Jewish Population Research Articles

Women botanical-illustrators and their successors in the Israeli culture: merging historical heritage with contemporary art

ABSTRACT Exploring the flora and fauna of the land of pre-state Israel stood at the heart of the Zionist venture. Zionist institutions took efforts to educate the Jewish population, trying to connect it to the land by learning it. This involved various ways of familiarising children and adults with their surroundings, with botanical illustration as an important agent working for that cause. This article aims to examine the three botanical women illustrators who contributed significantly to Israeli science and art, followed by three contemporary women artists whose art is inspired by them. Using a methodology combining visual analysis with the artists' interviews, it will be demonstrated how botanical illustration of the past is embedded in contemporary art. Both share a perception of plants as crucial elements populating the planet, and as objects of aesthetic investigation. These perceptions have led to various attitudes: first, exploring the plant in nature and observing it thoroughly throughout the artistic process. Second, the image created remains botanically identifiable, thus echoing a scientific approach. Third, the plant's Hebrew name is sometimes included. The noticeable inspiration of historical illustrators for contemporary artists lies both in the choices of the images themselves and in the practice of creating them.

Emunas Chachamim (faith in the sages): A prenatal genetic counseling needs assessment of Orthodox Jewish clergy in Los Angeles.

The Jewish population's high risk for certain genetic conditions is well established. The Orthodox Jewish community, a denomination of the larger Jewish population, has distinct customs and cultural practices and a complex relationship with Western medicine and medical genetics. Clergy play a central role as stakeholders in the Orthodox Jewish community, and their input often informs key medical decisions for their congregants. Orthodox clergy have a unique structure for advising their community members, which is based on Jewish law. A qualitative research methods study was conducted to learn more about the needs of Orthodox Jewish clergy in the greater Los Angeles area with regard to prenatal genetic testing. The present study aims to understand the function of clergy, cultural implications in genetics care, and ways to improve cooperation between clergy and medical providers. 18 clergy members were recruited to join the study, with a 100% participation rate. Thematic analysis of individual interviews highlighted four major themes: the multitude of roles of clergy; pragmatic testing; a need for mutual respect; and interactions between medical providers and clergy. The existing community infrastructure may be used as the framework to provide a greater awareness of genetic care to this community. Future research should be conducted to explore how to improve interactions between genetic counselors and Orthodox Jewish clergy and the best practices for cultural competency.

‘The Jews of Ceylon’: Antisemitism, prejudice, and the Moors of Ceylon

Abstract In the early twentieth century, economic and religious antagonism between Sinhalese and Moors in Ceylon escalated into widespread, deadly violence. In the immediate aftermath of the 1915 pogrom, which involved the targeting of Moors and their property, the Sinhalese nationalist Anagarika Dharmapala observed that ‘Muhammadans’ had accumulated wealth through ‘Shylockian methods’. Even prior to Dharmapala’s claim, Moors were repeatedly depicted as the ‘Jews of Ceylon’ by both influential Sinhalese actors and colonial state actors. As Ceylon did not have a local Jewish population, this article investigates the use of a rhetorical device that was familiar within the broader networks of empire to ‘other’ a non-Jewish mercantile minority. The article accordingly enquires into how and why antisemitic epithets came to be used in prejudicial speech against Moors. It also explores propaganda portraying Moors in terms of ‘hostile’ Jewish stereotypes and the way in which such stereotypes were deployed in Sinhalese interactions with Moors. By tracing the connections between antisemitism and anti-capitalism, this article aims to contribute to a broader discourse on the positions of Semitic groups in British imperial ideology.

Barriers and enablers to vaccine uptake in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish population: a systematic review

Abstract Background The Jewish Ultra-Orthodox (UO) population is an undervaccinated minority group that has been disproportionally affected by outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) such as measles and polio. Underlying reasons remain poorly characterized. We aimed to identify vaccination barriers and enablers in this population. Methods We systematically reviewed the literature, searching Pub-med, Web of science, Medline, PsychNet and Scopus from 1995 to 2021 for quantitative and qualitative primary research in English. We assessed included publications for quality and extracted relevant data based on the 5As taxonomy: access, awareness, affordability, acceptance and activation. Results We included 9 qualitative and 7 quantitative studies from the 125 studies identified. Access barriers included scheduling difficulties, inconvenient opening hours, and logistical difficulties related to having multiple young children. Acceptance barriers included safety concerns. Insufficient knowledge about the importance of vaccines and timely vaccination and the perception of being shielded from infections because of seclusion from wider society were key awareness barriers. Competing priorities, such as work and housework, were the main affordability barriers. Mainstream religious leadership's support for vaccination was an enabler, although recent studies suggest their influence on vaccination behavior is decreasing and the influence of anti-vaccination messages is growing. Conclusions Barriers to vaccination among the UO were mainly logistical, with little religious framing. Safety and efficacy concerns were similar to those reported in the wider community. Decreasing influence of the traditionally pro-vaccine mainstream religious leadership and growing influence of anti-vaccination movements targeting the UO community are new phenomena that require close monitoring. Tailored interventions are required to protect the community and wider society against future VPD outbreaks. Key messages • Vaccination barriers in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities are due mainly to logistical challenges, such as competing priorities in large families with young children. • Religious leadership is the main enabler of vaccination in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, but their declining authority and exposure to antivaxx materials is causing a shift in attitudes.

