14 Points East conducted business at the race- track, program “We’ll Meet Again,” and was a British citizens, they were considered sometimes on a handshake! World War guest lecturer for several days at the Im- enemies of Japan. II abruptly terminated their privileged perial War Museum. lifestyle. In 1943, the Japanese interned So here we have a firsthand account of the Benjamins for nearly three years in a Review the enjoyment and then sudden termina- POW camp. Along with other internees Ester Benjamin Shifren’s book is unique. tion of a privileged, opulent life style. they endured great hardship and loss of Most personal journals detailing the lives We see the expected horrors of the POW all worldly possessions. In 1948, shortly of the Jews in Shanghai during World War camp and the unexpected but dismaying before the Communist takeover, the II deal with Ashkenazi refugees from Eu- anti-Semitism of the British towards the Vol. 28 No. 2 A Publication of the Sino-Judaic Institute Benjamins relocated to Hong Kong, rope forced to flee the Nazis. They be- Jews throughout and after the war in a July 2013 where the ensuing Korean War embargo come a stateless people ultimately fascinating book which starts long before eventually caused their irreparable finan- squeezed into the squalor of the Hongkew the Holocaust and extends from Shang- cial collapse. In 1951 the family immi- Ghetto. hai to Hong Kong and beyond at War’s THE ALIYAH ROADBLOCK IN ISRAEL 7 CHINESE JEWS REJOIN THE grated to Israel. Ester managed, between end. It is indeed a riveting examination by Andrew Sacks www.shavei.org/communities/kaifeng_jews/articles- 1987 and 2004, to tape three interviews This is not the case with Shifren. Her fam- of the extremes endured by this family JEWISH PEOPLE excerpted from of her parents, which yielded 100 tran- ily was not from Europe, and not set against insights into pre and post war by Brian Blum http://www.blogs.jpost.com/users/masorti-matters kaifeng_jews 13/12/2012 scribed pages of invaluable information Ashkenazi, but Sephardi. She was born China, enhanced by many family pho- excerpted from the Shavei Israel website: http:// for use in her book. in China as her family had arrived in tos. Shanghai from India in 1840, and thrived Dec 12, 2012 Ester served two years in the Israeli army, there for five generations. Her affluent Shifren is a skilled author, bringing to married a South African, and spent thirty- family — including wealthy entrepre- life all the bustle of teeming Shanghai 1. Aliyah: Converts get the run-around 1. Tony six years in South Africa. After spending neurs, diplomats, and racehorse owners and all the devastation of being a POW five years in Canada, Ester immigrated — were not stateless, but citizens of Great as she weaves her personal memoir into Imagine the Israeli government blocking a Jew from observing As he stood before the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court answering to the USA in 1997 and now lives in Los Britain. Rather than experiencing the war the larger historical picture. It is an un- Kashrut, putting on Tefilin, or lighting the Hanukah lights. the final question before completing a crucial last step on the Angeles, California. Ester Benjamin in the Hongkew Ghetto, they were se- forgettable saga, well researched, and road towards his long awaited conversion to Judaism, Tony Shifren is an author, artist, musician, and questered for three dismal years of ex- highly recommended. Sounds absurd. Even for Israel which is home to the absurd. Liang was thrown a curveball. dynamic international speaker. In 2005, treme deprivation and degradation in a in England, she was featured in the BBC1 Japanese internment camp because, as There is a Mitzvah to make Aliyah. The Mitzvah is known as “What’s the blessing on Yeshuv HaAretz. A Jew is obligated to build the land of Israel. an eggroll?” the rabbinic Yes, there are disputes as to whether the commandment is judge asked the young Torahitic or Rabbinic. There are also disagreements as to how man from Kaifeng, one may fulfill this obligation. But make no mistake – living China. Tony looked per- in Israel allows one to fulfill more Mitzvot than living else- plexed. where. It turns out that the Chi- This Mitzvah is no less an obligation for those who are Jews nese, at least those in re- by Choice than those born into Judaism. The law of the State mote Kaifeng, don’t eat Join The Sino-Judaic Institute of Israel, as interpreted by the highest court in the land, has eggrolls; it’s a western held that converts of non-Orthodox denominations must be variation on Asian food. The Sino-Judaic Institute is a non-denominational, non-profit, and non- Benefactor $1,000+ given the same rights under the Law of Return as those who The judge opened his political organization which was founded in 1985 by an international Patron $ 500 - 999 convert through the Orthodox movements and those born Jew- Hoshea (Tony) Liang at the mikveh with laptop, did a Google Corporate Sponsor $ 250- 499 ish. Rabbi Menachem Weinberg search for “eggroll,” and group of scholars and laypersons. Sponsor $ 100 showed Tony the picture. Yet our very own Interior Ministry - in the hands of an ostensi- Tony immediately got the blessing right. The judges instructed Regular Member $ 50 - 99 bly religious political party (SHAS) – has blocked far too many him to cover his eyes and recite Shema Israel. As he did so, Membership in the Institute is open and we cordially invite you to join Libraries $ 50 who wish to fulfill their obligation of Yeshuv HaAretz. At a Tony came one giant leap closer to the dream he’s nurtured in supporting our endeavor. Our annual dues structure is as follows: Academic $ 30 - 49 time when Aliyah has slowed to a trickle one would expect since childhood: to live a fully Jewish life in the Land of Is- Senior citizens & students $ 25 that we would welcome potential Olim (immigrants) with open rael. arms. With so many “religious” men, zealously Orthodox, avoid- ing military service, one might think we would embrace a Jew Tony Liang is one of seven descendants of the Kaifeng Jewish I wish to become a member of the Sino-Judaic Institute and to receive Points East. Enclosed is my check for $ . by Choice seeking to serve in the IDF. But this is just not so. community who have been studying Judaism and Hebrew in PLEASE PRINT Israel for the past two and a half years with Shavei Israel’s Name Who is at fault? I take my hat off to the fine people at the help… Jewish Agency’s Aliyah department. They work faithfully to Address fulfill their mandate to bring Jews to Israel. They do the prepa- For most of their time in Israel, the seven Chinese men have ration work and hand in completed files to the Interior Minis- been studying at Yeshivat HaMivtar, part of Rabbi Shlomo Phone # try personnel who need only issue the OK. But that OK may Riskin’s Ohr Torah Institutions in Efrat, under the supervision take a long time. A very long time. In the interim the life of the of Rabbi Menachem Weinberg. Rabbi Weinberg deemed the Mail to: The Sino-Judaic Institute, Prof. Steve Hochstadt, Dept. of History, Illinois College, Mail to: The Sino-Judaic Institute, Prof. Steve Hochstadt, Dept. of History, Illinois College, potential Oleh may be put on hold as they are unable to make men to be ready for their “interviews” at the Beit Din (Rab- plans without the green light from this ministry. Does the Oleh binical Court) this past Thursday and “they passed with flying 1101 West College Ave, Jacksonville IL 62650

(continued on page 4) (continued on page 5)6) 2 Points East Points East 13

