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I did some calculations comparing two data sets.
1. The number of Jewish people in each country
2. The number of people with at least one Jewish grandparent in each country
This is what it told me about Jewish heritage and intermarriage
1. The number of Jewish people in each country
2. The number of people with at least one Jewish grandparent in each country
This is what it told me about Jewish heritage and intermarriage
My method was to find the difference between these two data sets, by finding the percentage increase between data set one and two.
A larger percentage increase = more people, in a country, with a Jewish grandparent who are not Jewish.
A larger percentage increase = more people, in a country, with a Jewish grandparent who are not Jewish.
Of course, intermarriage is the cause of most of these changes as it diversifies the family structure. However other factors also play a role, such as conversion (followed by intermarriage, probably).
This is a snapshot of the Sheet I made (there are 100 countries in total).
Core population refers to the amount of people identifying as Jewish
And eligible is number of people with 1+ Jewish grandparent, thereby being eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return
Core population refers to the amount of people identifying as Jewish
And eligible is number of people with 1+ Jewish grandparent, thereby being eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return
What I was really interested was the percentage differences. Initially, being the mathematically inept fool that I am, I simply calculated the change until I realised that 9500-6000 (Denmark) vs 155000-133000 (Australia) would tell me nothing
These are the countries with at least a 200% increase.
Predictably, mostly ex-Soviet countries.
If the country is yellow it means there are under 5000 people in data set 2, making it a bit more uncertain.
Predictably, mostly ex-Soviet countries.
If the country is yellow it means there are under 5000 people in data set 2, making it a bit more uncertain.
Countries with a 150-200% increase (same yellow disclaimer applies).
Countries with a 100-150% difference
Countries with a 50-100% increase.
This means that if a person has Jewish heritage, they are more likely to be Jewish rather than just having Jewish heritage.
This means that if a person has Jewish heritage, they are more likely to be Jewish rather than just having Jewish heritage.
Countries with a 0-50% increase.
This means that if a person has Jewish heritage, they are even more likely to be Jewish rather than just having Jewish heritage. (I think, again, my maths isn't great but that's what I interpreted)
This means that if a person has Jewish heritage, they are even more likely to be Jewish rather than just having Jewish heritage. (I think, again, my maths isn't great but that's what I interpreted)
It’s hard to pin it all down to intermarriage or having a more tight knit community. Some countries have only recently gained a large Jewish community (such as Argentina) and it is only in recent generations where intermarriage is starting to change family trees
Important to note that in data set 2, the Jewish grandparent may come from an all together different country or continent. Eg, I fall into Denmark's eligible population, however my Jewish grandparent comes from Poland.
It would be interesting to study these results in the backdrop of migration and according to the home country of the grandparent(s). I think the results for Eastern Europe and Central Asia would be much, much higher.
Disclaimers: Crucially, these are two separate data sets and a more accurate picture may be painted with recent data from the same source. I’m not an expert, nor an academic, I may be interpreting this wrong or too simplistically. I simply have too much free time.
