Comments on: What We Least Expected: The Jewish Community of Kaifeng

By: Evan

Evan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:37:45 +0000

David, thank you very much for your corrections. It seems that you have spent time with the families yourself. You wouldn’t happen to know or actually be dimou, would you?

By: David Levy

David Levy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:23:06 +0000

This is a very good article, however I have a few corrections.
1. The Jin (four of whom are in Israel) and Zhang clans are still around.
2. There are 17 Kaifeng Jews in Israel of whom 7 are Israeli citizens, and ten are in the process.
3. Li Bo has a daughter not a son.
Once again a great article.

By: Zac G

Zac G — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:19:27 +0000

Thanks for the post Evan. As always, well written and interesting.

Did you ask them if they’ve ever heard of the “greatest jew in the world”?

By: Frances Q.

Frances Q. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:34:29 +0000

A Jewish woman’s story in Shanghai:
http://www.51ar.net/magazine/html/309/309462.htm

By: Nat Sadownik

Nat Sadownik — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:03:04 +0000

Evan; I was very moved by your article. It was extremely well written and heart felt. I hope someday to visit Kaifeng myself. As you and I have spent many hours discussing many esoteric subjects, maybe I can shed some light on this one. Judaism was and to a large extent still is a tribal religion. As you are aware, the religion predates the state or nation by many centuries. It was held together before the ancient state of Israel by its tribal roots and that is true today as well. In a tribe all members are brothers and share the same DNA. This bond is stronger than a national bond and transcends Diasporas.

By: Erika Kates

Erika Kates — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:52:02 +0000

Nice, job, this is a perceptive article…you make these people come alive. but be careful of the stereotypes please. Did you investigate the area in Shanghai where the Jewish refugees from Germany lived for 8 years of so after escaping the Nazis? There are alleys where people still remember the Jews who lived there; and, eerily, vestiges of the furniture they sold or gave away once they got their visas for other countries and left.

By: Ben Ross

Ben Ross — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:05:12 +0000

Great story. When I went and visited the Kaifeng Jews in 2005, they weren’t nearly as hospitable to me, giving me the old “yeah, we know why you’re here..it ain’t like you’re the first Jew to waltz in here and ‘discover’ us” vibe. This occurred in the neighborhood where the old synagogue (the one which is now a boiler room for a hospital) is located. The museum was a big wash as well. The ticket to get in was 10 RMB, but it cost an extra 40 RMB to see the special “Jewish floor.” The entire floor had a grand total of around 5 exhibits, several of which were simply old drawings of the old synagogue.

This is probably the most detailed, meaty account I’ve come across of contact with the Kaifeng Jews outside of scholarly texts, so great job on digging up all this dirt. Glad you could have such an interesting experience and thanks for sharing.

By: Martin Rosenfeld

Martin Rosenfeld — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:26:57 +0000

Extraordinary story. My Jewish brothers and sisters, and the roots that bind us together, go farther and deeper than I ever imagined. Reading your writing is like languidly floating down a river of words where images arise at every twist and eddy along the way. What I learned was inspiring. Thank you for sharing your rich and wonderful experience.

By: Kalee Gould

Kalee Gould — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:34:58 +0000

My son, who currently lives in Guanzhou, forwarded this article to us. What an amazing story. I plan on sharing this with my friends and family. Thank you.

By: Zack

Zack — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:23:11 +0000

Great story! I would have loved to visit Kaifeng and the Jews while living in China. There definitely seems to be an international assumption that all Jews are smart. Living in Shanghai, whenever I told anyone I was Jew (Youtairen), they would automatically tell me that I was smart and successful, to which I would reply that if I was smart and successful I wouldn’t be in Shanghai teaching English. Good stuff!