Points East of Europe, and the State Department to that plucky band of machers who staffed a refugee hospital, overcame ob- TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM THE EDITOR Anson Laytner, Publisher wasn’t keen on the rescue effort. mapped out an epic rescue over a poker stacles, and produced a vibrant commu- table. nity. The magic of oral history, with ex-  By the time you read this, historic things Points East is published by the Sino-Judaic All refugees would have to possess skills cellent questions by the author, intro- will have happened in Kaifeng. Institute, a tax-exempt, non-profit organization. they could apply in the Philippines, and “It shows the capacity for human beings duces the reader to the monthly opera Featured Article: The opinions and views expressed by the none could depend on any form of gov- to do what they know in their hearts is and theater performances, daily newspa- The Aliyah Roadblock in Israel ...... 1 Acting on their own, the members of the contributors and editor are their own and do ernment welfare. right,” she said. “There’s quite a lesson pers of high quality, radio programs in Yicileye School and the Beit HaTikvah not necessarily express the viewpoints and to be learned from that.” German, English, and Yiddish, learning School have agreed to reunite and hold positions of the Sino-Judaic Institute. The Frieders raised tens of thousands of new trades, producing a Little Vienna of 7 Chinese Jews Rejoin the their classes in a new facility. Eran dollars to cover the costs; as refugees cafés, coffee shops and music, lending Barzilay, an Israeli who is familiar to Letters to the Editor and articles for Points East made their way to Manila, they found a libraries, a refugee school of 600 stu- Jewish People ...... 1 may be sent to: readers from his reports on teaching in hospitable environment. “It proved BOOK NOOK dents, comedy performances, refugee Kaifeng, is working with the merged Preferred Form: people of different backgrounds and na- BOOK NOOK symphony orchestra, and even a magi- From the Editor ...... 2 schools on behalf of Shavei Israel. e-mail:[email protected] tionalities can work together for the good cian. The author even accurately de- of humanity,” Sasser said. “They all be- scribes how children and teenagers sur- It is our hope that Shavei Israel now will or to: Rabbi Anson Laytner lieved in the same thing. They were all Exodus to Shanghai: Stories vived. You will be surprised to read that keep Judeo-Christian Timothy Lerner and 1823 East Prospect St. To the Editor...... 3 Seattle, WA 98112-3307 friends and they respected each other.” teenagers were frequently the bread earn- his Hong Kong Christian missionary of Escape from the Third ers, and created a Shanghai Millionaire friends at a distance so that they won’t Points East is published three times a year, in As they thrived, plans moved forward to Reich Monopoly game, and even wrote plays Articles: be able to sway Jewish minds and hearts March, July and November. Deadlines for submitting material to be included in these rescue up to 30,000 Jews, all with by Steve Hochstadt and read many books. Dao of Being Jewish ...... 6 with their proselytizing soft-sell. issues are January 15th, May 15th and Quezon’s blessing. Unfortunately, the Palgrave Macmillan 2012(†288 Pages Making Connections at Limmud .... 10 With this cautionary word, we hope that September 15th. winds of war intervened, and the Philip- $28.00(†ISBN: 978-1-137-00671-4 The author is to be commended for in- this reunification will mark a new will- pines endured the brunt of the Japanese reviewed by Marvin Tokayer cluding a superb bibliography of primary Building Israel’s Bridges to ingness on the part of the Kaifeng Jews invasion. Manila was reduced to ruins, and secondary sources, films, maps, FINANCIAL REPORT AVAILABLE China ...... 11 to eschew their factional ways and find including the Frieders’ cigar factory. Reprinted from: http:/www.jewishbook charts, and photos. If there is one book council.org/book/exodus-to-shanghai- Poker Pals in Phillipines ...... 12 ways to work together. The community SJI members interested in receiving a to read about the Jewish experience in is too small to be so divided. Perhaps if copy of the annual financial report should Quezon died in exile in 1944, before the stevehochstadt?utm_source=New+Reviews Shanghai, this is the one. this first step is successful, they can pro- send a self-addressed envelope to: Steve end of the war and before he could bring +Online+May+17th+2013&utm_ campaign=JBC.New.Reviews.Email&utm_ ceed to collectively support a commu- Hochstadt, Treasurer of the Sino-Judaic more Jews to freedom. He did say before Updated Offer Institute, Illinois College, 1101 W Col- nity center/museum, tourist ventures and his death, “The people of the Philippines medium=email Palgrave Macmillan is offering a 25% Book Nook ...... 13 lege Ave., Jacksonville IL 62650. other projects. will have in the future every reason to be discount to members of SJI. Quote glad that when the time of need came, I have been waiting for this book for de- code CONF2013 when ordering at At the same time, with Shavei Israel now Sino-Judaic Institute their country was willing to extend a hand cades. The heroic escape to Shanghai in position to be the primary liaison and www.palgrave.com. c/o Rabbi Arnie Belzer of welcome.” during the Holocaust is the least known This code is now operational. funder of the school, SJI has the freedom 34 Washington Avenue chapterShanghai of the Holocaust experience. to explore new directions both in Kaifeng Savannah, GA 31405 U.S.A. Sasser said that when she was a girl in Steve Hochstadt, the author of Exodus to and in China as a whole. It is a time of SJI Officers Cincinnati, her grandfather rarely talked , does not merely cite statistic Hiding in a Cave of Trunks: change and possible opportunity for our Hiding in a Cave of Trunks: Arnie Belzer, President about the Frieder brothers’ heroics. “He but provides a face to this remarkable SJI MEMBERSHIP 28 year-old organization. Vera Schwarcz, Vice-President A Prominent Jewish Family’s was a jolly guy. My memories of him experience. It is a collective memoir of Steve Hochstadt, Treasurer one hundred interviews, a classic and Century in Shanghai and Although we still help fund Jewish Stud- Ondi Lingenfelter, Secretary are of observing Passover in his condo. Century in Shanghai and Country Total pacesetter of oral history, told with drama ies programs in China, many Chinese Anson Laytner, Immediate Past President He played a lot of poker and smoked a Internment in a WWII POW lot of cigars. But what happened in the and pathos. The German Jewish commu- United States 178 universities now have flourishing relation- camp ships with specific Jewish studies pro- Managing Board Philippines was not a common topic. nity is suddenly uprooted, losing home, China 18 Denise Yeh Bresler, Joel Epstein, Bev Friend, grams at universities around the world. These were regular businessmen who job, possessions, and citizenship. But reviewed by Bev Friend Seth Garz, Mary-Anne Graham, Ron Kaye, Dana Israel 17 The cities of China’s eastern seaboard have found themselves in a situation where where to go is the problem. Surprisingly, Paperback: 276 pages; Publisher: Leventhal, Den Leventhal, David Marshall, Jim the Chinese consul in Vienna realized CreateSpace Independent Publishing Plat- Canada 14 recognized the tourist value of preserv- Michaelson, Art Rosen, Eric Rothberg, Marvin they could be of help, and they did what they could. It turned out to be more than that Shanghai, not China, had no immi- form; ISBN-10: 1479165387 England 5 ing aspects of their former Jewish com- Tokayer, Tibi Weisz, Albert Yee, Cynthia Zeiden munities and no longer need our input. what most people could do.” gration procedures, and offered everyone ISBN-13: 978-1479165384 Australia 3 SJI still funds research projects when International Advisory Board a visa to Shanghai, which could be used Germany 3 scholars and others submit proposals and Wendy Abraham, Jan Berris, Mark Cohen, Irene Farquhar’s parents chose to settle perma- to obtain an exit visa from the Nazis. Background Eber, Avrum Ehrlich, Fu Youde, Jonathan nently in the Philippines, where her fa- The welcome to Shanghai included un- Against an impressive historical back- Japan 2 there are a raft of tourist and economic Goldstein, Jerry Gotel, Judy Green, Len Hew, projects that have been proposed over the ther was a physics professor at the Uni- bearable heat, disease, filth, lack of hy- ground, China-born Ester Benjamin South Africa 2 Tess Johnston, Donald Leslie, Michael Li, giene, no toilets, language barriers, in- Shifren relates the saga of her family’s years to ameliorate the condition of the Maisie Meyer, Mark Michaelson, Sonja versity of the Philippines and Far Eastern France 1 Kaifeng Jewish community. And, of Muehlberger, Gustavo Perednik, Andrew Plaks, University. Farquhar attended the Ameri- sects, polluted