Isaac Ofek

A Billion Jews Isaac Ofek

By rights, there should be at least a billion Jews in existence. As a culture, Jews have a history as long as Indian and Chinese civilizations. Yet while these other populations now number in the billions, the worldwide Jewish population only numbers 14.5 million. Isaac Ofek chose to ask why.



A Billion Jews is the answer to Ofek's question. Unlike their cultural peers, the Jewish people have, since Roman times, been persecuted and driven from nation to nation, like leaves on the wind. Across Muslim and Christian countries, Jews were reviled and hated-used, expelled, or simply wiped out as was convenient.



Throughout Western history, the same tale unfolds. Jewish arrival and expansion in a nation would inevitably end in their persecution. Whether the excuse was political, religious, or economic, the Jews would be forced to relocate or die. Many were not offered even this devil's bargain.



Through centuries of oppression and hate, however, the Jewish civilization endured, often despairing but never entirely giving up hope. It was this resilience, as Ofek makes clear, that would one day lead to the establishment of Israel and a home in a troubled world.