“You left a void that we will never be able to fill”: The legacy of Edmond Amran El Maleh in a contemporary Moroccan novella

The sudden depart of a large portion of the Moroccan Jewish population between 1948 and 1967 left a void in Moroccan society, to the extent that some scholars account for the existence of a “double trauma” – a trauma for both those who left for Israel and the Moroccan society at large. This profound social wound has never healed. The Moroccan Jewish intellectual Edmond Amran El Maleh (1917-2010) is the hero of the novella Aḥǧiyat Idmūn ʿAmrān al-Māliḥ (The riddle of Edmond Amran El Maleh, 2020) by Mohammed Said Hjiouij, which this article analyses. In this novella, Hjiouij stages the double trauma of Jewish and Muslim Moroccans by giving voice to the liminal character of El Maleh, a harsh critic of Zionism and French colonial ideology. A metaphor for the marginal writer and a symbol of collective trauma, the figure of El Maleh is re-employed and loaded with new functions and meanings in a contemporary work of fiction with a post-modern aesthetics.

Is Name Popularity a Good Test of Historicity?

Abstract In Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, Richard Bauckham argues that the popularity of personal names in Gospels-Acts corresponds remarkably well to name popularity among late ancient Palestinian Jews and that this can only be the case if Gospels-Acts characters are in most cases historical as opposed to invented in the process of ‘anonymous community transmission’. We re-examine Bauckham’s conclusions, asserted with a remarkably high level of confidence but almost entirely without an actual statistical evaluation of his onomastic data, and perform the appropriate statistical analysis on the most recent onomastic dataset. We show that Bauckham’s thesis offers no advantage in explaining the observed correspondence between name popularity in Gospels-Acts and in the contemporary Palestinian Jewish population over an alternative model of ‘anonymous community transmission’. Moreover, our statistical analysis identifies some, albeit weak, evidence against Bauckham’s thesis.

Potential Founder Variants in COL4A4 Identified in Bukharian Jews Linked to Autosomal Dominant and Autosomal Recessive Alport Syndrome.

Alport syndrome is a hereditary disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the COL4A gene, which can be inherited in an autosomal recessive, dominant, or X-linked pattern. In the Bukharian Jewish population, no founder pathogenic variant has been reported in COL4A4. The cohort included 38 patients from 22 Bukharian Jewish families with suspected Alport syndrome who were referred the nephrogenetics clinic between 2012 and 2022. The study collected demographic, clinical, and genetic data from electronic medical records, which were used to evaluate the molecular basis of the disease using Sanger sequencing, and next-generation sequencing. Molecular diagnosis was confirmed in 20/38 patients, with each patient having at least one of the three disease-causing COL4A4 variants detected: c.338G<A (p.Gly113Asp), c.3022G>A (p.Gly1008Arg), and c.871-6T>C. In addition, two patients were obligate carriers. Overall, there were 17 heterozygotes, 2 compound heterozygotes, and 3 homozygotes. Each variant was detected in more than one unrelated family. All patients had hematuria with/without proteinuria at referral, and the youngest patient with proteinuria (age 5 years) was homozygous for the c.338G>A variant. End-stage renal disease was diagnosed in two patients at the age of 38 years, a compound heterozygote for c.338G>A and c.871-6T>C. Hearing deterioration was detected in three patients, the youngest aged 40 years, all of whom were heterozygous for c.338G>A. This study unveils three novel disease-causing variants, c.3022G>A, c.871-6T>C, and c.338G>A, in the COL4A4 gene that are recurrent among Jews of Bukharian ancestry, and cause Alport syndrome in both dominant and recessive autosomal inheritance patterns.