water, noise pollution, century-long existence in Shanghai, the Indonesia 1 course, we continue to update the re- Pan Guang, Shi Lei, Yitzhak Shichor, Elyse can School and in 1961 moved to Cali- and dead bodies everywhere. In addition city often referred to as “The Paris of the sources of our website and to publish Silverberg, Josh Stampfer, Shalom Wald, Xiao fornia to attend college. She stayed in there was a civil war, and an invasion by East,” and details the culture and tribu- Switzerland 1 Xian, Xu Xin, Zhang Qianhong, David Zweig Japanese forces. lations of the colorful multi-ethnic popu- Points East. the Bay Area and became a teacher of Taiwan 1 Past Presidents Spanish and German, first at San lation. In the 1840s a vessel brought the Speaking of which, the current issue has Al Dien, Leo Gabow Francisco’s George Washington High From this welcome, and starting with Benjamins from India to Shanghai, where a focus on the subject of conversion that In Memoriam, z”l School and then at Lowell High School. zero, a community of average Jews pulled they prospered for five generations. Some unintentionally builds on last issue’s look Marshall Denenberg, Leo Gabow, Phyllis Horal, together, pooled their resources, and sur- members of the family achieved high- TOTAL: 246 Teddy Kaufman, Rena Krasno, Michael Pollak, vived. They learned to boil water and boil level diplomatic positions. Owners of (continued on page 3) She has enjoyed a full and happy life in Louis Schwartz America, but she knows she owes it all everything, had a communal kitchen, prize-winning horses, the family even 12 Points East Points East 3 est accomplishments has been the con- forces battled the Americans in a fight to Barbara Sasser, a granddaughter of Alex at Rabbi Amsallem’s proposal to treat may shade light on the interior look of stitute in Haifa, Israel, does mentions struction of three model farms for agri- reclaim Manila, Farquhar’s city of refuge. Frieder, who along with his four broth- members of Zera Yisrael more leniently the synagogue. several Chinese herbs, indicating that culture training in China. Furthering these She was a toddler at the time, the daugh- ers helped engineer the bold rescue. She than others who wish to join the Jewish some interaction must have taken place mutually beneficial partnerships and ter of Austrian Jews given safe harbor in says the idea took shape after a 2005 re- people. As the articles show, becoming I urge all of you to spare no effort in try- between China and the Middle East. showing the Chinese that Israeli ingenu- the Philippines, where she was born in union in Cincinnati of surviving Jewish a Jew remains a challenge in Israel and a ing to find anything that may be of help Also In China itself, despite the exist- ity can better their lives and vice versa 1943. refugees and descendants of the Frieder hot topic for Jewish people around the to us return the Harbin Jewish heritage ence of vibrant Jewish communities in has the potential to build the strongest brothers. world. to its glorious days. Kaifeng, Harbin and later Shanghai, of bridges between nations that place a Hers was one of hundreds of European among others, to the best of my knowl- high importance on collective knowledge Jewish families — 1,200 Jews in all — “That brought it to the forefront of my Anson Laytner Please scan your materials and send all edge, there is no mention of the Jewish and know-how. taken in by the Pacific island nation be- mind,” Sasser recalled. “[My father and information to me URGENTLY and AS medicinal tradition in any historical works addressing these communities. tween 1938 and 1941, saved from the great-uncles] saved as many as Schindler, TO THE EDITOR SOON AS POSSIBLE! While the State of Israel managed quite Nazis by an unlikely alliance of Ameri- and the only reason people know about successfully without official ties to the cans and Filipinos determined to do the that was a movie. I thought this story Please pass this information to all your From the extent of your research have you People’s Republic of China for over 40 right thing. deserved as much attention as that, and I Harbin Old Jewish Synagogue to family members, friends and anyone you come across any information that sheds years, today, Beijing’s clout in the inter- said somebody should make a movie be Reconstructed know who had roots in Harbin. new light on this historical phenomenon? national arena is too important for Israel Among those benign conspirators were about this.” Dear Friends—especially former residents With much gratitude, Respectfully, to overlook. As Israel struggles with its the five Frieder brothers, Jewish Ameri- of Harbin and their descendants, Yehuda Frischman precarious political situation in a rapidly cans who manufactured two-for-a-nickel That somebody turned out to be her. Professor Dan Ben-Canaan changing world, China is one of the few cigars in the Philippines; the country’s Sasser served as a consultant on the film, It gives me a great pleasure in informing [email protected] Member and Advisor, Los Angeles, CA states that can provide the necessary sup- visionary Catholic president Manuel which was made by 3 Roads Communi- you of the Harbin Municipal Government The Old Jewish Synagogue Renovation port to ensure stability, if not an even- Quezon; U.S. High Commissioner Paul cations, a Maryland-based production decision to reconstruct and renovate the Project - Harbin City Command Leader- tual solution, to the problems in the vola- McNutt, who issued scores of visas; and company. Among other tasks, Sasser pro- Harbin Main (Old) Synagogue and the ship Team - The Harbin Mayor and Sec- Grant Announced tile Middle East. To benefit from such Dwight D. Eisenhower, a few years be- vided hours of home movies filmed by Jewish Secondary School next to it, as retary General Offices involvement, Israel needs to show the fore he became supreme commander of the Frieders in Manila during the tran- well as two other buildings and a large Jiangsu Provincial Department of Educa- E-mail: [email protected] or tion has just announced that the Glazer Chinese just how many similarities they Allied forces in Europe. quil prewar days in the 1930s. square that together form a block in the [email protected] share. If done successfully, the bridges heart of historical Harbin. Institute for Jewish culture and Israel Stud- Mail Address: No. 136 Huanghe Lu ies headed by Prof. Xu Xin has been cho- that span between Beijing and Jerusalem It’s a little-known story of hope, over- As Sasser likes to say, it all started with Road, Building B, Apartment 801, will rise high and strong, invulnerable shadowed by those of Oskar Schindler cigars and a poker game. The Harbin Municipal Government has sen as one of nine key centers for Inter- Nangang District, Harbin 150090, P.R. national studies of Jiangsu Province from the enemies of Israel that seek to and the Jews of Shanghai. Yet it is no invested more than 80 million Yuan RMB China prevent such paths. less dramatic or emblematic of courage. Natives of Cincinnati, the Frieders went for the project. About 40 million Yuan among over 20 universities and colleges. into the cigar business, opening a fac- RMB were already spent on relocating It will receive a grant of 100,000 Yuan Robert Pines is a BA/MA student in the A new one-hour documentary, “Rescue tory in Manila. Each brother took turns residents from 4 nearby apartment build- Chinese and Jewish Medicine annually from the Department for next School of International Service at Ameri- in the Philippines,” seeks to set the record serving two-year stints on-site in Manila. four years. The function of such a center ings, and leveling the structures to give To the Editor, can University in Washington, D. C. He straight on this forgotten bit of Holocaust way for the square that is situated at the is similar to that of a think tank, an advi- sory committee for policy decisions in may be reached at: history. The film will air on PBS stations center of the block. I am a longtime practitioner of Traditional Jiangsu Province. [email protected]. around the country beginning this week Jewish and Chinese medicine,(you can and will also premiere in San Francisco The other 40 million Yuan RMB are be- read about the work and research that I Poker pals in