How many "ultra-Orthodox"(Charedim/Hassidim) in Israel, and worldwide?

Factual Questions
1

Continuing in the traditional GQ practice-doesn’t it have a name?–of posting a Jewish-related question on Friday night:

The so-called “ultra-Orthodox” – Hassidim in Yiddish–are, depending on sect, the guys with the long curly sideburns (predicated on a Biblical commandment, BTW), the Abe Lincoln hats, the slick Fedoras, the white leg hose, the black leg hose, etc., etc. And their wives and kids.

Any numbers available?

Thanks.

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Aah, the Hassidim, who would make it illegal to pick your nose on the Sabbath if they could. And they who demanded “Kosher electricity” and that the entire country shut off its electricity on Shabbat, so that there was no chance of getting “unkosher” electricity that was used in violation of Jewish Law. And of course, only food and a few Jewish religious items (like a tallis) can be “Kosher” or “Trayyf” (unkosher). And electricity isn’t one of them. Arguably, the electric chair would require kosher electricity, but since the death penalty is only used in exceptional circumstances in Israel, and it isn’t the chair, I doubt it matters.

3

Threadshitting in GQ? Reported.

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At any rate, I see the fine Straight Dope thread-timing tradition is still going strong! :slight_smile:

5

As for the OP, University of Florida professor Joshu estimated in 2006 that there were 180,000 Hasidic Jews in the U.S. Wikipedia estimates (without citation, AFAICT) that there are about 1,000,000 worldwide.

Wiki has a slightly better count (or better-looking cites, at least) for Haredi, showing Israel’s 2006 population at roughly 700,000, and the United States’ 2006 population at 468,000.

How’s that for a start?

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[Moderator Note]

gakoch, General Questions is intended for factual responses, and in any case religious jabs like this are not allowed in this forum. Since you are new here, I am making this a note rather than a formal warning. I strongly suggest that you read the rules for this site in About This Message Board, as well as the rules for this forum, before you make additional posts. Do not do this again.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

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**Colibri **- while I agree that gakoch’s post was not suitable for GQ, it was not, IMHO, a religious jab per se, but rather a jab at certain practitioners of a religion.