The new Jewish diaspora: How nearly one million Israelis are reshaping global Jewish communities

Migration has been a consistent thread throughout Jewish history, flowing between the land of Israel and the broader diaspora. A new report published by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) in London reveals that almost one million Israelis and their children currently live outside the Jewish state.

The new report noted that there are approximately 955,000 “Israel-connected” individuals outside of Israel. Of those, about 80% are Jewish and the remaining 20% are Israeli Muslims or Christians.

While the majority of Israeli immigrants reside in the United States, around 30% have relocated to European countries, where they are reshaping the landscape of struggling local Jewish communities.

“We can see that if all these people would have stayed in Israel, the country would have about another million people, maybe 11 million instead of the current 10 million,” assessed JPR's European Demography Unit Director Daniel Staetsky, who authored the report.

“I’m not sure that difference is so dramatic for Israel in the big picture, but others may disagree,” he continued.

However, the report revealed that “the Jewish Diaspora is undergoing a significant transformation” as a result of the large number of Israelis living in the United States and in European countries. “Cultural transformation… is likely to follow on the back of the demographic change,” the report predicted.

For example, historically, European and British Jewry have been predominantly of Ashkenazi origin. However, this is changing with the arrival of Israelis, many of whom come from a Middle Eastern and Sephardic background.

While the U.S. seems to be the preferred destination for most Israeli expats, Europe offers distinct advantages – such as geographic proximity and the opportunity for Israelis with European ancestry to obtain a European passport.

“If you look at Europe as a whole, it is clear that changing migration patterns affect the culture and character of native populations,” Staetsky explained. “This is natural. It’s the same thing for Jewish communities and Israelis. They are coming to a new country with a different mentality, and it impacts the communities they join.”

Approximately half of all Israelis living in Europe have settled in Germany and the United Kingdom. However, the report noted that some of the most significant demographic and cultural shifts are taking place in European countries with smaller Jewish communities.

Israeli-born Jews now reportedly make up around 50% of all Jews in Norway, 41% in Finland and more than 20% in Jewish communities in Ireland, Denmark, Spain and Bulgaria.

Many of these smaller communities have been struggling with low birthrates, aging populations and waves of emigration.

“Israelis joining these communities are helping to maintain their numeric levels and even increase them,” Staetsky assessed.

Jewish demographers for years have warned about the vanishing Jewish Diaspora. However, the report argued that such a scenario is premature given recent demographic changes.

“The thesis of a ‘vanishing Diaspora,’ even if it still holds good in its essentials at a European level, needs to be qualified at a country-specific level,” the report stated. “Diving deeper into the demography of Israelis abroad, and in Europe in particular, holds a key to that.”

Approximately 83,000 Israelis emigrated from Israel in 2024, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. In addition, more than 35,000 Jews have immigrated to the Jewish state since the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.