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Haredim in capital
Photo: Gil Yohanan

Jerusalem: Only 21% of Jews secular

Latest figures show Haredim comprise 30% of capital's adult Jewish population

Only 21% of Jerusalem's Jewish residents define themselves as "non-religious, seculars," the Central Bureau of Statistics said Monday.

 

The Bureau released the figures ahead of Jerusalem Day, to be held this coming Wednesday.

 

According to the figures, 19,800 residents left the capital in 2009 while only 12,800 moved there. However, the city's population nonetheless grew by about 14,000 people, as result of high birthrates.

 

At this time, Jerusalem is Israel's most populated city, with a population of 774,000 – the figure includes 488,000 Jews (63%,) 261,000 Muslims (34%,) and about 15,000 Christians (roughly 2%.) Another 10,000 people are not classified under any religion by the Interior Ministry.

 

According to the data, 30% of Jewish Jerusalemites aged 20 and above define themselves as "haredim."

 

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies reported that about 50% of Jewish women in the capital work, compared to only 47% of men. This figure makes Jerusalem one of the world's only cities where such phenomenon exists.

 

On another front, for the first time the figures indicate that Jewish and Arab birthrates in the capital are the same, standing at four children per woman. Since 1998, Jewish birthrates in Jerusalem have been up, while Arab birthrates have been declining.

 

The report also indicates that about 60% of Jerusalem's population resides in areas annexed to the city after the Six-Day War in 1967; this figure includes 42% Jews and 58% Arabs.

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.10.10, 20:06
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