His wife, Miriam, whom he adored, was Maccabean. Fun fact: Herod was so in love with her that Herod's sister, Salome, accused her of using a magic love potion on Herod, and for this Miriam was put to death. Herod did not handle her death well at all. As far as the Jewish population goes, I can only give you the following:

At 15, he showed promise when he killed a group of "fanatical religious Jews". This incensed the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, who wanted to put him on trial. The Roman governor of Syria not only ordered Herod's acquittal, but also gave him even greater powers.

Also, the Jews "never quite forgave his mongrel origins." Herod was the son of a second-generation convert to Judaism from Edom, and his mother was Arab. His rise to power came with brutal treatment not only of Jews, but of his own family as well.

Herod was removed from Judea with the Parthian invasion, fleeing to Masada, then to Alexandria where Cleopatra attempted to keep him, and then finally to Rome, where Antony named him King of Judea and gave him the task of conquering the area from the Parthians. Herod succeeded, and celebrated his capture of Jerusalem by killing forty-five of the seventy-one members of the Sanhedrin. Another act that didn't help his popularity was the murder of Jonathan, his wife's brother. Jonathan was good-looking, and during this period, attractiveness was a sign of divine favor. In Jerusalem Jonathan was "mobbed wherever he went." Herod was eventually forced to appoint Jonathan High Priest, since he could not claim the title and could not refuse his wife any longer. But soon after he would invite Jonathan over on a hot night for a swim. Herod then had him drowned. All of Jerusalem grieved his death, and Herod's wife, Miriam, sister to Jonathan, openly accused Herod of the murder.

It's also important to note though, that when famine struck, Herod sold his own gold to pay for Egyptian grain, saving Judea from starvation. He also managed to construct a beautiful temple, among other works. The Jews were terrified that when he tore down the second temple he wouldn't finish a new one, but he succeeded.

But one of his last acts was to put a gilded bronze eagle on the gate of the Temple. Many Jews were outraged, and students climbed the roof and made their way down to where the eagle was and removed it. They claimed they were obeying the Torah. They were burned alive.

There is also, of course, the story found in the Gospel of Matthew, claiming that Herod was responsible for the killing of newborns in Judea. But the Massacre of Innocents has never been confirmed by any other source.

Herod's tomb was lost for 2,000 years. It was discovered in 2007, smashed to pieces. It is suspected that this was done around AD 66-70 by anti-Herodian Jews.

source: Jerusalem, by Simon Sebag Montefiore