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.
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.
In spite, or perhaps because of these freedoms, the community dwindled until about 150 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 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."
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).
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, arduous 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 927BCE to 1127CE.
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, 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.
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.
Proud of their newfound heritage. Kaifeng Jews (Photo: Jean Shea)
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
At its peak, the community numbered no more than 6,000 people.
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 Huang He – 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 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 the scholars believe 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. Michael Freund, an American Jew who made aliyah 13 years ago and now heads Shavei Israel, said, "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.
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."
(36) Isaiah Winston, February 14, 2020 3:48 PM
A discovery that delighted me.
One such lost tribe is also discovered in remote area of Mizoram, India, believed to be of Mannaseh.
(35) Ruth, October 6, 2016 7:31 PM
Pearl Buck wrote about them
American author Pearl Buck, who grew up in China, wrote a novel about the Jews in Kaifeng called, "PEONY" it's quite good and an interesting portrayal of assimilation.
(34) Don Krausz, April 4, 2015 11:47 PM
The Jews of Radan traded in China 400 years before Marco Polo.
Chief Rabbi Louis Rabinowitz wrote a small book describing his research on the Jews of Radan who traded with China 400 years before Marco Polo. Those Jews lived in Western Europe, possibly Spain.They used the Silk Road and the Sea Route via the Red Sea.
They traded in all things commercial including slaves as was the custom then, but not in Jewish slaves.
Unfortunately my copy of this book was "borrowed" by someone, else I could have supplied more details.
(33) Sol, March 21, 2015 3:00 PM
Perhaps the Chinese food & Jewish connection started in Kaifeng!
Perhaps the Chinese food & Jewish connection started in Kaifeng? Torah & Lo Mein? I'm moving there!
Anonymous, February 16, 2020 5:45 AM
haha perhaps!
You sure? It certainly won't be the same as in those days. :-)
(32) Adam, October 6, 2014 6:18 AM
China and the Promise to Abraham
It could well be that because of the welcome she has extended to the Kaifeng Jews, China will enjoy a singular blessing.
(31) שגיא, April 1, 2014 8:19 PM
Kaifeng kosher restaurant in london
Very good classy restaurant. I always wondered how did they become Jewish. Thank you for the article
(30) Anonymous, October 2, 2013 8:45 PM
Kaifeng's Jews
As someone with east asian roots, I appreciated this article, thank you Aish. I hope the Kaifeng people will be welcomed back to their fold.
(29) jonatan, October 2, 2013 3:10 PM
all i know about first china community who visit Israel for study heritage& Jewish culture is came from Kaifeng....i read this couple of year ago ...at vj news.
from the relate background story it's been found that they keep most judaism as they life style as part of they're life like blow the sofar at ros hashana festive,
and this is happen in piece of part of most larges population in the world its called china
that is the authentic fact..was happen.
(28) Frank Gold, May 9, 2013 10:42 AM
Sino-Israeli Relations
"In April 1920, the Republic of China’s founding father and first president Sun Yat-sen wrote a letter in support of the Jewish resettlement of Palestine."
For more information on Sino-Israeli relations:
http://jcpa.org/article/the-geography-of-sino-israeli-relations/
- From the Jewish Political Studies Review
(27) ISraeliOU, April 6, 2012 12:11 AM
love it
God Blest love it. thank you.
(26) Anonymous, January 26, 2012 6:02 AM
The Pioneer of the Comunity
Here is the website of the original and continuing pioneer for the Kaifeng Jews. http://www.theakj.org/index.htm Mr Lerner was the first to go to the Jewish community to restore them to their Jewish roots AND to help them make Aliyah. He is still in the community to this day working alongside of Shavei and Michael Freund. It is a shame that not all the facts are represented here.
(25) B.BarNavi, December 25, 2011 6:57 PM
False reasoning is false
"Many people know that Taoism can also be spelled Daosim, so the ethnicity "Youtai" seems very much like Youdai, which seems very close to the hebrew word for Jew- yehudi" Those two words aren't even etymologically related. "Tai" is aspirated, "dao" is not.