Understanding the Current Geographic Disposition of the Jewish Population of England and Wales: Growth and Contraction

The release in March/April 2023 of England and Wales 2021 Census complete data on “usual residents” by the Office for National Statistics provides an opportunity to analyze, understand and comment on the current geographic disposition of Anglo–Jewry. The analysis presented in this paper incorporates data from the 2001 and 2011 censuses, and makes use of a geodemographic assessment of Jewish communities developed from the 2011 census, setting the scene for changes which have taken place, particularly in the last 10 years. Estimates of the scale of births, deaths and net migration in the 2011–2021 period have been developed to explain why the changes in population have taken place. The potential impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the census results is also considered. A total of 26 sub-communities in the London and Manchester areas, together with 34 free-standing communities, each with more than 200 Jewish residents, have been analyzed in detail. Unexpected changes in Stamford Hill, Gateshead and Bristol are investigated. A total of 42 smaller communities (60–200 members) are also identified. The paper shows that an understanding of the socio-economic characteristic of each of the communities explains their changes in population since 2011, particularly when factors such as “meta-suburbanisation” in the London fringe area, the impact of student numbers in university towns, and special factors affecting Haredi areas are also taken into account. The picture presented is one of a stable (indeed slightly growing) overall population, but with a large variation in fortunes of the many communities which make up Anglo–Jewry.

Lessons learned from the first national population-based genetic carrier-screening program for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

PurposeTo summarize the results of first year implementation of pan-ethnic screening testing for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and present the ensuing challenges. MethodsData acquisition for this study was performed by retrospective search of Ministry of Health registry for reports of all laboratories performing genetic screening tests. DMD testing was performed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification technology. In case of single-exon deletion, sequencing of the specific exon was performed to rule out underlying single-nucleotide variant. ResultsOf overall 85,737 DMD tests, 82 clinically significant findings were noted (0.095%, or 1:1,046 women). In addition, 80 findings with uncertain clinical significance were detected (0.093%, or 1:1072), as well as 373 cases (0.4%, or 1:230) of single-exon deletions subsequently identified as false positives because of underlying single-nucleotide variant, mostly variants in exon 8 in North African Jewish population, and in exon 48 in Arab Muslim population. ConclusionInterpretation of population-based DMD carrier screening is complex, occasionally requiring additional genetic testing methods and ethical considerations. Multicenter data registry, including ethnic origin and familial segregation in selected cases, is crucial for optimal definition of the results during genetic counseling and informed decisions regarding prenatal testing.

Auschwitz Report

The escape of Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler from Auschwitz on April 7, 1944, was extraordinary in its daring, courageous execution, and impact. The challenging task of the two escapees was to inform the world of previously unimaginable crimes, and to do so in a way that made the unbelievable believable. Because the deportations to Auschwitz were still in progress, it was essential to inform the threatened Jewish populations that they were slated by the Germans to be part of the “final solution.” When and how the transmission of the resulting Auschwitz Report took place, made all the difference, and that is this paper’s focus. Decisive transmissions involved secret networks in Switzerland and Hungary, taking place independently. Despite the presence of the Gestapo and the German army, finally, in early July, 1944, two independent, increasingly powerful efforts engendered by the report converged in Budapest. Only then could one of the most remarkable rescues of World War II take place. fbaron@ku.edu

Drowning rates among children and adolescents (aged 7–17) in Israel during the years 2008–2018

ObjectiveDrowning is one of the leading causes of death among children and youth worldwide. This study aims to examine differences in the rates of drowning (fatal and non-fatal drowning) among children and youth in Israel stratified by age, sex, sector, place of drowning, and the drowning outcome. In addition, we compared the results of studies reported in other countries in specific age groups based on statistics of about 100,000 drowning cases.MethodA statistical analysis of 474 drownings between 2008 and 2018 was conducted. All cases refer to youngsters aged 7–17 in the State of Israel. Statistical analysis was performed on data obtained from the Beterem – Safe Kids Israel organization and from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Disparities between groups within the examined population were analyzed based on gender, sector (Jewish versus non-Jewish), and drowning site.ResultsOf the 474 drownings that occurred during 2008–2018, 38.4% ended in death. 79% of the cases occurred in pools. The Arab minority sector (21.1% of the general population) accounted for 25.1% of all drownings, males accounted for 70.5% of the drowning cases, and the age group with the most drownings (48.5%) was that of 15–17 years. The Jewish population was involved in more than 75% of drownings in places designated for bathing and in more than 83% of all disaster scenarios, whereas the Arab minority was involved in more than 61% of drownings in places not designated for bathing.ConclusionsThe results are comparable to those of other studies worldwide. Boys drown twice as much as girls, mainly in the age group of 15–17. This may be explained by overconfidence in boys and a tendency to overestimate their actual swimming abilities. Most drownings occur in pools. Drowning among the Jewish population occurs mainly in designated bathing sites.Practical applicationsThe findings can and, in fact, must be used to inform and educate the younger generation as to the potential dangers involving bathing in designated bathing sites.

