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It is often alleged by persons
writing geography, that the whole Jewish population
all over the globe is about two and a half millions.
But from authentic information it would appear that
in Russia and Austria alone there are more than this
number; consequently there is the greatest
probability that the rest of the Jews in other
countries amounts to no less a number, which would
therefore give us a total population of upwards of
five millions. It is well known that the census in
Russia and other European countries is taken with
great care, and that much pains is taken to
designate the people according to their religions
and national origin, unlike to what is done in
America, where these two points of inquiry are of no
importance, all the white inhabitants being
citizens, without regard to their persuasion or
descent. Hitherto this has not been the case in
Europe, excepting France, Belgium, and Holland, and
perhaps England; wherefore it was of importance to
the respective governments to be able to classify at
once their resident population into the proper
classes and divisions. We have therefore something
like certainty when speaking of Jews in Europe, when
we are furnished with the statistical tables.
In our fourth volume, p. 308,
we gave a table, which made the Jews of Russia and
Poland amount to 1,604,767; and we then stated that
there was reason to believe the number to be rather
under than overrated. We are now enabled to give the
following as the number of Jews in Austria, as
extracted from the Orient of the 3d of February
last: In the maritime coast-lands there are, out of
489,946 inhabitants, 3,490 Jews; in Bohemia, out of
4,347,444, 70,037; Moravia and Silesia, out of
2,263,021, 40,064; in Galicia and Bucovina,
including Cracovia, out of 5,255, 621, 346,702; in
Dalmatia, out of 404,640, 410; in Venice, out of
2,257,000, 4,760; in Hungary, out of 11,000,000,
260,000; in Transylvania, out of 2,383,880, 7,000;
and in the military frontier, out of 1,091,748,532,
which, added together, would give 732,995. The
Orient, however, gives the total at 740,256, perhaps
allowing for those in Austria, Lombardy, Tyrol,
Styria, &c., who must amount to more than 7,261,
because we believe that the Vienna congregation
alone amounts to more; and then there
<<281>>were
reported several years back 6,900 in the
Venetian-Lombardy kingdom, or upwards of 2,000 more
than stated here as belonging to Venice. The whole
result would give us probably 750,000, if not more.
We should be pleased to present correct statistics
of the entire Jewish population in all lands but the
notices are so scanty and scattered, that it is
only occasionally we can obtain anything authentic,
and then errors are always easily discernible in the
best information, as our readers will readily
discover. Enough, however, that we have established
that the Jews are much more numerous than their
enemies have always imagined; for in addition to the
above, there are 204,000 at least in Prussia,
100,000 in France, 100,000 in the Netherlands,
besides vast numbers in other continental states
(except Norway and Spain); for in Portugal they are
again tolerated at Lisbon at least, and in Turkey
there cannot be less than 250,000, probably more, if
we may take the congregations at Salonica and
Constantinople as criteria. There is no possibility
of ever arriving at a proximate guess for those in
Asia and Africa, who certainly cannot be less than
their European brothers; whilst in America as yet
they are comparatively, few, perhaps not exceeding
70,000 in the whole western hemisphere, from
Labrador to Cape Horn, But they are increasing, and
may God’s blessing be with them. |
