15 Largest Jewish Countries in the World, Number 1 America
Illustration of Jews in Israel. Photo: doc. Reuters
- Have you ever heard of Judaism? This religion is not an officially recognized religion in Indonesia.
However, Judaism is still related to other religions recognized in Indonesia, you know. In particular, Judaism is related to the Muslim and Christian religions.
What is Judaism?
Quoted from the History website, Judaism is a monotheistic religion that has existed for more than 4000 years. This religion is known as one of the oldest religions in the world.
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Monotheistic religion means believing in one God. In this case, the Jewish religion believes in God who appeared through prophets such as Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and others.
If the names of the prophets above sound familiar, it is because Judaism is related to Muslim and Christian religions. These three religions are theoretically also known as Abrahamic religions. Because, Ibrahim (Abraham) is seen as the ancestor of these three religions.
Ranking of the Largest Jewish Countries in the World
Many people might think that the largest number of Jews are in Israel. However, in fact, the country with the largest Jewish population in the world is the United States.
Quoted from the Jewish Virtual Library, the following is the ranking of countries with the most adherents of the Jewish religion in 2023:
United States (7,460,000 people)
Israel (7,427,000 people)
France (440,000 people)
Canada (398,000 people)
United Kingdom (312,000 people)
Argentina (171,000 people)
Russia (132,000 people)
Germany (125,000 people)
Australia (117,000 people)
Brazil (90,500 people)
South Africa (50,000 people)
Hungary (46,000 people)
Mexico (40,000 people)
Ukraine (33,000 people)
Netherlands (29,700 people)
History of the Jewish Religion
The origins of the Jewish religion are explained through the Jewish religious book, namely the Torah or Torah. According to the book, God first appeared to a Hebrew named Abraham. Abraham is also known as the founder of Judaism.
Abraham's sons and grandsons, Isaac and Jacob, are also important figures in the history of the Jewish religion. Jacob had the other name Israel, and his descendants were known as Israelites.
1000 years after Abraham, a prophet named Moses brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. God gave Moses 10 commandments on this journey. These 10 commandments are also considered a sacred text for followers of the Jewish religion.
Today, there are around 16 million Jews in the world. Traditionally, a person is considered Jewish if their mother adheres to that religion.
So, the number of Jews in the world could increase if the definition were broadened, for example having a Jewish grandfather or grandmother.
That was the list of the largest Jewish countries in the world. Hopefully this information can broaden your insight.
15 Negara Yahudi Terbesar di Dunia, Nomor 1 Amerika
Ilustrasi penganut agama Yahudi di Israel. Foto: dok. Reuters
- Pernahkah detikers mendengar tentang agama Yahudi? Agama ini memang tidak termasuk agama resmi yang diakui di Indonesia.
Tetapi, agama Yahudi masih berkaitan dengan agama-agama lain yang diakui di Indonesia, lho. Secara khusus, Yahudi ada kaitannya dengan agama Muslim dan Kristen.
Apa Itu Agama Yahudi?
Dikutip dari situs History, agama Yahudi (Judaism) adalah agama monoteistik yang sudah ada selama lebih dari 4000 tahun. Agama ini dikenal sebagai salah satu agama paling tua di dunia.
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Agama monoteistik berarti memercayai satu Tuhan. Dalam hal ini, agama Yahudi percaya akan Tuhan yang menampakkan diri melalui nabi-nabi seperti Abraham, Yakub, Musa, dan lain-lain.
Jika nama nabi-nabi di atas terdengar familiar, itu karena agama Yahudi memang berkaitan dengan agama Muslim dan Kristen. Ketiga agama ini secara teoritis dikenal juga sebagai agama Ibrahim (Abrahamic religion). Sebab, Ibrahim (Abraham) dipandang sebagai leluhur dari ketiga agama tersebut.
Peringkat Negara Yahudi Terbesar di Dunia
Banyak orang mungkin mengira bahwa umat Yahudi paling banyak berada di Israel. Namun faktanya, negara dengan penganut Yahudi terbesar di dunia adalah Amerika Serikat.
Dikutip dari Jewish Virtual Library, berikut peringkat negara-negara dengan penganut agama Yahudi terbanyak tahun 2023:
Amerika Serikat (7.460.000 orang)
Israel (7.427.000 orang)
Prancis (440.000 orang)
Kanada (398.000 orang)
Britania Raya (312.000 orang)
Argentina (171.000 orang)
Rusia (132.000 orang)
Jerman (125.000 orang)
Australia (117.000 orang)
Brazil (90.500 orang)
Afrika Selatan (50.000 orang)
Hungaria (46.000 orang)
Meksiko (40.000 orang)
Ukraina (33.000 orang)
Belanda (29.700 orang)
Sejarah Agama Yahudi
Asal-usul agama Yahudi dijelaskan melalui kitab agama Yahudi, yakni Torah atau Taurat. Menurut kitab tersebut, Tuhan pertama kali menampakkan diri pada seorang Ibrani bernama Abraham. Abraham pun dikenal sebagai penemu agama Yahudi.
Anak dan cucu Abraham, yakni Ishak dan Yakub, juga merupakan tokoh-tokoh penting dalam sejarah agama Yahudi. Yakub memiliki nama lain Israel, dan keturunannya dikenal sebagai orang Israel.
1000 tahun setelah Abraham, seorang nabi bernama Musa membawa orang Israel keluar dari perbudakan di Mesir. Tuhan memberikan 10 perintah kepada Musa dalam perjalanan ini. 10 perintah ini pun dianggap sebagai teks sakral bagi penganut agama Yahudi.
Sekarang, ada sekitar 16 juta orang penganut agama Yahudi di dunia. Secara tradisional, seseorang dianggap Yahudi (Jewish) jika ibunya menganut agama tersebut.
Jadi, angka penganut Yahudi di dunia bisa saja bertambah besar jika definisinya diperluas, misalnya memiliki kakek atau nenek penganut agama Yahudi.
Itu tadi daftar negara Yahudi terbesar di dunia. Semoga informasi tersebut bisa menambah wawasan kalian ya.