Behind the Headlines the Jewish Roots in China

Three descendants of Chinese Jews met here with the 32 participants in an American Jewish Congress tour of the People’s Republic of China. Zhao Pingyu, 60, Shi Zhongyu, 48, and Shi Yulian, 60, all members of the original seven Jewish clans who settled in Kaifeng before the 12th century, answered questions about the now officially extinct community of their ancestors.

Described by the government tourist guide as “descendants of Chinese Jews, ” the three men are government bureaucrats who said they have played this scene many times. Zhao said he had met with Jewish visitors “scores of times” for some 42 years.

Although none practices Judaism (nor any other religion), they all said they consider themselves “Chinese Jews.” They and their children still state on official forms that their “nationality” is Jewish. Their families, however, have not been practicing Jews for three or four generations.

REMNANTS OF SOME CUSTOMS

Ritual circumcisions are no longer performed, but there are still remnants of some customs, Zhao said. Acting as spokesperson most of the time (with translation by the AJCongress tour guide), Zhao cited as current vestiges of Judaism the use of a form of matzoh during Passover and the avoidance of the raising of pigs.

(The government neither encourages nor prevents the practice of religion. In China, there are 54 nationalities, most with their own religion. The population includes 2.3 percent Buddhist and 1.3 percent is “other.” Members of the Communist Party — 5.6 percent of the population — cannot be members of a religious group.)

Zhao explained that the 1850’s Yellow River flood marked the end of the formal Jewish community in Kaifeng. With the synagogue leveled by the flood, ceremonial objects lost, the last rabbi dead, impoverishment replacing former affluence, and no one with knowledge of Hebrew, the community disintegrated.

Today, Communism has taken the place of religion, he said. But Judaism supposedly faded here almost 100 years before China’s 1949 “liberation” by the Communists.

REMEMBERING A JEWISH PAST

When he was eight years old, there was a mezzuzah on the doorpost of his family’s home, Zhao remembers. While the mezzuzah is no longer there, the family has lived in the same house for generations, passing on their Jewish history with continuity. Zhao said that the Jews of Kaifeng can trace their lineage as far back as the Sung Dynasty (960-1126 C.E.).

Upon their arrival in China, the Zhao emperor gave them seven Chinese names, including his own: Zhao, Goo, Ai, Li, Shi, Jin and. Zhang. These surnames and noses more prominent than the flat-bridged ones of most other Chinese are said to be the clues leading to descendants of Jews in Kaifeng today.

Asked whether he felt any special kinship with the AJCongress group because they are Jewish, Zhao said:”Of course, we have a special warm feeling for the Jews of the world.” He said that he and the others knew about the Torah, and about the history of the ancient homeland of the Jewish people.

Zhao said his family home was near the site of the synagogue, which the AJCongress group had visited earlier. They had also visited the main street of the former community, around the corner from the synagogue site. The street was formerly called “The Lane of Plucked Out Sinew, ” referring to the deveining of some cuts of meat to render them kosher. Today a new name still links the street with its Jewish past: “Teaching Scripture Lane.”

The 24-hour visit to Kaifeng was, for this correspondent, the most fascinating and the most frustrating part of AJCongress’s 18-day tour to China. Following a set itinerary that limited the visit in Kaifeng to 24 hours made it impossible to pursue in depth the question of Kaifeng Jews. Wandering alone in China is not easy under the best of circumstances, and inability to converse in Chinese adds to the difficulties.

QUESTIONS, BUT NO ANSWERS

But these difficulties only spurred a greater effort to find answers to questions: are there any Chinese Jews left in Kaifeng who are privately practicing at least some aspects of Judaism much more vigorously than the three men with whom we spoke? Are there any Chinese “Marranos” in Kaifeng?

I was haunted by the feeling that there might be descendants of Chinese Jews who were “more Jewish” than the three who seemed to be trotted out for every visiting group. I wanted to seek out others, and talk to them without the presence of government tourist guides or officials. I wanted to visit the homes of these Chinese Jews, to see if their private practice deviated from what the three “official” government-selected representatives of the community had said.

During a free hour before our scheduled departure, I took to the streets to soak in the flavor of the city. Without realizing it, I began examining the facial features of passersby, looking for potential Jews. At one point, an old bearded man wearing a Chinese skullcap rode down the street in a wagon pulled by a tricycle.

His driver stopped for a red light, and the old man and I looked at each other for what seemed a long time. Perhaps the romance of the story of the Kaifeng Jews had affected me, but I was convinced I had discovered an authentic Kaifeng Jew. When the traffic light turned green, my anonymous “Jew” disappeared; I shall never know whether my intuition was accurate.

(Tomorrow: Part Three)