Philippines with a pair of free screenings on April 7 ing used for the reconstruction and reno- do on my website or blogs, addresses [Jiangsu, one of the most developed ar- at the New People Cinema. vation works. below). I have for many years searched eas in China, has actively cooperated took gamble, saved 1,200 for parallels in the healing traditions economically with Israel in last 10 Jews Farquhar appears in the film, retelling the In February 2013, the Harbin City Gov- of China and Judaism. For the most part years.] by Dan Pine story — now part of family lore — of ernment decided to return the Harbin my efforts have been unsuccessful. This reprinted from Jweekly.com how as a baby she wouldn’t stop crying Main (Old) Jewish Synagogue to its origi- in spite of the fact that Jews were always Torah to Shanghai when her parents went into hiding dur- nal century old appearance both exterior among the merchants traveling the Silk An official delegation of Chinese may- Mary Farquhar’s earliest memory is of ing the battle for Manila in 1945. and interior. Road between Eurasia and the East. It ors from Chinese Friendship Association flame. The Frieder brothers (from left): Morris, Herbert, seemed so logical that Jews, always visited Israel in recent days. They re- “I remember as a child playing in the Unfortunately, we were unable to find the adapters and innovators, would learn Phillip, Henry & Alex ceived a Torah scroll. The Torah will be ruins after the war,” said Farquhar from All became devoted to the nation, which the original construction and design blue- about and introduce the rich tradition of transferred to the synagogue in the Jew- her San Francisco home. “My parents at the time was emerging from centuries prints of the synagogue. Moreover, I was acupuncture and Chinese herbal medi- ish Museum in Shanghai. went from place to place, hiding out. My of colonial rule. able to locate just few photographs, cine to Europe and the Middle East. Yet grandmother would cook on stones over mainly of the exterior of the building, the first and only mention that I have an open fire. She made apple strudel out Among their closest friends and fellow and several of the interior. been able to find of acupuncture, until of native squash.” poker players were Eisenhower, then an recent times, in Jewish literature, is in Army colonel, and Quezon, the country’s As works on the project have already the book, Ma’ase Tuvia, written in the Most of her memories of the Philippines charismatic president. started and the architects are working on beginning of the 18th century, by Tuvia are happy. She lived there through her the design, we are in urgent need of any Hacohen, a Polish Jew, who attended high school years, and though she has Though of different faiths and cultural information, including architectural medical school in Padua, Italy, and who called California home for decades, she backgrounds, the team worked together drawings, pictures of the interior (of the became the chief physician of the Otto- still loves the country that took in her to extricate Jews from Germany and Aus- different halls and communal rooms), man Empire. I would note, by the way, family. tria, issue visas and bring them to Ma- diaries, letters, and or other data you may that interestingly, Moses Specifically, the flames of war in the last nila. It wasn’t easy. The noose had al- have in your hands (family albums, Maimonides’ Glossary of Drug Names, months of World War II, when Japanese The documentary was the brainchild of ready started to tighten around the Jews memorabilia, or any other sources) that published by The Rambam Research In- 4 Points East Points East 11 The Aliyah Roadblock are told that maybe there will be an an- Israel… communities that welcomed us for ser- Eastern power with a population of just longstanding importance on rituals, col- in Israel swer next week. But no answer seems vices and meals, including Sephardic, 7.5 million, share parallel historical nar- lective memories, and the restoration of imminent. A Jew wishing to fulfill the These cases are not rare. Indeed they are (continued from page 1) Reform, and traditional. All of us were ratives, similar approaches to society- their respective tongues: Simplified Chi- Mitzvah of Aliyah. The Jewish State is all too common. It brings me no plea- invited to mark the close of Shabbat with building, and a strong emphasis on cul- nese and Modern Hebrew. The heritage the obstacle. Just absurd. sure to write that they also occur among havdalah at a nearby synagogue. tural identity. While not readily appar- of both the Chinese and the Jews is sell his/her home, leave a job, continue Orthodox converts. ent, this common ground between China strongly fixed in the past, with memo- to live out of boxes for months on end? P.S. I was notified just one hour ago that, On Sunday, we joined for a full day of and Israel could serve as a strong base on ries of China’s dynastic periods and at least for now, Lee’s request to make Lest one ask “What about the Ethiopians activities, beginning at the Shanghai Jew- which to build bridges between Asia’s Israel’s ancient kingdoms alive in present- …Allow me to present but one example Aliyah has been refused. or other minorities?” it should be said ish Refugees Museum, and culminating furthest neighbors, thereby bringing about day rituals. For example, dragon dances of the cruelty of the system: Lee (not his that these people are brought to Israel in a ceremony marking Holocaust Re- a truly unique friendship. on the Chinese New Year and the blow- real name) was brought to Israel by an 2. Eliminating race as an issue in under separate agreements that go way membrance Day as well as the 70th anni- ing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah have organization determined to help the com- Aliyah above the regular staff in the Interior versary of the Hongkou Ghetto. Our day Rising from the tragedy of the Second been performed for thousands of years, munity of Kaifeng in China (this city has Ministry. began with a tour through the museum Sino-Japanese War, the creation of the transcending time and spanning the gen- a long history of Jews living there but Feb 20, 2013 and ghetto, located within walking dis- People’s Republic of China parallels that erations. In addition, efforts to simplify assimilation has nearly ended even the Judaism is by definition not racist. This tance of one another in the historic of the State of Israel, which came into the Chinese language and restore the memory of the Jewish community). Jewish tradition demands that we be very is why people of any race may convert to Tilanqiao Historic Area. During the being despite the devastation caused by Hebrew language have breathed new life careful when making accusations. Like Judaism. But there are Jewish racists. And Holocaust, about 14,000 Jewish refugees the Holocaust during the Second World into the study of cultural texts written by Lee studied at a religious high school in pillow feathers scattered in the wind that there are bureaucrats determined to keep fled Europe to reside in this area, as they War. Although fought under very differ- cherished historical philosophers, like Israel for four years. He prepared for con- may not be put back inside in pillow – the gates closed to ninety nine deserving waited to resume life as usual after the ent circumstances, the atrocities commit- Confucius and Maimonides. version during this period. But he was so too is an accusation made in public Olim if it means keeping out one who is end of the war. Prominent among the ted against the Chinese by imperial Ja- not converted in the end. None of the against others...So it is with a great deal not deserving… buildings in this area is the recently re- pan during their war of expansion have Although there is plenty of common students from Kaifeng were converted. of trepidation, and an awareness of the stored Ohel Moshe Synagogue, the main been likened to an “Asian Holocaust,” ground between the Chinese and the Is- Our Rabbinate does not, in the over- possible burden I take on myself, that I I fear that writing such words as I have center of religious life during World War similar to what happened under German raelis, few organizations utilize this to whelming majority of cases, convert