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  • 1,000 Jews Cannot Be Wrong

    1,000 JEWS CANNOT BE WRONG
    Rami Tal

    Ynetnews
    http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7 340,L-3590419,00.html
    Sept 1 2008
    Israel

    Descendants of centuries-old Jewish community in China's Kaifeng
    rediscover Jewish heritage after near complete assimilation in local
    community

    In Chinese terms, the city of Kaifeng, about 500 miles southwest of
    Beijing, is reminiscent of the Israeli city of Hadera: The number
    of its residents is 700,000 - as opposed to Beijing's 15 million or
    Shanghai's 20 million - and it doesn't even have its own airport.

    However, a thousand years ago, Kaifeng was the capital of the Chinese
    empire, the largest, richest and most advanced in the world at the
    time, with 600,000 residents that made it the most populated city
    on earth.

    Ancient Kaifeng had a Jewish community - a small but thriving one,
    whose story is unique in the history of the Jewish people. For the 800
    years of its existence, Kaifeng's Jews never suffered from persecution
    or discrimination. The Chinese authorities, as well as the general
    population, welcomed their Jewish neighbors, viewed them as citizens
    in every respect and allowed them to observe their religion with
    complete freedom.

    In spite, or perhaps because of these freedoms, the community dwindled
    until about one hundred and fifty years ago, when the assimilation
    and integration proved complete. It is only in the past 20 years
    that the descendents of Kaifeng Jewry, who now number about 1,000
    people, have rediscovered their Jewish tradition. Some of them have
    considered undergoing proper conversion and making aliyah, and a few
    of them have done so already.

    Thirty-year-old Shi Lei does not try to hide his excitement when he
    takes his guest, an Israeli journalist, to the central room in his
    parents' home. His family, which is of Jewish descent, has lived in
    this home for more than 100 years. After the death of his grandmother
    and grandfather, Shi, together with his father, turned this room into
    a mini-museum and a small Jewish center, where he gives classes on
    Jewish tradition to children and adults of Jewish descent.

    Shi Lei, who graduated with a degree in English from the University of
    Kaifeng, spent close to three years in Israel studying at Jerusalem's
    Machon Meir and at Bar-Ilan University: "I was the first person
    from Kaifeng that studied in Israel. I was privileged to receive a
    wonderful welcome at the Machon Meir yeshiva, and I was treated as a
    Jew in every respect, although I am not technically a Jew according
    to Jewish law, and had not yet undergone conversion.

    "I decided to return to Kaifeng and to develop my mini-museum, because
    if I would leave here then there would be no one to teach the younger
    generation. We feel connected to the Jewish people and to the State
    of Israel - it's in our blood."

    An emperor's welcome It is not clear when exactly the first Jews came
    to China or when the Jewish community in Kaifeng was formed. In the
    prophecy of the redemption in the book of Isaiah it states: "See,
    they will come from afar - some from the north, some from the west,
    some from the region of Sinim ("Chinese")" (Isaiah, 49:12); but
    biblical scholars agree that the verse does not speak of China per
    se. Some claim that the Jews of Kaifeng are descendents of the Ten
    Lost Tribes. Others theorize that they came to China in the second
    century following the downfall of the Jews in the Bar Kokhva revolt
    (132-135CE).

    DNA testing done over the past few years on the descendents of the
    Kaifeng Jews, proved them distant relatives of Armenian, Iranian
    and Iraqi Jews. Most of the researchers, as well as the Kaifeng
    descendents themselves, tend to suggest that the original Jews in
    China were merchants from Persia that came by way of the Silk Route
    (in today's southern Turkey) to the city of Xian in central China.

    Historical references and archaeological findings have proven that
    the Persian Jews first arrive in China in the eighth century; and
    since the long, difficult journey made family life difficult, the
    solution was to establish a permanent base in China. The location of
    choice was Kaifeng - China's capital from 927BC to 1127AD.

    A stone tablet dating back to the 1489 Kaifeng synagogue - which is now
    in the city museum - in inscribed with the following: "According to the
    commandment of their god, the Jews came from Tian-Sho (Chinese for both
    "India" and "every state to the west of China") with woven materials
    from the west in their hands, meant as a gift for the emperor."

    The last emperor, according to the tablet was pleased with the
    beautiful and said "welcome to our country; dwell here and keep the
    customs of your ancestors".

    The emperor's warm welcome provided them with automatic Chinese
    citizenship, not a trifle feat at a time the Jewish communities in
    Europe and the Muslim countries were suffering persecution. It is
    believed that one of the reasons for this show of tolerance was that
    the Chinese of the time did not have a "religion" in the sense of any
    of the three monotheistic faiths: The common practices of faith based
    on the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucius, were an array
    of ethical and behavioral codes more than the belief of religious
    ordinances commanded by a higher power.

    While each of the three monotheistic religions claims to state
    the absolute truth god, Confucianism is willing peacefully coexist
    with any religious belief. Kaifeng's Jews found it easy to adhere
    to Confucianism since it doesn't require the recognition of a new
    Messiah or prophet and there was no need to give up on the rules of
    keeping kosher or observing the holidays.

    The ancient stone tablet also states that one of the emperors from the
    Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) bestowed "the gift of incense" upon the Jewish
    community. It was given to the Jewish doctor Yung-Ching who appears to
    have been his personal physician. This indicates that Kaifeng's Jews
    used Chinese names rather than Hebrew names, and incorporated a Chinese
    ceremony into their religious rituals - the lighting of incense.

