A new study shows there are now more than 8 million Jews in the US, if cultural rather than religious identity is recorded.

The Jewish population in the United States topped 8 million in 2020, according to a new study published by the American Jewish Population Project (AJPP) at Brandeis University in Boston, Massachusetts, up from 5.5 million in the 90s.

However, the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) pins that number at around 6 million American Jews.

Professor Leonard Saxe, director of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis, tells Ynet that the difference stems from whom each institute considers Jewish. The CBS only counts those who consider themselves "religiously Jewish", while the AJPP also counts those who consider themselves "culturally Jewish".

"It's hard to estimate the exact number since there are no official counting standards," he says. "Many identify as Jewish but aren't counted as such. We need to strengthen the bond with such people to make them part of the Jewish identity."

Professor Saxe says he used to believe that only those who are part of a Jewish community should count. "Plenty of Jews aren't part of the community and have little knowledge about

Judaism. Outside of demographics, I've researched a lot about young Jews who visit Israel. They come back to the US with plenty of knowledge and even more curiosity about Israel. They tend to marry other Jews and raise Jewish children with Jewish education.

"Still, many marry non-Jews, but keep contact with Israel, especially through Birthright (a project that offers Jewish young adults a free trip to Israel) and my research suggests that even if they marry non-Jews, it's likely they'll raise their children with a Jewish perspective in mind. The number of those who consider themselves Jewish despite being born in a mixed family has doubled," he says.

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Jewish population in the United States tops 8 million, study says (Ynet)

Photo: American menorah made by menorah made by Manfred Anson. (Collection of Anu, Museum of the Jewish People