Generation Enraged

Abstract How does the increasing diversification of both the Jewish and general population in Germany influence Jewish self-positioning in German society? It seems that especially young Jews no longer perceive themselves in a binary relationship to the majority society alone, but as part of a heterogeneous, post-migrant society. The journal Jalta – Positionen zur jüdischen Gegenwart [Yalta – Positions on the Jewish Present], published between 2017 and 2020, served as an important mouthpiece for the young generation's rage and desires. This study identifies and expounds upon three sets of relationships within German society that Jalta wishes to redefine: relationships within Jewish communities, relationships between Jews and the majority society, and relationships of Jews to other minorities.

“In Proverbiis Non Semper Veritas”: Reflections on the Reprint of an Antisemitic Proverb Collection

Abstract: This article concerns the highly questionable 2016 reprint of Ernst Hiemer’s antisemitic proverb collection Der Jude im Sprichwort der Völker (1942, The Jew in the Proverbs of the People ). It begins with a glance at earlier antisemitic proverb collections while also reviewing some of the superb Yiddish and Jewish/Hebrew proverb collections and serious studies on this rich repertoire of proverbs. This is followed by a discussion of the misguided antisemitic publications of the nineteenth century that were precursors of even more slanderous and prejudiced collections that appeared during the time of National Socialism. It is shown that both traditional proverbs and invented pseudo-proverbs discrediting the Jewish population were used to manipulate public opinion in Nazi Germany by claiming that these proverbial stereotypes express absolute proverbial truths. A number of examples show that this campaign against the Jews is a clear indication that stereotypical proverbs can be extremely harmful and that they ultimately played a role in the Holocaust. Hiemer’s collection, published during the height of Nazi rule over Germany, is the most vicious antisemitic proverb compendium that should be a warning against such intentional misuse of stereotypical proverbs that have no truth value. Since it is available in libraries and on the Internet, it certainly should not have been reprinted for fear of fueling present-day antisemitism.

Breaking Down the Narrative Regarding "Jews": Judeans in Judea and Egypt in Hellenistic and Roman Times

Abstract: This article focuses on the Hellenistic period, when Jews had a homeland, that is, a territory in which they formed the majority population group and possessed their own state institutions. Consequently, it is claimed, their history cannot be apprehended through paradigms, such as "antisemitism," devised for later periods of time, when Jews formed a minority bereft of a homeland. Moreover, statehood also impacted the collective self-perception, and hence the agency, of Jewish population groups who lived as minorities outside Judea, in particular in Egypt. To illustrate this twofold claim, two case studies are discussed: the so-called religious persecution carried out by Seleucid King Antiochus IV in the mid to late 160s BCE, and commemorated in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah; and the distorted versions of the Exodus story composed by Egyptian authors, which are often seen as the first anti-Judaic texts ever written.

Breaking Down the Narrative Regarding "Jews": Judeans in Judea and Egypt in Hellenistic and Roman Times

Abstract: This article focuses on the Hellenistic period, when Jews had a homeland, that is, a territory in which they formed the majority population group and possessed their own state institutions. Consequently, it is claimed, their history cannot be apprehended through paradigms, such as "antisemitism," devised for later periods of time, when Jews formed a minority bereft of a homeland. Moreover, statehood also impacted the collective self-perception, and hence the agency, of Jewish population groups who lived as minorities outside Judea, in particular in Egypt. To illustrate this twofold claim, two case studies are discussed: the so-called religious persecution carried out by Seleucid King Antiochus IV in the mid to late 160s BCE, and commemorated in the Jewish festival of Hanukkah; and the distorted versions of the Exodus story composed by Egyptian authors, which are often seen as the first anti-Judaic texts ever written.