write this blog. may give ammunition to the enemies of II. As nightfall came, the Israeli Consu- rule in Europe. In both cases, the Japa- develop the kind of cross-cultural under- people of color. Israel. We are subjected to so much criti- late of Shanghai held a Holocaust Me- nese and the Germans utilized mass kill- standing that would help build bridges I have alleged racism within the Interior cism that is unjust. But when officials morial Day ceremony at the historic Ohel ings, human experimentation, and forced between Beijing and Jerusalem. In the Lee returned to China where he kept Ko- Ministry in the past. See the blog I wrote within our own government act with Rachel Synagogue. The activities of the labor to create unimaginable suffering. years immediately preceding the official sher (vegetarian), and continued his in- about the deserving young man from malice, then as the prophet Isaiah said, day were filled with emotion, as we In both cases, however, the victims pre- establishment of diplomatic relations, a volvement with the Jewish life available Kaifeng, China, who is being denied “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, looked back in recent history, recalled vailed. In fact, both China and Israel Center of Israel Studies was set up in to him. Lee was prepared for the Israeli Aliyah for no other reason than and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be vivid memories of the Holocaust, and came into being after bloody civil wars Shanghai in 1989 to promote collabora- academic system but not for the Chinese race…Again I wish to emphasize that the quiet, until her righteousness goes forth expressed profound gratitude to the Chi- that saw the dominance of the Commu- tion and dialogue between the peoples system. So university in China was not problem is not within the Jewish Agency as brightness, and her salvation as a burn- nese people for their role in saving Jew- nists over the Nationalists in mainland of China and Israel. In addition, the PRC in the cards. but within Israel’s Interior Ministry. ing torch.” ish lives. China and the Jewish Zionists over the surprised Israeli officials by requesting Arabs in mandatory Palestine. Both rep- permission to send Chinese students to Lee had the good fortune to receive an But the time has come to stop ignoring 3. Chopsticks, Pesach and Aliyah At the end of the weekend, I flew back resent underdog victories against strong, learn Hebrew in the early 1990s. This invitation to BCI (the Brandeis Collegiate the elephant in the room. It is time to to Nanyang to return to work and daily well-prepared opponents. was followed by [the opening of] Institute of the American Jewish Univer- call for those who make decisions as to Apr 17, 2013 life, not to mention life as a Jew without a…mission of the Israel Academy of Sci- sity) this past summer. Lee is now twenty which converts to Judaism may make a minyan. I had gone to Limmud for a Following Israel’s independence in 1948 ences and Humanities in Beijing and a years old. Here he participated in an in- Aliyah based on issues other than the Some of you may know that I devote feeling of connection, and certainly got and China’s independence in 1949, each similar mission of Luxingshe, the China tensive Jewish educational summer pro- facts, and the demands of the law, to much time to helping Jews by Choice what I was looking for: connections to nation used national pride as a tool for National Travel Service, set up in Tel Aviv. gram for young adults. Lee also com- either change their ways or be fired. As make Aliyah, under the Law of Return, people, to places, to the past and to the building a strong, cohesive society. Al- Since both sides established official dip- pleted his conversion. He appeared be- one who recognizes that firing is not re- when they have been refused by Israel’s future. though very different in terms of style, lomatic relations, however, commercial fore a panel of three Masorti/Conserva- ally an option in the bureaucracy of the Interior Ministry for unfair reasons, in the charismatic leadership of Prime Min- and military ties have taken all priority tive rabbis, followed by Hatafat Dam and government I would accept that those violation of Israeli law. Refusal is usu- For more information about Limmud, visit ister David Ben Gurion and Chairman over cultural understanding. While this Mikveh. involved be pushed upstairs, aside, out, ally not related to the denominational www.limmudchina.org and Mao Zedong unified their respective na- has no doubt been mutually beneficial, or to some nihilarian division. affiliation of the Ger (convert). It too of- www.limmudinternational.org. tions around a common cause…In order it has not fostered the kind of bridges Lee’s US visa expired yesterday. He is ten is connected to racial issues. to contribute to the success of their na- that link Israel with the United States of seeking a brief extension. Lee observes For those who would charge that I am Building Israel’s Bridges to scent states, average citizens lived and America or Canada, for example. Kashrut, Shabbat, attends shul. He ap- whining about the State not accepting In order to be an honest advocate some- Building Israel’s Bridges to worked on kibbutzim in Israel and plied to make Aliyah following his ac- non-Orthodox converts – this would be China on Common Ground people’s communes in China. In addi- Mitigating the influence of China’s 20- Israel ceptance into the Jewish people. His wrong. Our converts are accepted by law. by Robert J. Pines tion, the development of the Israel De- plus Arab allies is a challenge Israel must friends and schoolmates are in Israel. He By and large they do not encounter ma- excerpted from his blog in the Times of fense Forces and the People’s Liberation be willing to take on in the fight for Chi- leads a Jewish life. He hopes to serve in jor problems in the Aliyah process if they , 12/25/2012 Army served as strong sources of national nese support. Besides the kinds of neces- the IDF as his classmates have done. He indeed have all documents required by pride that helped solidify Israel’s Jewish/ sary non-profit and academic institutions seeks to fulfill the Mitzvah of Yeshuv law. …While the differences between China Zionist identity and China’s revolution- that contribute to greater cross-cultural HaAretz. and Israel are easy to spot, it is their nu- ary/communist identity. This legacy of understanding, Israel has a great resource At any given time there may be dozens merous similarities that can lay the state building has resulted in proud soci- in its Center for International Develop- But time is running out for Lee. He may of Jews by Choice waiting for approval. groundwork for a long-term mutually eties that have gradually shifted away from ment Cooperation (MASHAV). Through soon be forced to return to China. His In most of these cases they will wait for- beneficial relationship. Despite all that socialism and communism and towards programs run by MASHAV, thousands of file, with the recommendation of the Jew- ever barring intervention of their behalf separates them, China, a rising global booming, successful free-market systems. Chinese trainees have attended courses ish Agency that he be granted a visa to by the wonderful lawyers of IRAC who superpower with a population of over one Culture also links the values of China in China and Israel to learn about better make Aliyah, is sitting on a pile of files do holy work, and the caring people of billion, and Israel, a regional Middle and Israel, as both nations place development practices. One of its great- in the Interior Ministry. Each week we the Masorti and Reform movements in 1 0 Points East Points East 5 whelmed by the large Hindu-Muslim memories, understanding of Judaism as cant present-day Jewish population and times travel to local Jewish communi- Our Seder food was mostly fruits and veg- mitzvoth does not prevent a conversion society they lived in. Was it that the cul- a precious treasure and a strong sense of a number of active communal organiza- ties becomes necessary… etables. What may have needed to be even to begin with…we learn that it is tural atmosphere in China, though hos- identity handed from generation to gen- tions. And so off to Limmud I went. Kashered was dealt with