National Jewish Population Survey
Encyclopedia
The National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS), most recently performed in 2000-01, is a representative survey of the Jewish population in the United States
sponsored by United Jewish Communities
and the Jewish Federation
system.
Based on the results of the 2000-01 survey, the total Jewish population in the United States was estimated at 5.2 million, comprising 4.1 million adults and 1 million children. An additional 100,000 Jews in institutional settings were not sampled as part of NJPS but are included in the total. This total represents a decline from the 1990 NJPS, which estimated a total Jewish population of 5.5 million people.
There is disagreement about how to define who is Jewish
. As part of the 2000 NJPS, a Jew was defined as a person:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sponsored by United Jewish Communities
United Jewish Communities
The Jewish Federations of North America , is an American Jewish umbrella organization representing 157 Jewish Federations and the Network of Independent Communities, 400 smaller Jewish communities across North America. The JFNA was formed from the 1999 merger of the United Jewish Appeal, the...
and the Jewish Federation
Jewish Federation
A Jewish Federation is a confederation of various Jewish social agencies, volunteer programs, educational bodies, and related organizations, found within most cities in North America that host a viable Jewish community...
system.
Based on the results of the 2000-01 survey, the total Jewish population in the United States was estimated at 5.2 million, comprising 4.1 million adults and 1 million children. An additional 100,000 Jews in institutional settings were not sampled as part of NJPS but are included in the total. This total represents a decline from the 1990 NJPS, which estimated a total Jewish population of 5.5 million people.
There is disagreement about how to define who is Jewish
Who is a Jew?
"Who is a Jew?" is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question is based in ideas about Jewish personhood which themselves have cultural, religious, genealogical, and personal dimensions...
. As part of the 2000 NJPS, a Jew was defined as a person:
- Whose religion is Jewish, or
- Whose religion is Jewish and something else, or
- Who has no religion and has at least one Jewish parent or a Jewish upbringing, or
- Who has a non-monotheistic religion, and has at least one Jewish parent or a Jewish upbringing.