The question of how many countries expelled Jews over history does not have a single precise number. Across centuries, Jewish communities faced expulsions from numerous states, principalities, and cities, but counts vary depending on how one defines “country” (modern borders vs historical polities) and which events are included (mass expulsions, forced conversions, or legal restrictions). Here is a concise, well-sourced overview of the major, well- documented expulsions and the typical counts used by researchers. Overview of major expulsions
- England (1290): Jews expelled; large population displacement documented. This is one of the earliest and most famous modern expulsions and is often cited as a foundational case in Western European Jewish history. [historical records; commonly cited in scholarly summaries]
- France (multiple episodes culminating in 1306): Expulsions and severe persecutions, with long-term restrictions and intermittent readmissions. [historical records]
- Spain (1492): Alhambra Decree forced departure of Jews; many relocated to other Mediterranean regions, the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, and parts of Europe. [historical records]
- Portugal (1497): Expulsion/forced conversion of Jews; many subsequently emigrated to neighboring regions or converted publicly while maintaining private practices. [historical records]
- Various Italian polities (e.g., Sicily, Naples, Lombardy–Milan): Expulsions and expulsions + forced conversions in different periods (late 15th to 16th centuries). [historical records]
- Central and Eastern Europe: Expulsions or expulsions-like episodes in places such as Hungary (mid-14th century), Lithuania (1495), and other principalities, often tied to local political and economic pressures. [historical records]
- North Africa and the Middle East: periods of expulsion or mass emigration from some Arab and Muslim-majority states and regions, especially in the 20th century (e.g., Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt) in conjunction with broader migrations and population transfers. [historical records]
- Yemen (ongoing/late 20th to 21st centuries): Significant emigration of Yemeni Jews, with dwindling native communities as emigrations occurred in modern times. [historical records]
Important caveats
- The phrase “from 109 countries” is a modern trope used in some polemical contexts. Scholarly consensus generally emphasizes that many of the claims about “109 countries” are overstated or rely on broad, sometimes anachronistic definitions of what constitutes a country, nation, or state across different eras. Distinguishing between expulsions, mass migrations, and forced conversions is crucial for accuracy. [historical and scholarly commentary]
- Many expulsions occurred over centuries within overlapping political entities. For example, some Italian polities expelled Jews multiple times or imposed different restrictions across regions that later consolidated into modern nations. This complexity means any simple count of “countries expelled from” risks double-counting or misclassifying events. [historical analysis]
- In the modern era, mass departures due to state-sponsored expulsions often coincided with broader geopolitical upheavals, making reliable tallies challenging. Contemporary histories emphasize patterns of persecution, legal restrictions, violence, and forced emigration rather than a fixed number of countries with expulsions. [historical analysis]
What credible counts focus on
- If you look at widely cited summaries, the most robust accounts focus on the well-documented major expulsions (England 1290, France 1306, Spain 1492, Portugal 1497, various Italian polities, and some Central/Eastern European cases) and note numerous smaller expulsions or forced migrations across regions. These sources typically describe a handful of decades where expulsions were codified by law or carried out by authorities, rather than a precise global tally by modern national boundaries. [historical sources and compendia]
If you want, I can:
- Compile a timeline with the most widely documented expulsions and map them to corresponding polities or modern countries, clearly noting when modern borders do not align with historical entities.
- Provide quick-reference bullets for each major expulsion event, including date, location, reason cited by authorities, and estimated impact on Jewish communities.
- Cite reputable scholarly sources for each event and discuss the limitations of counts like “109 countries” in a framing that’s accurate and educational.
