October 15, 1999/5 Cheshvan 5760, Vol. 52, No. 7
Phoenix tops Jewish population gain listAs expected, Phoenix reported the largest Jewish population gain of any community in the United States in the 1999 American Jewish Year Book, published by the American Jewish Committee.Jewish News reported last May that the Phoenix Jewish population figure was being updated to 60,000 from 50,000, the first time the figure had been updated in more than 15 years. Another Southwest city, Las Vegas, reported the largest growth - 178 percent, to 55,000 Jews - in the 1998 yearbook. Population data in the annual yearbook is collected mostly from Jewish federations. In the case of Phoenix, although there has been no survey or census of the local Jewish population since 1983, the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix decided last November to report an increase, and AJC yearbook editors decided to update the number to account for the past 15 years of growth. Leaders of Jewish organizations in the Valley estimate the Jewish population in Phoenix is actually about 70,000. According to the 1999 yearbook, the total estimated Jewish population in the United States remains about 6 million, with about 46 percent living in the Northeast. Approximately 21 percent live in the South, 21 percent in the West and 12 percent in the Midwest. The other two communities reporting the largest population gains after Phoenix were Tampa, Fla. (5,000), and Palm Springs, Calif. (4,150). The community reporting the largest drop was Syracuse, N.Y., down by 1,500 to 7,000. |