    Eligible bachelors Kaifeng's Jews were away from any Jewish center,
    as they had no contact to other Jewish communities around the world. At
    its peak, the community numbered no more than 6,000 people. There was
    no yeshiva and the young Jewish men that were interested in academic
    studies naturally attended the local institutions, which cultivated
    knowledge of Chinese literature and tradition. Given the circumstances,
    the chances of the small, isolated Jewish community to maintain its
    unique features in the hub of China were remote.

    According to researchers, another key to the demise of the Kaifeng
    community lies in the fact that China was the first to allow all its
    residents to join the top rank of government officials - the Mandarins
    - by taking qualification exams.

    Most of the Jews in Kaifeng were proficient in Chinese and some also
    in Hebrew, which gave them an advantage over most of the residents
    in the empire; and so the number of Jewish descendents that applied
    for the Beijing positions was substantially higher than their actual
    representation in the population.

    After five years of study in the emperor's courtyard, they were sent to
    various regions in the vast empire. If they hadn't married during their
    years as students, they were certainly interested in doing so when they
    began their government service, and as Mandarins, whose careers were
    mapped out they were considered eligible bachelors. Excluding Kaifeng,
    however, there were no eligible Jewish brides to be found in China,
    prompting the assimilation further.

    According to the information available, the Jewish community life
    in Kaifeng came to a virtual halt about 150 years ago. The community
    synagogue existed for almost 700 years, until 1854, when Kaifeng was
    flooded by the Huáng Hé - the Yellow River. It was never rebuilt.

    Although Kaifeng's Jews had already completely assimilated, their
    descendants continued to observe several customs, like keeping kosher
    and keeping Shabbat. Many continue to live the old city in the old
    section, and the Jewish names of two of the neighborhood's streets
    still appear in Hebrew and English. The community is now slated for an
    evacuation-renovation project, like many of its Chinese counterparts.

    Highly regarded second-rate citizens When Mao Zedong took over China
    in 1949, his regime faced several dilemmas pertaining to national
    minorities, as 20% of China was, and is, not dominated by the Han -
    the largest national group. In 1953 the new regime decided to recognize
    55 national minorities but the Youtai - the Jews - were not one of
    them. Mao was rumored to have made the decision personally.

    By that time, the majority of Jews living in Harbin and Shanghai
    had already left China and the move was undoubtedly prompted by this
    decision; but there is no doubt among scholars that the decision had
    nothing to do with anti-Semitism, since China has never, to this day,
    demonstrated any signs of anti-Semitism.

    Jews enjoy a very positive image in China. The decision not to
    recognize them is believed to have stemmed from sheer math - they
    community was simply too small - a few hundred in a country of a
    billion people.

    In the 1980's, as China started moving toward a free-market economy
    and opened up to the West, Jews from Canada and the US came to Kaifeng
    and met with the old community's descendants in the city. These visits
    strengthened the Jewish awareness of the descendants.

    In the last several years, Shavei Israel has been the main Jewish
    organization that has been actively involved with the Kaifeng's Jewish
    descendants. According to Michael Freund, an American Jew who made
    aliyah 13 years ago and is now heads Shavei Israel, the group is
    "the extended arm of the Jewish people, and supplements the work of
    the Jewish Agency.

    "We believe that strengthening the connection with them should be a
    top priority for Israel. Since establishing contact with the Jews of
    Kaifeng, we have translated numerous books and articles for them, and
    have provided them with basic materials on Judaism and on Israel. Even
    more importantly, we have already assisted 10 young adults from the
    community to make aliyah and get settled here in the country".

    While many of the descendants are interested in a much more intensive
    connection with Jewish tradition, only a small group is interested
    in immigrating to Israel and converting.

    A bull in a china shop?

    As of now, Shavei Israel's activities amongst the descendants of
    the Kaifeng Jews do not enjoy the cooperation of any official Israeli
    bureau. Freund frowns on what he calls Israel's ignoring of the Kaifeng
    Jewry, and claims that that even though many of the Jewish descendants
    of Kaifeng are interested in reconnecting with Israel, the staff of
    the Israeli Embassy in Beijing refuse to give them the time of day.

    The Foreign Ministry offered the following comment: "The Jewish
    community in Kaifeng assimilated within its host country completely
    by the 17th century. There is no Jewish community in Kaifeng today,
    but some individuals are aware of having some Jewish lineage and
    ancestry. Official Israeli delegates have visited Kaifeng more than
    once and were impressed by the historical connection it has to Jewish
    heritage."

    The careful diplomatic wording suggests Freund's claim is not
    completely farfetched, but things are far from simple: Foreign relation
    analysts warn that Freund and his organization are the proverbial
    "bull in a china shop" and may potentially harm the diplomatic
    relations between Israel and China.

    "Russia aside, China has a great deal of influence over Iran," a
    foreign relation expert told Yedioth Ahronoth. "Israel has to have
    China's assistant on the Iranian front, as well as in an array of other
    political and financial issued on the international community's level,
    where China is becoming a significant force.

    "The subject on national minorities in China is a very sensitive one,
    because of the Tibet as well as due to the large Muslim minorities
    which inhabit its west, where they border the Muslim republics of
    the former Soviet Union," he continued. "The Chinese government is
    wary of nationalistic movement which may turn separatists and try to
    break away from it.

    "Kaifeng's Jews are no such threat, of course, but Beijing wants top
    maintain the status-quo. The Israeli government can't and shouldn't
    upset the Chinese government over such a delicate matter."

    On the ground, however, the Chinese authorities have yet to voice
    any objection to Shavei Israel's activities in Kaifeng. Freund sees
    that as a sign: "If some of Kaifeng's Jews decide to reclaim their
    Jewish heritage - as I believe they will - it would make for some
    very important and historical closure."

    --Boundary_(ID_tLZgxqo9SBAtJq0Gzm3 vAw)--
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