THE DEMOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIAN JEWRY.

The article presents information about the Australian Jewish community. The 1,183 Jews who lived in Australia in 1841 represented 0.57 percent of the total Australian population at that time. Immigration, mainly of victims of Nazi persecution, has since caused a revitalization of Australian Jewry and a substantial growth in their numbers. The full impact of immigration on the growth of Australian Jewry can, perhaps, best be illustrated by reference to a study published in 1940 by J. Gentili, then Lecturer in Statistical Methods at the University of Western Australia. His careful analysis of the then prevailing age distribution and trends led him to forecast an Australian Jewish population of 21,500 for 1963. The heavy post-war wave of immigration as well as the children subsequently born to these migrants account for the fact that his forecast has proved to be far off the mark. Australian Jews tend to draw together and congregate. It is interesting to note how the census figures not only underline this fact, but also pinpoint the specific areas of Jewish congregation within metropolitan areas.