A New York Times map tells America’s immigration story. So where are the Jews? - opinion

A recent multimedia feature by The New York Times, titled "How a Nation of Immigrants Traces Its Roots," aimed to map Americans by their ethnic and immigrant origins, highlighting diverse groups across all 50 states. The map showcased various communities, including Scandinavians, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Portuguese, Yemeni immigrants, and Native Americans. However, the feature drew significant attention for its conspicuous omission of Jewish people, despite Manhattan being home to one of the world's largest Jewish communities.

“

How a Nation of Immigrants Traces Its Roots

Readers quickly noticed the absence of "Jewish" as a category on the map, prompting numerous complaints in the comments section. Users like "AKJersey" and "Hannah Banana" expressed dismay, arguing that descendants of Jewish immigrants, regardless of their specific European origins, should be identified as a distinct group. One commenter stated, "I think that Jews as a group should be so defined, and not as immigrants from one or another political identity."

“

Much of what we see is a history of immigration

In response to the criticism, one of the map's authors, Larry Buchanan, explained that the map relied on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. He noted that the Census Bureau is legally prohibited from collecting data on religion. Furthermore, he addressed potential questions about augmenting the map with private survey data, explaining that such surveys "unfortunately do not provide the level of detail we needed for this project." The Pew Research Center has previously noted that Jewish organizations in the U.S. have historically expressed concerns about official religious counts, fearing it could lead to antisemitism and government tracking.

“

This analysis completely hides descendants of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe

The New York Times feature illustrates the complexities of mapping ethnic and immigrant identities, particularly when religious affiliation is a significant aspect of that identity but cannot be officially collected. While Jews may appear on the map under other ethnic or national origins, their distinct identity as a group was not represented, sparking a debate about representation and data collection limitations.

“

I am a Jew descended from immigrants from Germany and what is now Belarus. I think that Jews as a group should be so defined, and not as immigrants from one or another political identity.