(24) Yuen Hing Lo, October 24, 2011 12:46 AM
Questions and Help
Hi, I'm a undergraduate student from Penn State University. I'm now working with a folklore project in Jewish culture. what I am interested in is this part of Jewish---Kaifeng Jews, can I know some folklore details belong to this group of people. It will really help me for my folklore study. Thanks
Jim, March 1, 2012 10:53 PM
Reply about Kaifeng Jew folklore
Mr. Yuen, there is a book by Prof. Xu Xin called _Legends of the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng_ (Hoboken, N.J.: KTAV Pub, 1995). The tales range from the establishment of the community to periods during its decline. However, the book should not in any way be used for historical research. There are numerous anachronisms within the tales, and some parts are completely made up. I have pointed out some of these inaccuracies in a paper called "Origin Legends of the Kaifeng Jews." You should be able to find it online easily.
(23) Anson Laytner, August 1, 2011 11:44 PM
For readers interested in learning more about China's Jews, go to the website of the Sino-Judaic Institute: www.sino-judaic.org
(22) kobi arami, October 3, 2010 7:39 PM
amazing i know that iraqi jews help to buy your first synagogue.
(21) Anonymous, March 15, 2009 7:10 PM
Youtai- Phonetically similar to Yehudi
Many people know that Taoism can also be spelled Daosim, so the ethnicity "Youtai" seems very much like Youdai, which seems very close to the hebrew word for Jew- yehudi
(20) jon dyasuk, February 20, 2009 12:16 PM
So Was the Eskimos of Alaska
Little did the History know, there was men of Jewish race, that came up here and intermarried our race of "real" "men" "Yup'it" as we call ourselves,later on but like other group of people, nearly most that may have a jewish heritage, are know today most run most of our ANSCA Corporations and Eskimo race all live in peace! but unlike other group of people we are proud of "our race". and are comfortable. through most of our race still hold traditional kosher diet. Unlike others, our population is small, so we tend to keep quit. G-d of Universe through knew who "we are" jon dyasuk
(19) Mort Ginsberg, September 16, 2008 6:29 PM
NEVER WOULD HAVE GUESSED!
As we've continued to lament our shrinking numbers due to intermarriage and/or indifference to Judaism by at least some of our Jews, how refreshing to find a group I never even heard of so far away from our main stream. Thee world is truly growing smaller & maybe the discovery of this small group in one of the least understood countries in the world, will bring both our fellow Jews there and our 2 vastly different countries closer together. Intresting to learn about how Confucianism posed no problem for Jews there since it demanded no belief in any other supreme being. In an age wehre we are deluged with so much trivia across the media, I feel personally indebted to those who have brought this information to us. I'd like to continue to learn about this fascinating side of our mishacha! How do you say "Shalom" in Chinese? Mort
brachah, July 3, 2012 4:38 AM
shalom
shalom in chinese is ping-an.
Ester Zheng, February 16, 2020 5:11 AM
shalom mispacha
Shalom = 祝您平安 = Wishing you (written with the heart 心 ( xin / xīn ) beneath to show respect and warmth) pin-an/peace.
We say -morning peace, afternoon peace and evening/night peace, same word-an.
Chinese is a very polite language. Pretty close to Hebrew, written from Right to Left, and is pictographic with root system/symbols, similar to Hebrew.
Recognising the root word will reveal some basic meaning of the word itself.
Hope you'll see this reply, I have only discovered this article.
Shalom!
(18) JOSEPH, September 14, 2008 9:26 PM
Jews of China
I know this sounds odd for a big strong Israeli American man, but I actually started to cry when I read this. I forwarded it to a Chinese AMerican friend of mine. Its beutiful. Baruch Hashem. TOdah rabbah! J
Anonymous, February 16, 2020 5:37 AM
Chinese Jews
SO joyful to read your comments! I have been doing a lot of searching on this topic.
At the end of the inscription of 1512 occurs:
"This tablet was erected by the families Yen, Lè, Kaou, Chaou, Kin, E, and Cheng, at the rebuilding of the synagogue, in the first month of autumn, in the seventh year of Chíng-un of the Ming dynasty, A.D. 1511 [read 1512]."
from Inscription Revisited -Tiberiu Weisz
Surnames given to Chinese-Jews in Kaifeng stated on the Inscription.
Due to the various dialects spoken in the many Provinces in China, written forms of Surnames would be different:-
Zheng=Cheng/Chang/Cheang.
I believe and am studying/reading Torah, keeping kosher and the Feasts for a few years now. B"H!
(17) Jim, September 10, 2008 10:04 AM
Great article.
