Jewish Diaspora: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 8, 2026

News •

Herzog warns political hostility in Israel impacts Diaspora Jews, calls for greater unity • Nov. 5, 2026, 2:46 PM ET (Jerusalem Post)

‘We bear the consequences’: Diaspora Jews fear fallout from Israel’s election - interview • Oct. 27, 2026, 11:48 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)

Facts

Also Known As	Golus • Galut

Photos

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man in traditional attire walks with a child wearing a colorful Purim costume and yellow crown on a city sidewalk in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The Babylonian Exile

Two Jewish men wearing yarmulkes and tallitot, one blowing a shofar and the other holding a prayer book, praying during Rosh Hashana in Uman, Ukraine.

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and guests sit around a long dining table reading from Haggadot during a Passover Seder in the White House dining room.

See All Images →

Topics

shelilat ha-galut Diaspora chosen people synagogue chief rabbinate minyan Israelite Gentile

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Judaism: Religious and cultural life in the Diaspora