The current census of Americans identifying themselves as Jewish is approximately 6.5 million, based on the 2012 US Census Bureau report (9). American Jews came to this country in several waves. In the early nineteenth century, Jewish immigrants were primarily from Germany and sought economic opportunities. Peak immigration was between 1880 and 1920 due to poverty and organized massacres called pogroms practiced by the Russians. The Great Depression was also a time of immigration, as Jews emigrated in an effort to escape the persecution in Nazi Germany. In modern times, Jews emigrate from Russia and some from Israel. The largest populations of Jews are found in New York, California, and Florida, with Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Illinois all also reporting over a quarter of a million. Most are Ashkenazi, with 10% identifying themselves as Orthodox, 34% as Conservative, and 29% as Reform. The remainder of the population does not report affiliation with a specific congregation (1).


According to the National Jewish Population Survey of 2000, 21% of American Jews report keeping


kosher in their home. These could include Jews from all four major sects of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Reform). A portion of that 21% keep kosher at home but may eat nonkosher food out of the home to one degree or another. Standards of kashrut that people employ in their home may also vary. Some may only accept a dinner invitation from another family who also remains kosher in their household (10).


It is estimated that one in two Ashkenazi Jews is a carrier of at least one of 38 Jewish genetic diseases


(11). A panel of tests is often run during genetic counseling and at the birth of a child to identify those affected by or carriers of the diseases. The high prevalence of genetic diseases is attributed to the reproductive isolation of this group for many centuries. Although genetic diseases are not as common in Sephardic Jews, as the population was less reproductively isolated, there are efforts to identify genetic diseases for this group as well (12).


Observant Jews start meals with the recitation of a blessing over the food and end with another prayer. The blessings are based on the food that is to be eaten. If a person is eating a salad, the prayer said after the meal is shorter than if the person ate a meal with salad and crackers. Before eating bread, one must wash both hands according to ritual and say a blessing for hand washing. This long prayer and the hand washing are the reason that some people opt not to add bread to meals.


The Sabbath, or Shabbat, begins Friday at sundown. The day of rest ends approximately 72 minutes


after sundown on Saturday evening. Work is not permitted on this day. Cooking is not permitted on the Sabbath, as kindling a flame and use of electricity are forbidden. If a flame is left on before the Sabbath, food can be kept warm. This is why cholent, a stew consisting of meat, beans, and potatoes that is simmered overnight is a dish that is typically served on the Sabbath. Foods prepared in a crockpot are convenient, as they can be kept warm without kindling a flame. A metal plate can be placed over a stove with the flames on. This plate, called a blech, conducts the heat of the flames to keep foods warm. Challah, a braided bread, is commonly eaten on the Sabbath.


On the Sabbath observant Jews do not drive their cars or take rides from others, handle money, conduct


business, or speak on the phone. The television and radio are not used. Hotel guests, for instance, may not get in an elevator and press a button for a floor, but if it is a Sabbath elevator, one that is programmed to automatically stop at each floor, they might use it. The Sabbath is seen as a time to put aside the work of the week and to enjoy the company of family and friends.


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