Severe early-onset Wilson disease caused by a common pathogenic variant in the Bukharan Jewish population in Israel

BackgroundWilson disease is caused by pathogenic variants in the ATP7B gene which encodes a copper-transporting ATPase. AimsDescribe a common founder pathogenic variant among Bukharan Jews and to assess its prevalence, clinical features, and outcome. MethodsThe cohort consisted of patients of Bukharan Jewish descent diagnosed with Wilson disease at a tertiary pediatric medical center in 2013–2018. Clinical and genetic data were collected and analyzed. ResultsSix patients from 4 unrelated families who were homozygous for the c.3784G > T p.(Val1262Phe) pathogenic variant in ATP7B were identified. Five presented with elevated aminotransferase levels, and one, with acute liver failure. Mean age at diagnosis was 8.7 years (5–12.5). Serum ceruloplasmin level was extremely low in all patients (1.9–7 mg/dL; mean 3.2(. The variant was identified in a heterozygous state in 5/153 Bukharan Jews; 2/33 from our local exome database and 3/120 healthy unrelated Bukharan Jews in another cohort, for an estimated carrier frequency of ∼1:30. ConclusionsWe report a common founder pathogenic variant in the ATP7B gene among Bukharan Jews associated with severe early-onset Wilson disease. Given the clinical severity, high frequency of the variant, and being a treatable disease, its inclusion in pre-symptomatic screening in the Bukharan Jewish community should be considered. Furthermore, WD should be part of future genetic newborn screening programs in Israel and worldwide, to enable early treatment and prevention of future life-threatening complications.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Cervical Ossified Posterior Longitudinal Ligament in the Jewish Population

Numerous studies have demonstrated an association between ethnic identity and the prevalence rate of cervical ossified posterior longitudinal ligament (C-OPLL). To date, its prevalence rate in the Jewish population has not been determined. The aim of this historical prospective study is to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of C-OPLL in the Jewish population. We performed a retrospective evaluation of imaging studies of all adult patients who underwent both cervical computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for all clinical indications within a span of 36 months between January 2017 and July 2020 at a single tertiary referral hospital located in central Israel. Identified C-OPLL carriers were interviewed by telephone. All the patients provided informed consent and then were questioned for current symptoms and demographics, including religion, Jewish ethnic identity, birthplace, parental birthplace and ethnic identity, and family history of spinal disorders. Overall, 440 participants were radiographically evaluated. The prevalence of C-OPLL in the Jewish population was 7.5% (33 of 440). The mean age of the C-OPLL carriers was 65.8 years. All the C-OPLL carriers were symptomatic at analysis. The carriers had an increased proportion with a Sephardic Jewish ethnic identity (65.4%), with a significantly high rate of homogeneous parental Jewish identity (92.4%), suggesting a prominent genetic contribution to the development of this condition. The prevalence of C-OPLL in the Jewish population in central Israel was 7.5%. This rate is significantly higher than that in other previously studied populations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to identify the Jewish population as experiencing an increased prevalence of C-OPLL.

General Franco and the ‘Jewish Question’

ABSTRACT General Franco's dictatorship maintained a relationship with the genocidal process promoted by Nazi Germany during the Second World War (1939-1945) that has been the object of political and historiographical discussion. While Franco's detractors denounced his open complicity with the Holocaust pursuant his anti-Semitic impulses, his supporters praised the assistance he provided on humanitarian grounds to the Jewish population persecuted during the Holocaust. Accurate and diachronic analysis of Franco's own ideas and of his regime's conduct during the six-year conflict presents a more complex image that precludes unequivocal subscription to one or other of these positions.

A Study of Covid-19 Relative Fatalities of the Abrahamic Religion Populations

More than three years statistics of the Covid-19 pandemic shows great anomalies in relative fatalities of different countries. Computations show that Christian and Jewish populations, by a factor of 4 to 5, suffer greater relative fatalities compared to the Muslim populations. Ironically, most Muslim populations are developing or underdeveloped, deprived of health services available to the mostly-developed Christian and Jewish populations. Factors that may be contributing to the fatality discrepancies such as, development status, median ages, and alcohol consumption rates, have been discussed. A Quranic forbiddance of drinking alcohol has been suggested as an important factor in the lower fatalities of the Muslim populations in Covid-19 pandemic.

Wytyczne dotyczące czynności służbowych dla funkcjonariuszy Gestapo pracujących w komendzie Sicherheitspolizei und SD w Radomiu z 1940 r.

The Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo) – Secret State Police – is considered one of the most criminal formations of the Nazi German state. In the years 1939–1945, it formed a department at the Sicherheitspolizei und SD (Security Police and Security Service) headquarters in Radom, which was the capital of one of the districts of the General Government. Extremally brutal extermination activities carried out by Gestapo officers against the Polish and Jewish population were accompanied by duties related to office work. Completing the fi les as well as creating and systematically supplementing fi les of various types was supposed to ultimately lead to obtaining the complete knowledge of the structures of the Polish resistance movement, and then to its annihilation. The guidelines for offi cial activities issued in 1940 were to systematize the work of Gestapo offi cers, making it more eff ective. Said guidelines cover a range of policing issues, from clerical activities to dealing with agents.