American Jews

American Jews (Hebrew: יהודים אמריקאים, romanized: Yehudim Amerikaim; Yiddish: אמעריקאנער אידן, romanized: Amerikaner Idn) or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish. Being Jewish can be about ethnicity, religion, or culture. A 2020 poll by Pew Research found that most American Jews belong to the Ashkenazi group. Smaller numbers belong to the Sephardic or Mizrahi groups. Some belong to a mix of these groups, and about one in four does not belong to any particular group.

In the colonial era, Sephardic Jews from Portugal and from Brazil (Dutch Brazil) made up most of America's small Jewish population. Today, their descendants are a small part of the community. American Jews now include more recent Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, Beta Israel-Ethiopian Jews, various other Jewish ethnic groups, and a smaller number of gerim, or converts. American Jews follow many different Jewish traditions, from the full range of Jewish religious observance.

The United States has either the largest or second largest Jewish community in the world, after Israel. The answer depends on how religion is defined and which population numbers are used. As of 2020, about 7.5 million people were part of the American Jewish population. That is about 2.4% of all people in the US. This group includes 4.2 million adults who say their religion is Jewish, 1.5 million Jewish adults who have no religion, and 1.8 million Jewish children.

Some estimates count a larger "enlarged" American Jewish population of up to 15 million people, or 4.5% of the US population. This group includes people who have at least one Jewish grandparent and would be eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.

History

Main article: History of the Jews in the United States

Further information: Antisemitism in the United States and History of antisemitism in the United States

Jews have lived in the Thirteen Colonies since the mid-1600s, but only a few hundred had arrived by 1700. Most of the earliest arrivals were Sephardi Jewish immigrants. By 1720, most were Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. Chaim Salomon, a Jewish man born in Poland, became the first famous Jew in US history. He helped raise money for the American Revolution. In the 1800s, many German Jews moved to the United States. Most of them became merchants and shop owners. From the late 1800s until 1924, more than 2,000,000 Jews came from Eastern Europe. Many of them spoke Yiddish. Most settled in the New York metropolitan area.

Jewish families built small synagogues and community groups. Many American Jews also adopted the wider American culture. About 500,000 American Jews fought in World War II. After the war, many families moved to the suburbs. American Jews also took part in the Civil Rights Movement. The Holocaust had a deep effect on the Jewish community. The community kept working to understand it, remember it, and learn from it.

Demographics

Further information: Jews in New York City

As of 2020, the American Jewish population is either the largest in the world or the second-largest, after Israel. The answer depends on how you count who is Jewish. Estimates vary. In 2023, the Jewish Agency counted 7.2 million Jews in Israel and 6.3 million in the United States. Gallup and Pew Research Center found that at most 2.2% of US adults have some basis for Jewish self-identification. Many Jews live in the Northeastern United States, South Florida, Los Angeles, and other big cities, such as Chicago, San Francisco, or Atlanta. Most American Jews are Ashkenazi Jews. There are also Sephardi Jews and Mizrahi Jews. Many Jews follow the Reform tradition. Others are Conservative or Orthodox, or do not belong to any group. Most American Jews are counted as white by the United States Census Bureau, but Jews come from many different backgrounds. Some are Asian Americans, and African American Jews are also part of the community. Education is important in Jewish culture. American Jews tend to be well educated and earn more than Americans as a whole. Many American Jews also give generously to charity.

Some Jewish leaders are concerned about intermarriage and cultural assimilation. Intermarriage rose to 71% for non-Orthodox Jews by 2013. The Jewish population fell by 5% in the 1990s. However, Orthodox Jews have higher birth rates and lower intermarriage rates, and their numbers are growing quickly. A Gallup analysis found that American Jews have the highest well-being of any ethnic or religious group in America.

Main article: African-American Jews

See also: African American–Jewish relations

Religion

See also: Religion in the United States § Judaism

Most American Jews still follow Judaism and its main traditions, such as Conservative, Orthodox and Reform Judaism. Already in the 1980s, 20–30 percent of people in large Jewish communities, such as New York City, Chicago, and Miami, did not want a denominational label. A 1990 National Jewish Population Survey found that 38% of Jews were part of Reform, 35% were part of Conservative, 6% were Orthodox, 1% were Reconstructionist, and 10% said they were "just Jewish." How people practice their religion varies a lot. Among the 4.3 million American Jews who feel "strongly connected" to Judaism, over 80% take part in some way. Some pray every day. Others only go to Passover Seders or light Hanukkah candles. A 2020 Pew Research Center study found that Jews are much less religious than American adults overall. A 2003 Harris Poll found that 46% of strongly connected Jews belong to a synagogue. Traditionally, Mizrahi Jews and Sephardi Jews did not have separate branches. They usually stayed observant, though other Jews often see their synagogues as Orthodox or Sephardic Haredim. Jews in the Northeast and Midwest are generally more observant than Jews in the South or West. A 2026 AP–NORC survey found that many younger religious Jews said celebrating Jewish holidays was very important to their identity. They were also more likely than older Jews to observe Shabbat and avoid foods such as pork or shellfish.

