parties in Europe and a proliferation of anti-Zionist sentiment has contributed to an atmosphere in which many Jews are afraid to openly identify as such.
Recent studies, including the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)’s December 2019 second comprehensive report on discrimination and hate crimes against Jews in the EU, found that an overwhelming majority of the 16,500 self-identified Jewish respondents – 89 percent - feel that antisemitism is getting worse. This was the largest survey of Jewish people ever conducted worldwide, covering 12 EU member states, which are home to over 96 percent of Europe’s Jewish population; it follows the first survey of its kind in 2012, which covered 7 states. The 2018 report also found that 79% of those who experienced antisemitic harassment in the five years prior to the survey did not report the most serious incident to police, indicating an even darker reality than the official national crime numbers. More than one-third of all respondents said they had considered emigrating in the five years preceding the survey because they did not feel safe as Jews in the country where they live.
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Jews From Arab Lands
The story of the Jews in Arab lands still forms a major gap in most of the world's knowledge of the history of the Middle East. Jewish presence in what are now Arab lands long predates Islam and the Arab conquest of the Middle East and goes back to Biblical times. In 1945, there were approximately 866,000 Jews living in communities throughout the Arab world. Today, there are fewer than 7,000. In many Arab states, once thriving Jewish communities have all but disappeared. According to official statistics, 856,000 Jews , persecuted and under duress, were exiled from their homes in Arab countries between 1948 and the early 1970s leaving behind substantial property and other assets.
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Holocaust Legacy
As the survivors of the Shoah sadly fade from the scene, the WJC will continue to ensure that the memory of the Shoah will remain at the forefront of the consciousness of the Jewish people and the international community. The WJC understands that it is up to the post-Holocaust generations to transmit the memories of the survivors, together with their moral legacies, into the future.
In order to ensure the transmittal of Holocaust memory – and the commitment to Holocaust remembrance – into the future, it is imperative to gear the WJC’s programming and activities in this regard to younger generations, and to involve all parts of civil society. The WJC’s annual #WeRemember campaign, which reaches hundreds of millions of people around the globe, is an example of how Holocaust remembrance can be made relevant to all aspects of society.
At the same time, while the WJC will never allow the Holocaust to be universalized so as to diminish its Jewish essence, the WJC is also committed to fight all forms of racism, bigotry and xenophobia directed against other national, religious, ethnic, or racial groups.
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Inter-Faith Dialogue
The WJC has always spearheaded dialogue between the three Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Inter-faith cooperation can make an important contribution to peace around the world and to better understanding between communities in our societies.
Christian Faiths - The WJC has well established relations with the Catholic Church, and has played a leading role, both directly and within the framework of ICJIC, in an ongoing dialogue over many decades.
Muslim Faith - Dialogue with representatives of moderate Islam is one of the most important and challenging issues at this time. The increasing gap of understanding between so-called 'Western liberal democracies' and the Islamic word is a recipe for potential civil strife and possible violence.
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Supporting Israel
Around the world, Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state is constantly questioned. The WJC and its affiliates actively defend the legitimacy of Israel on all levels and support the state against unfair and biased attacks.
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Community Affairs
The World Jewish Congress would not be what it is without the communities in more than 100 countries across six continents it represents.Our communities, affiliated with WJC through their official national representative bodies, are as diverse as the Jewish people itself – ranging from the largest communities in Israel, the United States, France, Canada and the UK, to some of the most tiny, remote communities in countries such as Tajikistan, North Macedonia and Kenya. The communities themselves also straddle religious, ethnic and cultural differences which make up the rich tapestry of the Jewish people.
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Jewish Communal Security
The Talmudic phrase “Kol Yisreal Arevim Zeh beZeh " (All Jews are responsible for one another), encapsulates the raison d’être of the WJC in all spheres of life, including Jewish communal security. Since its foundation in 1936, long before the establishment of its Global Jewish Security Department, the WJC has been at the forefront of fighting for the rights of Jews and Jewish communities around the world.
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Programs
Israel Council on Foreign Relations
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Yiddish Center
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WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps
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Digital Advocacy Unit
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Combating Antisemitism Unit
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Global Jewish Community Security Department
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Red Card for Hate
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International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians
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