and we bought permissible and a mitzvah to accept con- pitable and tolerant to foreigners, was not eration. And they are prepared to uphold I was drawn to look into what was hap- new chopsticks. Haroset with Lychee nuts verts even though we know that they will conducive to practicing Judaism? Indeed, this ancestral heirloom against any pow- After arriving in Shanghai by air, I im- pening on the ground when the young – why not? Each person had a glass for not fulfill all the mitzvot.” He goes so we know of the early symptoms of dilu- erful force, whether cultural, political or mediately headed for the hotel in Qibao man [pictured] was refused Aliyah. Shin wine but all food was eaten off of com- far as to write that failure to seek out tion: in the Confucian-style synagogue, economic. The Jews of China helped us where the conference would be held. (or Jaixin), about whom I have written mon plates in the table center. We had those of Zera Yisrael will “result in the incense was burned to honor biblical to see that we, Western Jews, are not just Once inside the hotel, members of the previously, was brought to study at an prepared for the possibility of needing to rabbis being called in front of the heav- heroes, sacrifices in the Chinese style (but one among many minority cultures in the volunteer team of Limmud checked me Orthodox boarding school in Israel from make raisin juice and our own Matzot. enly court to explain why they, as shep- of kosher food) were offered on some large societies where we live: we are an in and handed me a souvenir tote bag 9th-12 grade. He was refused the oppor- Wine and Matzot arrived some two hours herds, did not seek to bring in our lost Jewish holidays, and boys studied Con- integral part of a unique, millennia old containing the customary giveaways and tunity to appear before a Beit Din of the before Seder from Chabad in Shanghai. flock.” fucian texts instead of the Torah. tradition with its own historic and geo- information that would guide participants Chief Rabbinate by Israel’s Interior Min- graphic trajectory. through the next four days. Much to my istry. He returned to China where he is The photo-copied Haggadah was a mix I found out, on my last day in China (sec- The existence of the Jews in China was surprise, the conference handbook was a part of weekly Shabbat davening and a of Chinese and Hebrew. We took turns ond half of Hag was spent in Seoul, Ko- unknown to the Western world until The author expresses her deepest grati- quite substantial, about a half-inch thick. Jewish “school” that has been established reading. We had fewer children than I rea) that there would be the first 1605, when Jesuit Matteo Ricci met a tude to Mr. Raj Ahmed, the owner and Obviously, the weekend would be filled in the city. Last summer he attended the had hoped for as school did not let out Asian Limud in Shangahi just after Kaifeng Jew in Beijing who arrived there the President of the Chicago-based Ex- with activities. After coming from Brandeis Collegiate Institute in LA – for until after eight in the evening. A parent Pesach…An “angel” allowed me to fund to take Confucian examinations for a otic Journeys, Inc. and his Beijing-based Nanyang, a city of over ten million people an intensive experience of Jewish learn- may not have a child excused from class the travel of both Shin and his uncle to prestigious government post. As de- partner Mr. Mike Jing of Express Tours. where I am probably the only Jew, I ing and culture. It was there that Shin for holidays or personal events. Limud. scribed by Ricci, that young man was Without their organizational talent, nonestarted to feel an alternative form of cul- was finally able to complete his conver- dressed and looked Chinese but consid- of our fascinating Kaifeng encountersture shock; rather than facing the chal- sion. Shin then applied for Aliyah with Candles were lit with the traditional The Cultural Revolution came close to the full backing of the Jewish agency. blessings recited in Hebrew. Rituals such spelling the end for Jewish life in Kaifeng- ered himself Jewish, a believer in One would be possible. lenges of living in a different culture, I God. Perhaps by that time, an over- began to experience the familiarity that Shin wishes to serve in the IDF as his as hand washing were familiar. I had Shin’s grandfather was evicted from his whelming number of young ambitious comes from connecting with one’s own high school classmates have done. The thought to send Pesach songs in advance home and sent to a training camp - but Jewish men – instead of dedicating their Making Connections at culture. And living in China, a country Interior Ministry has refused his request using You Tube. It had slipped my mind life is slowly returning. lives to Torah - preferred to study where statistics are astronomical, it ap- and all of my appeals on his behalf have that You Tube is blocked in China. So Confucius, a requirement for any prom- Limmud peared from the handbook alone that fallen on deaf ears. I assert that there can too Facebook. It turned out that some of Now, if Shin would only have his Aliyah ising government position. By the early by Rabbi Loraine C. Heller Limmud was also posting some pretty be no good explanation of his refusal the Pesach songs were known by some of approved by the Interior Ministry. 1600s, the Kaifeng rabbi was already impressive numbers. other than racism. the scores who joined us for Seder. struggling with the lack of young men It’s only a matter of time, I thought, un- Rabbi Andrew Sacks is the Director of the knowledgeable in Jewish law because, til I get connected to other Jews living in Getting a closer look, the conference I felt I needed to see if the rumors of a My friend Shin sat next to me to serve as Masorti [Conservative] Movement’s Rab- as Ricci recorded, the rabbi offered him China. I knew that Jews had come to handbook listed about 60 sessions along renewed life of the Jewish world in translator. Shin is equally comfortable in binical Assembly in Israel (the organization a job as his successor: if the Jesuit joined China at various points in history, and with bios of the presenters for the ap- Kaifeng were true. It is a far less devel- both Hebrew and English. of Masorti/Conservative rabbis) and the the Jewish faith and stopped eating pork, that there were Jews living there today. proximately 150 people who came to oped and more isolated city than, say, Masorti Movement’s Bureau of Religious of course. But I also knew that there was no Jewish Limmud. The eclectic array of sessions Beijing or Shanghai, where there is a And yes, our Seder included a Kos Miriam Affairs. The views expressed are his own community in Nanyang, located in focused on themes such as Jewish texts, Chabad presence. But let there be no along with the Cup of Eliyahu. and do not necessarily reflect those of “Yes,” says Esther, while we smile at a Henan Province, where I had taken a job law, politics, Kabbalah, music, business, question that something special is hap- Masorti organizations. Rabbi-and-a-Jesuit story, “We lost our teaching English at a university beginning history, spirituality, food, the environ- pening there. While the last thing we ate was the ancestral language, traditions, even blood in September of 2012. Sometimes I go ment, and health. In addition, many Afikoman (followed by Birkat HaMazon) line. But we kept our memories and pride abroad in search of Jewish life, but this sessions were offered for children ages The families in Kaifeng who descend – there was plenty of Israeli chocolate on 7 Chinese Jews Rejoin in being Jewish. We told stories. We time, I would need to let Jewish life find four to seven, eight to eleven, teens, and from the Jews have family records and the tables for dessert. The emotional con- survived.” There are probably a few hun- me. families. The headline on the handbook photos. Each Friday night there is a tra- clusion to our Seder was the singing of the Jewish People dred people in Kaifeng now who con- read, “Find your path to Limmud,” and ditional Friday night davening at Beit Hatikvah both in Mandarin and in He- (continued from page 1) sider themselves Jewish either through a Quite by chance, Jewish life did find me, given the number and variety of activi- HaTikvah (one of the local