Where are the Jewish people today?

Of the world's Jewish population of 15 million people, 7 million reside in Israel.

As it was for more than 1300 years, Israel is once again the center of Jewish life.

Life in exile was intolerable. When able, the Jewish people returned to their native homeland to re-unite with their brethren.

Israel is the only majority Jewish country in the world and also one of the most densely populated. With less than 1% of the land in the Middle East, Israel is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Israel is 17 times more densely populated than the combined 22 Arab countries in the Middle East. Israel has absorbed over 800,000 Jews from Arab countries, approximately 200,000 Jews from Europe, and over 1,000,000 from the former Soviet Union. The immigration to Israel was mostly due to unbearable anti‑Semitic conditions.

From the time of the exile to the rebirth of Israel, the land was always under the control of foreign empires, never an independent country, and always with a Jewish presence. The last hostile empire that ruled the land was the Ottoman Empire. Please scroll down to learn the history of Israel from the time the Ottoman Empire to the present.