5, 255, 000 Jews Reported Living in U.S.; over 5 Percent Are Intermarried

Estimating that there are now 5, 255, 000 Jews in the United States — a slight increase over last year — the American Jewish Year Book, published jointly today by the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Publication Society, reported that about 5, 3 percent of the total Jewish population had intermarried.

"The rate of intermarriage," the report said, "tended to increase among native born children of native born parents reaching a proportion of about 7, 4 percent of the population." Surveys in three middle-sized cities show that between 77 and 83 percent of the Jewish population there were native born, the report stated, adding that "every passing decade sees a smaller and smaller proportion of foreign born among the Jewish population."

At the same time, the American Jewish Year Book reported that more than eighty percent of the total Jewish population in the United States — about 4, 000, 000 American Jews — are "regarded as basically within the synagogue." About sixty percent, or three million Jews, are formally affiliated with the synagogue and are divided about equally in their adherence to the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform branches of Judaism.

Enrollment in both Jewish day and Sunday schools has doubled during the past decade, growing from 231, 000 to a current total of approximately 490, 000 students, the year book said. The sharp increase took place during the period when the Jewish population in this country grew only by about 15 to 20 percent. Morris Fine is editor and Jacob Sloan, co-editor of the year book.

JEWISH EDUCATION INCREASING; ANTI-SEMITE ACTIVE IN THE SOUTH

The year book report singled out as one of the contributory factors in growth of enrollment the "increase in the average length of time children attended Jewish schools, Based on surveys in five major cities, the report disclosed that the average length of stay had increased about 50 percent from about one-and-a-half years to an average mean of three years and one month. One-quarter of the children stayed in Jewish schools five years and three months, or longer.

In a report on "hate mongers’ activities," the year book disclosed that anti-Semitic literature has been gravitating "to certain areas of the South, especially those where the resentment of white supremacists is likely to erupt in violence." The vast bulks of anti-Semitism and anti-Negro literature in the South in the past year was published by agitators from non-Southern regions. Extensive dissemination of this literature "was mainly due to the efforts of elements within the White Citizens Council movement and the Ku Klux Klan and their sympathizers who have purchased the propaganda in bulk."

In a report on world Jewish population, the year book said, there was a total Jewish population of 12, 350, 000, a slight increase over last year. Of this number, about half — some six million Jews — live in North and South America, about 3, 466, 000 live in Europe, while Asia has about 1, 855, 000. Some 585, 000 Jews reside in Africa. About 61, 000 are in Australia and New Zealand.