Jewish brew. colors,” reports Rabbi Weinberg. family line or marriage. A growing num- about six months after I arrived in ties, including lectures, workshops, dis- schools) followed by a vegetarian (Ko- ber of young people discover their Jew- Nanyang. Through some online network- cussion groups, games, and entertain- sher food is not available) Shabbat din- Now many readers will dismiss the Seder Accompanying the Chinese contingent ish roots and make aliyah to Israel; He- ing, I learned that Limmud would be held ment, there was definitely something for ner. The Mezuzah is prominently at- participants as being a bunch of non-Jews. was Shavei Israel Chairman Michael brew classes are highly popular in in early April, over the long weekend everyone. tached to the door and the sign makes But let us recall how many “non-Jews” Freund who also attended the Beit Din Kaifeng, and Esther tells us of frequent when the Chinese observe tomb sweep- no secret of what the place is. The apart- preserved some sort of identity in the vari- to provide them with moral support and Shabbat gatherings with a communal ser- ing day. Sponsored by the American Jew- Just after lunch on Friday, the sessions of ment which houses Beit HaTikvah is a ous former communist countries under encouragement, as well as to speak on vice, song singing, and a potluck kosher ish Joint Distribution Committee and the Limmud came to an end, and a ceremony gathering place and there are regular difficult circumstances. Today we are re- their behalf before the Rabbinical Court (Halal) meal. At the conclusion of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philan- was held thanking the many volunteers, classes offered on Judaism – much by viving some of those communities. in support of their quest to undergo con- Shabbat, they sing Hatikva in Hebrew. thropic Network, Limmud is designed to presenters, and participants in this mo- Skype. version. Often – by memory. “I don’t like the attract Jews from across the spectrum of mentous event. Last year, a smaller-scale It must be noted that many prominent word assimilation,” Esther says. “Are you denominations, cultures, and ages, and version of Limmud was held, and its I traveled to Kaifeng just last month. I rabbis over the years held “Zera Yisrael” Their next and final steps will be brit mila a Jew only if you go to the synagogue takes place in the many locations where overwhelming success inspired this un- had brought quite a bit of KP food with - those of Jewish descent – although not (circumcision) and mikve (immersion in and read Torah there? Do you think there Jews live throughout the world. This dertaking, the first full Limmud in East me for the Seder. But to keep my suit- technically Jewish, in a special place. a ritual bath)… is only one Dao of being Jewish?” Limmud would bring together partici- Asia. case light it was mostly items like Israel’s first Sefardic Chief Rabbi, Ben- pants from East Asia, including Beijing, mashed potato mix, Pesach roll mix, Zion Uziel did not require potential con- During their time in Efrat, the Chinese What we learned from the Jews of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Japan, Mumbai, Following the closing ceremony, we were Kaneidalach mix, and powdered soup. verts to live an Orthodox lifestyle as long men were “adopted” by local families China Singapore, and the host city, Shanghai. taken by bus to continue our weekend at None of this food was used as the idea as they committed to raising the children and integrated well into the fabric of Is- For Esther and Jin and their families, the Appropriately, we would gather in a city a hotel in Shanghai. For Shabbat, we of making food from powder and water as Jews. He stated, “From all this we have raeli life. The benefit goes both ways. Dao to being a Jew is built on family with Jewish history, as well as a signifi- were offered a choice of local religious did not seem to speak to the locals. learned that the condition of fulfilling the On Sunday night, Rabbi Weinberg threw 6 Points East Points East 9 bors that the Jews became “Tiaojinjao” Kaifeng Jews were not the first ones to them to preserve their ancestral customs a Hanukah candle lighting party and the from his grandfather. And while he knew slaughterer) and open an authentic ko- – the religion that removes the sinew. arrive in China. Historians believe that and to settle in Bianliang (Kaifeng). The men from Kaifeng cooked up some fabu- little about the details of Jewish prac- sher Chinese restaurant in Israel, while a All these names were given just to de- Jews already lived there during the Han names of the first settlers’ 70 clans are lous Chinese food. tice, he instilled within Wang a strong third, who trained as a dentist in China, scribe the people with different customs Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). Jews and listed in Chinese, including the Rabbi sense of Jewish pride… hopes to qualify to work in his profes- and to distinguish between them – never their synagogue are mentioned by name LeiWei (probably a Levite). The remain- Tony – who has taken on the Hebrew sion here in the Jewish state. with animosity or violent hostility. The in a poem written during the Tang Dy- ing two stellae mention other Jewish first name “Hoshea” – and his friends It was this stirring which prompted Wang Chinese word for Jew, “Youtai,” was not nasty (618-906). In Luoyang museum (also communities in China, emphasize the are getting ready to leave the yeshiva now. and six other Jewish descendants from After nearly disappearing more than a used in China until the Jesuits introduced of Henan province), we noticed a half-a- “boundless loyalty” of Jewish soldiers to Some will go to the army, others to learn Kaifengrael. to make aliyah in October 2009. century ago, China’s Jewish descendants it in the 17th century. “But we,” says dozen figurines made of famous Tang their new home country, and commemo- more Heberw in ulpan. And two want to They were brought to Israel by Shavei Is- are reaching out to us, looking to re-em- Esther, “always called ourselves “the period tricolor ceramic: they were ped- rate the rebuilding of the synagogue. open their own Chinese restaurant in Is- brace their Jewishness. A way must now Children of Israel” and since we were dlers, bakers, and merchants with clear rael. be found to enable them to do so. comfortable and prosperous in Kaifeng, Semitic features. They could be Arab trad- By the time the last stela was created in Previously, we had brought a group of we built our synagogue here.” ers, of course, arriving via the Silk Road. 1679, the Silk Road was only a memory 2. Chinese Jews in Israel take four young women from Kaifeng to Is- This article first appeared in The Jerusa- But they could be Jews, also. To us, they and Kaifeng was no longer a capital: its the final plunge rael in 2006, all of whom successfully lem Post. The Confucian-looking synagogue seem quite Jewish in appearance. “Yes,” economic importance of an international by Michael Freund completed the conversion process within It is not known how the first Kaifeng says Esther, “there were other Jewish trade center ended and prosperity deeply excerpted from the Shavei Israel website: 12 months after their arrival. Synagogue built in the 12th-century settlements in ancient China.” But, “we,” declined. So did the wealth of the small http://www.shavei.org/communities/ The Dao of Being Jewish: looked. What we know is based on she states with pride, “we were the larg- Jewish community. By the mid-nine- kaifeng_jews/articles-kaifeng_jews But in recent years, Israel’s bureaucracy much later descriptions and drawings est in China and the one that lasted the teenth century, the Kaifeng Jewish com- 26/02/2013 grew more taxing, necessitating that we Lessons from China made by the Jesuits in the 17th century. longest and the only one which left sub- munity all but disappeared. Destroyed wage a prolonged battle of more than by Irene Shaland For anyone who visited the Forbidden stantial records of its own.” These records and rebuilt many times, the Kaifeng syna- Last week, the small and unassuming three years on behalf of Wang and the City in Beijing and at least a temple or are the three large stone stelae erected to gogue never recovered from the 1840s mikve (ritual bath) in Hod HaSharon wit- others. “Judaism is … a precious stone which two elsewhere in China, the synagogue commemorate the rebuilding of the syna- flood, and by the 1850s, it was a ruin. nessed the unfolding of a remarkable needs to be discovered, mined, and deli- rendering reminds of the country’s typi- gogue in 1489, 1512 and 1679. The fourth By then, no Jew in Kaifeng could read scene in the annals of Jewish history. I will spare you the details, but suffice it cately carved into an intricate master- cal residential or religious compounds. stela dated 1663 was lost but the remain- Hebrew, and there was no Rabbi. It is to say that on more than one occasion, piece” - Aaron Nankin The synagogue was built according to ing ones are kept in a small, controlled- known that at that time, a Torah scroll the young men from Kaifeng were pushed the Confucian principles of architecture, environment, no-photography-allowed was displayed in the Kaifeng market to- to the breaking point, wondering whether For the Chinese, the “Dao” or “Tao,” is explains Esther, and that legitimized both room in Kaifeng Municipal Museum and gether with a sign offering a reward to the Jewish people truly wanted them a fundamental concept of cultural phi- Jews and their faith for the country that could be visited by appointment with a any traveler who could interpret its text back. losophy, and signifies the way or the path had never known organized religion. Just private guide. Esther takes us there and for local Jews. Ancient scrolls from the to life-long self-discovery. During our like many buildings in China, stone li- after a long steep climb up the stairs, we synagogue were sold to Westerners and Fortunately, they did not give up, and recent trip to China, our way led us to ons flanked the entrance to the synagogue are facing three large limestone stelae. now could be seen in various museums that persistence was rewarded at the Hod Henan province in the central part of the complex consisting of enclosed court- Centuries old and badly damaged by rain, around the world: from the British Mu- HaSharon mikve last week, where Wang country. My husband and I came in search yards and halls. The pathway to the Front wind and floods, they are telling their sto- seum and Cambridge University in the and the other five young Chinese Jews of a Jewish story, and the story we found Hall was also guarded by two large ries through the protective glass. These UK, to Royal Ontario Museum in completed their conversion (the seventh was much more than we could have an- marble lions on pedestals. A giant iron stories are of Jews first entering China and Toronto, Hebrew Union College in Cin- member of the group, Hoshea Tony ticipated. It made us feel overwhelmingly incense tripod, like in Taoist or Buddhist the Imperial welcome, of their long his- cinnati, and Jewish Theological Seminary Liang, did so previously). blessed and nourished by the unique per- temples, stood between the lions. The tory in Kaifeng and the interpretations of in New York. The synagogue ruins were ception and value of Judaism we discov- The 7 Kaifeng Jewish men with Michael Freund & entire compound is described as being Jewish beliefs and practices. The stories cleared and the land was sold. All that is It should not be this way. It should not ered in this Chinese culture, a culture four hundred feet in depth. Unlike Chi- are written in Chinese, says Esther, and left of it are the remains of the mikva Rabbi Menachem Weinberg be so difficult and draining for descen- much different than ours. nese temples that face south, the syna- when she reads us excerpts from a hand- inside the hospital built on its site and dants of the Jewish people to return to gogue gate looked eastward while the out, it is clear that the authors tried really the story-telling stone stelae in the mu- One by one, six young Chinese men, all their roots. Kaifeng, Henan province worshippers faced westward toward hard to stress the similarities of their faith seum. descendants of the Jewish community of By Chinese standards, Kaifeng is a small Jerusalem. The synagogue was designed and practices to the Chinese Confucians. Kaifeng, China, immersed themselves in Wang and the other young men are seri- town of 600,000 people in a 100 mil- to offer full-service life style: kitchen, The founder of the Jewish religion, Why did the Kaifeng Jewish com- the warm and purifying waters before a ous about their Judaism. They spent two lion-people province of Henan, one of ritual bath mikva, study halls, meeting Abraham, is called there a descendent of munity disappear? three-man rabbinical court, thereby com- years studying in yeshiva, pray three times the poorest in the country. There ancient rooms, lecture halls…There were the Pangu, a mythological Chinese character There is no single answer. Were the Chi- pleting their long journey home to the a day, observe the Sabbath and the dic- capitals of the great civilization rose and Hall of the Founder of the Religion - who created the universe. It is said that nese Jews dispersed by natural and man- Jewish people. tates of halacha. fell over many centuries, nourished and Abraham, Hall of the Patriarchs, Ances- Abraham established the Jewish religion made disasters, recurrent floods and wars, ruined by the moody Yellow River. Don’t tral Hall… The Main Hall was forty by in the “146th year of Zhou dynasty” (10th or rebellions and economic decline? If It marked the first time that a group of Wang now wants to study to become a look for Beijing-style skyscrapers in sixty feet in size and like any other Chi- century BC) and then this religion was we look at the history of European Jewry Chinese-Jewish men had undergone a rabbi – the first Chinese rabbi in two Kaifeng; deep foundations for these build- nese main hall, it was raised on a plat- given to Moses, a “Patriarch of the True over the centuries of persecutions and formal return to Judaism in the Jewish centuries! – to help other Kaifeng Jewish ings would destroy ancient cities below. form and surrounded by a balustrade. In Religion, in the 613th year of Zhou” (5th pogroms, these reasons alone could not state. descendants to learn more about their Not far from Kaifeng, you can find the middle was a large table for an in- century BC). “Jewish way of worshiping fully explain the disappearance of the heritage. China’s oldest Buddhist temple, White cense burner and candlesticks with a God, “continues the text of the 1489 stela, community. Was it then a historic cir- And for Yaakov Wang, as well as the oth- Horse Temple, and one of the world’s Chair of Moses behind the table. The “fully manifested the mysteries of the cumstance of a community being small ers, it was the fulfillment of a life-long “They deserve a chance to become more most precious collections of Buddhist Torah raised up high was read from that Ancestral Dao…Dao has no shape or form in numbers, isolated geographically, and dream, one that had been passed down knowledgeable Jews,” Wang said, add- cave carvings, Longmen caves. It was in place. The name for Torah in Chinese, but above all else.” The same stela re- overpowered by strong Chinese culture? to them by their ancestors throughout the ing, “That is what our ancestors would Henan, not far from Kaifeng, that the says Esther, is “Daojing” with Dao mean- counts that the Jews arrived in China dur- If we look at India, there the Jews, the generations. have wanted.” philosophy of peace – Buddhism, and ing “the Way” and the “jing” – the scrip- ing the Song Dynasty (10th-13th centuries) tiniest of India’s communities, managed the “Dao” of martial arts - Kung Fu, tures: The Scriptures of the Way. from India (or the Middle East in general); to live in prosperity and freedom for 2500 As a young man in China, Wang first Another member of the group plans to forged an unlikely partnership and made and the Emperor, who most probably was years while preserving their religious and learned of his family’s Jewish heritage learn how to be a shochet (ritual the Shaolin Temple the world-famous The stories told by stones interested in cotton sold by the Jews, told cultural identity without being over- ;€iu+=E;!* $$'ii ! iliiEiiii iiEiEi;ei +iiE€fiiiiii;i€ffiEji;t;ig

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