A Slice of Jewish Legacy in Asia

Vacations are a great way to experience the world outside one’s little sphere of familiarity. From road trips to kosher cruises, Jewish travel is an opportunity to explore the engaging and wondrous travel destinations around the world, from Europe to Asia. Jewish legacy, in particular, is something worth exploring when visiting different countries. Chabad has made an effort to establish comfortable spaces for Jews in different cities around the world, in countries that may have little to no Jewish presence otherwise. However, Jewish legacy is more widespread than one could possibly imagine, with splinters of heritage buried deep within the various cultures that welcomed, tolerated or antagonized the Jewish migrants of antiquity. Here is one of them.

Jews of Kaifeng, China

Photo Credit: visitourchina.com/kaifeng/intro.html

Even in a land so far from Israel can Jewish heritage be found. The Silk Road that connected Asia, Africa, and Europe allowed Jewish traders from Persia and elsewhere to visit and trade with China. The most well-documented Jewish community in the country’s history was the one in Kaifeng, a northern city that was once the capital of the Song Dynasty.

The Jews of Kaifeng prospered, gaining prestige and influence through commerce. This sliver of Jewish heritage in Asia even built a synagogue in Kaifeng, which, with the grace of the Yuan Dynasty, was renovated 100 years later.

In Shanghai 

Shanghai, China

Sadly, with the city’s devastation of the 1642 Yellow River Flood (caused by the Ming army in a bid to counter the rebel leader Li Zicheng), the Jewish heritage of Kaifeng was struck with a terrible blow, and since then, Judaism began to decline in China. As the next few dynasties showed lessening tolerance to the Jews, the various communities in other parts of China began to disappear, integrating to the point that they lost their cultural identity. The community in Kaifeng was stronger than most, had to sell their Torahs to survive. However, around the 19th Century, the fortunes of Jews in China began to improve when Sephardic Jews arrived in the country, revitalizing business and improving the lives of Jewish refugees from Russia and elsewhere in Europe. The Japanese occupation dampened this progress to a significant degree, but after the Second World War, things got better as the community in Kaifeng began to reconnect to its Jewish roots. Sadly, the quashing of non-approved religions by the Chinese government in the 21st Century is threatening to erase this Asian Jewish legacy once again. 

Conclusion

In a time when the world seems so small, repetitive and interconnected, international travel is a reminder that there are so many more things to see and experience. Sometimes, going on  Jewish trips lets you discover hidden and faraway heritages, legacies that might disappear when no one is allowed to remember them anymore.