When I read this article, Pearl S. Buck's extraordinary book "Peony" came to mind. It is a novel of a Jewish family in Kaifeng. Clearly Mrs. Buck knew something about this interesting subject, and she might have talked to people there before she wrote her book. The end of the book is stirring to say the least, and I encourage everyone to read it. Also, there's a landmark book named " Chinese Jews: A Compilation of Matters Relating to the Jews of K'ai-feng Fu " by Wm. Charles White. It's out of print now but it's available. There are newer works on the subject as well.
(16) Daniel, September 9, 2008 6:47 PM
Speculation
This is just speculation, but if they are recognized with an official minority status...their numbers would probably explode. Any of the minority groups are excluded from the one-child policy, but it's not like it has stop anyone from having more kids.
(15) Anonymous, September 9, 2008 3:45 PM
other Jewish communities
I love this article!!! I came from Uzbekistan (used to be Russia)have lived in the states for 29 years. I have come to learn that most Americans divide Jews into 2 groups. Ashkenazic and Sephardic. They are missing out on the myriad of other groups out there. I am a Buharian Jew and I would love for you to write an article as profound as this one on Buharian Jewery, and any other sects that are out there, so that we are more knowledgeable and accepting of others with different Jewish traditions and ideologies.
(14) andrea, September 9, 2008 11:08 AM
so emotive
We are part of a community that knows too much about suffering and rejection, to read this type of article, and how they in a certain way keep certain jewish customs though near-assimilation shows that the jewish people has lot of possibilities that some day things for our people are going to revert. I am not a very religious person, I know many other jewish people are sure of what I said because they read about the messiah, but this is not my case. I am very pragmatic though I believe in our G-d. But reading this story is reassuring, isn't it? Another interesting story is the one of the jews of Cuba, the way they discover they were jewish..
(13) Leonard Marcus, September 8, 2008 8:31 PM
More about Kaifeng's Jews
Good article. Thought you might be interested in this excerpt from a paper I did on Jewish names: Funny, You Don’t Sound Jewish In 2005 THE New York Times designated at half-millennium intervals the world’s major city from the first, the patriarch Abraham’s home town of Ur, 4,000 years ago, to New York today. A thousand years after Ur, it was Thebes (modern Luxor), capital of Egypt, then a thousand years later, Rome. Midpoint between Rome and New York, in the year 1000, the capital of the world was Kaifeng, China. Kaifeng? Who has even heard of it today? Yet, a thousand years ago this Yellow River port was capital of the Sung dynasty, which ruled most of China for over three centuries. Records show that in 1163 two community leaders, its “Ustad,” Lieh-wei Wu-ssu-tu, and Antula were royally exalted with permission to assume the imperial Sung name and to establish a new temple. Devastating floods sporadically destroyed the temple, which had to be rebuilt first in 1279 during Khublai Khan’s reign, next in 1422, when Ming Emperor Yung-lo, an amateur pharmacist, put the physician An Cheng in charge of the project and allowed the doctor to upgrade his clan name from Cheng to the more honorable Chao, then again only 67 years later, in 1489. This last reconstruction contained a politically astute inscription honoring not only Lieh-wei Wu-ssu-tu, Antula, and An Chao, but also contemporary notables from all 70 local clans, among them the Kao, Chang, and Li, the Ai, Chin, Shih, and Chou, and of course the honorable Chao. The Kao clan includes Kao Yu-tsai bar Kao Meng-chi and the brothers Kao Hu ben Kao Te and Kao Lung ben Kao Te. So what? So, if you actually bothered to read those names, you might conclude that the temple was not your every-day neighborhood pagoda but a synagogue, the community Jewish1. The ben and bar in the Chinese names are “son of” respectively in Hebrew and Aramaic, the Middle East vernacular for 1,300 years, from the time of Daniel until Arabic took over in the 8th Century. Kao Te, whom the Kao brothers Hu and Lung were the “sons of,” would himself have been the grandson of a more traditional Jew, since he is honored as Kao Te ben Israel. A fellow Kao honoree has the name Yin ben Zebulun. The only “family” name, passed on from generation to generation, is the clan designation, like Kao, placed before rather than after the given names. As for the founders, Antula was a Mongol attempt at Abdullah, the “Ustad,” Lieh-wei, was, that’s right, Levi2. And what’s an Ustad? It meant Master in a dialect of India where Jews were believed to have originated3. Lieh-wei finally did get a real Chinese title, Chang-chiao: “leader of the religion.” We would call him Rabbi4. FOOTNOTES ¬¬¬¬¬___________________ 1 If you think about it, Abraham and his opportunistic Israelite descendents significantly inhabited all those Times-designated “world capitals.” 