拉丁語「Iudaeus」意為「Judaean」,即「來自Judaea地區的人」。該字本身與希臘語中的同義字「Ἰουδαῖος」一樣,是從中古時期的亞拉姆語的「Y'hūdāi」、希伯來語的「יְהוּדִי」、「Yehudi」;「יְהוּדִים」、「Yehudim」中演化而來的,含義是「猶大族(tribe of Judah)人」或「猶大王國(kingdom of Judah)的國民」。希伯來語的猶太人寫作「יְהוּדִי」[13]。拉迪諾語中對應的單詞為:「ג׳ודיו」、「Djudio」(sg.);「ג׳ודיוס」、「Djudios」(pl.);「意第緒語:יִיד:“Yid”」;「יִידן」、「Yidn」。
目前歐洲和北美的猶太人口增長主要歸因於移民,與此相對,以色列是唯一一個依靠猶太人自然增長而維持人口擴大的國家。在大多數海外猶太人社群,猶太人人口或停滯不前,或緩慢下降,只有在猶太教正統派和極端正統派控制的地區,其社群成員往往基於宗教原因而不採取控制生育的措施,從而導致較快的人口增長率[73]。一般正統派和保守派都不鼓勵促使異教人士改宗猶太教,但是有許多猶太團體開始嘗試讓一些已被流散地的異文化融合的猶太人社團重新建立猶太教信仰。此外,儘管猶太教改革派在原則上提倡吸納新成員,但這並不意味着積極的傳教或勸說改宗活動,而僅僅限於通過與非猶太人通婚而吸收異族配偶進入猶太人社群[74]。與此同時,正統派人士卻傾向於勸說普通猶太人強化其猶太人身份意識,從而往往會減少異族通婚的機會。結果有分析表明,最近25年來,世俗猶太人逐漸加強了其種族身份的認同感,開始嚴格遵守宗教信仰(這一運動被稱為「Baal Teshuva」),但這一趨勢尚未能得出統計數據的支持[75]。另外,由非猶太人士發起的「自由選擇做猶太人」(Jews by Choice)的運動也逐漸產生了一定影響[76]。
在歷史上,許多地區和國家的統治者和政府都對猶太人社群實施過種族壓迫甚至徹底性的摧毀。從被驅逐出境到被種族滅絕,占人口極少數的猶太人遭受了各種磨難和迫害。反猶主義史上的主要事件包括:第一次十字軍東征對猶太人的屠殺[95];托馬斯·托奎曼達(Tomás de Torquemada)領導的西班牙宗教裁判所以及葡萄牙宗教裁判所(Portuguese Inquisition)通過宗教裁判的形式對新教徒和瑪拉諾猶太人的迫害[96];烏克蘭的哥薩克族首領博格丹·克米爾尼茨基對猶太人的屠殺[97];俄國沙皇指使的對猶太人的集體迫害[98]以及發生在西班牙、葡萄牙、英國、法國、德國等地對猶太人的隔離驅逐行動[99]。對猶太人的迫害在20世紀30年代發展到了極致,希特勒等納粹黨人炮製的最終解決方案導致了慘絕人寰的猶太人大屠殺,在1939年至1945年期間,約600萬猶太人慘遭殺害[100]。而自1948年以色列建國以來,伊斯蘭世界由於對猶太政權的敵視也系統性的迫害過去長期居住阿拉伯地區的米茲拉希猶太人,從1948年阿拉伯聯軍向以色列發動第一次以阿戰爭起,阿拉伯地區有超過90萬的米茲拉希猶太人因穆斯林社會的排擠與壓迫而離開家園,逃往以色列或西方國家。[101]
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《中國境內猶太人的若干歷史問題——開封的中國猶太人》,(中國:1983,北京大學出版社,潘光旦著)
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