Since last year, the percentage of the Jewish population in Israel has dropped. As reported from a Central Bureau of Statistics report, the Jewish population went from 74.1% to 73.9%. While only a 0.2% drop, it feels significant to those in charge of protecting the values of the Jewish state. The report was spotlighted by the Immigration Policy Center, or IPC, which promotes research, legislation, and lobbying to serve the strategic interest of the State of Israel.
A few reasons were determined for the drop, such as a decrease in immigrants moving to Israel, likely due to coronavirus. While Aliyah still continued throughout 2020, the end of the year shows that only 33.8% of immigrants were Jewish, which is a record low. Another reason for the drop was due to an increase in the Arab population and the Other population, or people who are not registered with a religious affiliation.
IPC Director Yonatan Jakubowicz says that “the proportion of the population that is Jewish continued to shrink at a fast pace,” inviting a policy that will “protect Israel’s interests as a Jewish and democratic state.”
