5 Chinese women immigrate to Israel, plan conversion
Members of Kaifeng community, believed to be founded by 8th- or 9th-century Jewish traders, to undertake formal process to become Jews
For the first time in 7 years, 5 young women in their 20’s from China’s historic Jewish community have made Aliyah and are presently living in Israel. They were brought to Israel via the Shavei Israel organization. The women, Gao Yichen, Yue Ting, Li Jing, Li Yuan, and Li Chenglin, have been studying Hebrew and Judaism intensively in Kaifeng for the past several years prior to their Aliyah.
“Kaifeng’s Jewish descendants are a living link between China and the Jewish people,” Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund stated. “After centuries of assimilation, a growing number of the Kaifeng Jews in recent years have begun seeking to return to their roots and embrace their Jewish identity. These five young women are determined to rejoin the Jewish people and become proud citizens of the Jewish state and we are delighted to help them realize their dreams.”
“Being part of the Jewish people is an honor because of the heritage and wisdom,” said Li Jing, who on a brief previous visit to Israel put a note of prayer in the Kotel asking to return and live in Israel. “Now, my prayer has been answered,” she said. After the 5 women arrived in Israel, they were brought by Shavei Israel to the Kotel to pray and from there will be studying in a seminary in Jerusalem. After they formerly convert to Judaism, they will receive Israeli citizenship.
Kaifeng’s ancient Jewish community was established by Iraqi and Persian Jewish merchants in the 8th and 9th century. The local Jewish community built a large and wonderful synagogue in 1163 that still stands to date. At its peak during the Ming Dynasty, the Kaifeng Jewish community numbered up to 5,000 souls. However, the local Jewish community experienced a demise in the 19th century. Today, there are between 500 and 1,000 Kaifeng Jews. To date, the community continues to observe Jewish customs and there is a renewed interest in China’s Jewish heritage.
One of the main differences between the Kaifeng Jewish community and others across the globe is that they did not suffer from anti-Semitism as that form of bigotry is alien to Chinese culture. Yizhak Shichor of Haifa University’s Department of Asian Studies asserted, “Whatever anti-Semitism there is in Asia, it is superficial and rootless. […] Actually, in WWII, Asia became a haven, perhaps the only one, for tens of thousands of Jewish refugees who fled Europe and were allowed to settle in Shanghai and Central Asia.” Similarly, Shalom Wald, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, claimed in his report titled China and the Jewish People: Old Civilizations in a New Era, “In all languages of the Christian and Muslim world, the word Jew carries heavy emotional and polemical baggage anchored in the founding texts of the two religions—the New Testament and the Quran. The Chinese do not carry this baggage.”
To the contrary, the Chinese often sympathize with Jewish suffering throughout history, particularly in respect to Jewish suffering during the Holocaust. Films such as Schindler’s List are widely viewed within China. Wald claims that the Chinese frequently see parallels between Jewish and Chinese history. They apparently view how the West and Russia treated China during the nineteenth century as similar to how Jews were discriminated against in European countries prior to the Holocaust.
Additionally, aside from not traditionally possessing anti-Semitism within their culture, the Chinese greatly admire what Jews and Israel have to offer. Wald asserted that the Chinese commonly value Israel’s and the Jewish people’s contributions to world civilization. He declared, “The Jews are seen as contributors to religious, philosophical, and political ideas, and to economic and scientific progress that changed the world. Einstein is most often mentioned.” However, the Chinese evidently also greatly value Jews such as Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx.
Yet Jewish contributions to world civilization are not the only aspect that the Chinese admire in regards to the Jewish people; they also greatly value Israel as a fellow ancient civilization, which according to American China scholar Joseph Levenson is of “paramount importance” due to the tendency to favor “historical thinking in Chinese culture.” Wald claims that “this can result in a feeling of affinity that few other nations share.” Indeed, both Jewish and Chinese civilizations are among the oldest on the planet and both nations put great emphasis on remembering their rich and vibrant histories.
However, like in the United States where the Jewish community was also greatly accepted by the greater population as equal members of society, such acceptance usually is followed by widespread intermarriage and assimilation, which together with the death of the community’s last rabbi led to the Kaifeng Jewish community’s eventual downfall. However, Shavei Israel is working in order to preserve China’s Jewish heritage and thus far has succeeded to bring 19 Chinese Jews to Israel.
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