American Jews have been part of the national fabric since colonial times. The population has held steady since 1940 at about 5 million (2% of the U.S. population), but they have climbed from poverty to the top ranks of education, medicine, finance, Hollywood, and politics. They are the leaders of the liberal wing of the Democratic party, and lead in support for Israel and for philanthropic causes. With the large scale immigration of Jews from Germany in the 19th century, they established themselves in many small towns and cities. A much larger immigration of Eastern European Jews, 1880-1914, brought a large, poor, traditional element to New York City. Refugees arrived from Europe after World War II, and many arrived from the Soviet Union after 1970.