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Kaifeng Jews - Kaifeng Jews today

Kaifeng Jews - Kaifeng Jews today: Encyclopedia II - Kaifeng Jews - Kaifeng Jews today

The Jews in China remained almost unknown to Chinese society until the beginning of the 20th century, although their presence had been attested in the country for over 700 years. European Jews residing in Shanghai in the early 20th century are reported to have conducted research in Kaifeng but with little success. Together with the growing interest in Western cultures among Chinese intellectuals during this time, the presence of the Jews, and Judaism, began to be realized by scholars in China. This subject had gradually developed into an independent field of research by the time ...

Kaifeng Jews: Encyclopedia II - Kaifeng Jews - Kaifeng Jews today

Kaifeng Jews - Kaifeng Jews today

The Jews in China remained almost unknown to Chinese society until the beginning of the 20th century, although their presence had been attested in the country for over 700 years.

European Jews residing in Shanghai in the early 20th century are reported to have conducted research in Kaifeng but with little success.

Together with the growing interest in Western cultures among Chinese intellectuals during this time, the presence of the Jews, and Judaism, began to be realized by scholars in China. This subject had gradually developed into an independent field of research by the time the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

Due to the poor conditions for research on religions (as a result of the political atmosphere), research on the Kaifeng Jews and Judaism in China came to a standstill until the beginning of the 1980s, when political and economic reforms were implemented. The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel in 1992 accelerated the research work in this field on both nations. Research on the Jews in China gained new attention around the world through the reappraisal of the experiences of around 25,000 Jewish refugees in Shanghai during the Nazi period.

In recent years, research into the history and culture of the Kaifeng Jews has been conducted not only in China, but in other countries as well. Increasing academic interest in related subjects will continue in the foreseeable future.

It has been stated that in appearance, the Kaifeng Jews were indistinguishable from their non-Jewish neighbors. [1]

The current situation of Kaifeng Jewish Descendants is complex. Within the framework of contemporary rabbinical Judaism, only matrilineal transmission of Jewishness is recognized (a Jew is a convert or someone whose mother is a Jew), while Chinese Jews recognized only patrilineal descent. They are not, therefore, recognized as Jews by other communities and are consequently ineligible for automatic Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. The Israeli embassy in Beijing has therefore rejected Chinese Jewish descendants requesting to make aliyah. Most descendants of Kaifeng's Jewish community are vaguely aware of their ancestry, but having no direct sources of information, the vast majority are unaware of what that actually means.

While the official attitude toward the descendants of Kaifeng's Jewish community is comfortable, their treatment by their fellow-citizens is not always so. Kaifeng is home to a dynamic Muslim community, which is very cohesive, having survived 50 years of isolation and officially-sanctioned hostility (largely, presumably, because of the relationship between the Hui, Uyghur, and Kazakh ethnicities and the Chinese government). In that period, Kaifeng Jewish descendants were protected and helped by Muslims, to the point that they became largely indistinguishable from the Muslim community. That changed with the opening up of China, when Kaifeng's Muslims reëstablished links with Muslims elsewhere. The community received assistance from Muslim nations, and adopted much of the prevailing anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish attitude. The Kaifeng mosque propagates "Conquered Jerusalem" anti-Israeli propaganda, and local Muslim population has developed an increasingly hostile attitude toward Jews. Since few outside Jews ever visit Kaifeng, this hostility is channeled toward the descendants of the Kaifeng Jewish community. There are rumors of pogroms, information about which is reportedly censored by the Chinese government. Because of this situation, many descendants of the Kaifeng Jewish community prefer to pass as ethnic Han.

The last census revealed about 400 official Jews in Kaifeng, but that number may be suspect. It is difficult to estimate the number of Jews in any country, but in China it is nearly impossible. Numbers may change simply because of a change in official attitudes. For example, the number of ethnic Manchus during the last Manchu emperor was estimated at 2 million; after the fall of the Manchu Empire, Manchus—fearing persecution—virtually disappeared and only 500,000 were counted in the succeeding census. When official policies regarding minorities were changed, affording them protective rights, the number of ethnic Manchus jumped to 5 million. There are potentially hundreds of thousands in Kaifeng and its environs that may claim Jewish ethnicity. Thus far, most overseas Jewish communities have been indifferent toward the putative descendants of the Kaifeng Jews.

Kaifeng Jewish Descendants are befriended by local Christians and protected by them. Christians are a growing power in China, and show interest and kindness toward Jews. Remains from the synagogue and the Jewish Street are collected and built into new Christian churches.