2 According to Marco Polo, Khublai Khan celebrated Jewish festivals along with Christian and Moslem ones. 3 A 1512 document identifies Judaism as an Indian religion and locates the Garden of Eden in Tien-chu His-yu, the “Western regions of India.” A 1663 inscription notes, “the religion started in Tien-chu (India) and was first transmitted to China during the Chou (c. 1111-225 BCE ). An ancestral hall (Tz’u) was built in Ta-liang (Kaifeng).” Those dates span a time from before the Kingdom of David to after Alexander the Great’s Helenization of Palestine. Inscriptions from 1512 and 1679 date Jewish emigration to China during the Han (206 BCE-220 CE), coinciding with the destruction of the second Temple in Jerusalem. Jewish tradition holds that they entered China from Persia. Obviously there were various waves of Jewish emigration to China. 4 Westerners first discovered Chinese Jews in 1605 when Kaifeng’s Ai Tian, who knew only that Moslems shared the Jewish belief in one God, sought out a visiting European he heard was also a monotheist, assuming that Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci must therefore be Jewish. Ricci Described Ai Tian’s face as “quite different from that of a Chinese regarding his nose, eyes, and all features.” A later Jesuit, Jean Domenge, visiting in 1722, sketched these Kaifeng Jews reading from the Torah. By then they looked distinctly Chinese, their Oriental faces only enhanced by pigtails dangling behind Chinese beanie yarmulkes.
(12) Denise Mordecai, September 8, 2008 7:16 PM
looking for pen pal
Hi- My daughter was born in China and I'm raising her Jewish (orthodox). We would like to connect with a Kaifang family who has a child near her age (seven). Denise
(11) Pip Lancaster, September 8, 2008 1:10 PM
Marco Polo - Jews in China.
Very interesting article. Marco Polo, 12th.century Venetian merchant mentions the presence and activities of Jews on the "Silk Road" and in the different areas of Mongol controlled China he visited.
(10) Paul Pillai, September 8, 2008 2:54 AM
Other Jewish Communities
Thank you for this article. In the same spirit of this article I’ll like to suggest an article on the oldest Jewish settlement in India, the COCHIN JEWS or also known as the MALABAR JEWS. There is a tradition that they have been in India since the time of King Solomon. I’m interested in them because a branch of my family came from the Malabar Coast and our oral history claims to have Jewish ties with the early Jews and Syrian Christians of the area. Thank you once again.
(9) Ruth Hagen Nemo, September 7, 2008 9:30 PM
Jews in China
I found your article so very interesting, I had heard that there had been Jewish people in China, but never read anything about it. Thank you for your research .
(8) OPPIE, September 7, 2008 3:56 PM
CONGRATS
GOOD ARTICLE THANKS
(7) JERRY RAPPOPORT, September 7, 2008 3:37 PM
you learn somehing new everyday concerning Jewish heritage
THANK YOU.
(6) Gary Leibl, September 7, 2008 2:25 PM
Interesting story
Great article. I would be interested in reading about other communities that have come back to Judaism.
(5) LARRY, September 7, 2008 1:53 PM
VERRRY INTERESTING WOULD LIKE TO GO SEE..
(4) jennifer, September 7, 2008 12:25 PM
great article!
I would love to see more articles on the Kaifeng Jews! Such an interesting story!
(3) Natalie Sirota, September 7, 2008 10:25 AM
Celebrating Heritage
I just love learning about the rich diversity of Jewish hertiage and teaching it to my children. For those of you with little girls, Gali Girls has a series of historical dolls and books of Jewish girls. One of them, and one of the most beautiful is Reyna, a Kaifeng Jewess! What a beautiful thing to be a part of this amazing, diverse, Torah observant, community of G-d that is the Jewish people!
(2) Grandpa Davy, September 7, 2008 9:48 AM
Very interesting article
Something I did not know. Learn something every day.
(1) Sarah-Eliyah Zimmer, September 7, 2008 8:26 AM
Amazing!!!
God reveals the jews from all over the world!!! Amazing....