American Jews

American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens who are Jews, either by religion, ancestry, or both. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews and their U.S.-born descendants, making up about 90% of the American Jewish population. Minority Jewish ethnic divisions are also represented, including Sephardic Jews, Mizrahi Jews, and a smaller percentage of converts to Judaism. The American Jewish community manifests a wide range of Jewish cultural traditions, as well as encompassing the full spectrum of Jewish religious observance.

Depending on religious definitions and varying population data, the United States is home to the largest or second largest (after Israel) Jewish community in the world. In 2012, the American Jewish population was estimated at between 5.5 and 8 million, depending on the definition of the term. This constitutes between 1.7% to 2.6% of the total U.S. population.

History