American Jews are more likely to be atheists or agnostics than most Americans, especially compared with Protestants or Catholics. A 2003 poll found that 48% of American Jews believe in God, compared with 79% of Americans overall. A 2009 Harris Poll found that Jews were the religious group most accepting of evolution, at 80%. They were less likely to believe in miracles, angels, or heaven. A 2013 Pew report found that 1.7 million American Jewish adults identified as Christians or Messianic Jews while still considering themselves ethnically Jewish. Jewish Buddhists are more common among American Buddhists than in the general population. Between one fifth and 30% of American Buddhists identify as Jewish, even though 2% of Americans are Jewish. Notable American Jewish Buddhists include Robert Downey Jr., Allen Ginsberg, Linda Pritzker, Jonathan F.P. Rose, Goldie Hawn, her daughter Kate Hudson, Steven Seagal, Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys, and Garry Shandling. A 2025 Pew report found that 1% of American Jewish adults raised in Judaism later identified as Muslim.

Historical politics

Many Jewish immigrants came from Eastern Europe, starting in large numbers in the early 1880s. They became the largest political group among American Jews. Many were more liberal or left-wing and had taken part in socialist and other movements. Many Jews became leaders in the American labor movement. By the 1930s, American Jews strongly supported the New Deal Coalition and the Civil Rights Movement. Earlier, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Jews had leaned toward the Republican party. Since 1916, however, most American Jews have voted for the Democratic Party.

From the 1950s on, most Jewish voters gave Democrats strong support. Two examples are John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. In 2000, Joe Lieberman became the first American Jew to run for national office on a major party's ticket. In 2008, 78% of Jews voted for Barack Obama, who became the first African American elected president. In 2016, Bernie Sanders became the first Jewish candidate to win a state's presidential primary election. In 2013, a Pew survey found that 70% of American Jews identified with or leaned toward the Democratic Party.

Contemporary politics

American Jews play an important role in the nation's politics. Most American Jews (about 60–70%) identify as Democrats, but Jews can be found across the political spectrum. Jews who practice their faith more closely are more likely to vote Republican. Jews also have one of the highest voter turnout rates of any ethnic group. In recent elections, most Jewish voters chose Democratic candidates. About 78% voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and about 78% voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. In a September 2026 poll before the 2026 midterms, most Jewish respondents said they planned to support a Democrat for Congress. Most also disapproved of the second Trump administration.

Further information: Jewish views on homosexuality, Judaism and abortion, and Judaism and environmentalism

American Jews tend to support the policies of the Democratic Party on everyday issues. Many see themselves as a minority that has benefited from the freedoms of the United States. They generally support LGBT rights. Most Jewish voters opposed Prop 8, the California measure that banned gay marriage. Most American Jews also support abortion rights. American Jews have also shown a strong interest in foreign affairs, especially Zionism and Israel. Since the Gaza war began, views on Zionism and Israel have changed among American Jews. In a March 2025 poll, 37% of American Jews described themselves as Zionist.

Discrimination

See also: Antisemitism in the United States

Hate crimes against Jews, carried out by white supremacists, have been increasing. This is because of white supremacy in the United States. Jews are harmed by hate crimes more often than some other groups, including black and Muslim Americans.

Jewish American culture

See also: Jewish secularism and Jewish culture

Between 1890 and 1924, over 2 million Jews came to America from Eastern Europe. This was the last big wave of Jewish immigration. Since then, Jewish culture in the United States has become closely connected with American culture as a whole. Many parts of Jewish American culture have also become part of the wider culture of the United States. Most American Jews today speak English as their first language. Some communities still speak other languages, such as Yiddish, Arabic, Persian, Russian, and Hebrew. Yiddish has influenced American English. Words such as chutzpah came from it.

Jewish Americans have made many contributions to American arts and entertainment. Yiddish theater trained performers and producers who moved to Hollywood in the 1920s. Many early Hollywood leaders were Jewish. Many Jews have also worked in Jews in American cinema, Jews in baseball, and music. Jews have played important roles in government, finance, law, and science. Jewish American literature often explores what it means to be Jewish in America. American Jewish food is often linked with Ashkenazi cuisine, including bagels and matzoh ball soup.