Beyond Egg Rolls and Fried Rice
When I think of China, I think of vast expenses of land, the Great Wall, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Peking Duck, silk, tea and technology. So when my husband mentioned he had worked in a Jewish community in China, I had to find out what I’d been missing.
I was astonished to find that there has been a Jewish presence in China since the 8th century CE. One of the earliest Jewish communities are the Kaifeng Jews who made their way to China via Persia and India.
Historically, the Chinese refer to Jews as Tiao jin jiao, “the religion that removes the sinew,” clearly referring to the laws of kashrut (Genesis 32:32).
Today, China is home to approximately 2,800 Jews mostly in Shanghai with another 5,000 residing in Hong Kong and 300 in Taiwan.
Take a glimpse at Taiwan’s incredibly beautiful Jewish Community Center in the link below.
There are Chabad Houses in ten cities across China including Beijing, Foshan and Chongqing so . . . if you’re planning a trip to this ancient, fascinating country, you’ll know where to find some fellow Jews.
For more information on the history of our people in China, check out
http://archive.diarna.org/site/detail/public/1940/
Until next time . . . .
