Despite the People’s Republic of China’s dismal foreign policy record with regard to Israel, there is no Chinese anti-Semitism here. Neither Jews nor anti-Semitism exist for the citizens and government of China.
Few people among this vast population of one billion have the slightest conception of what a Jew or Judaism is. Even most university-educated Chinese have never heard of Judaism. With the exception of older Shanghai citizens who came into contact with the European Jewish community there during World War II or some people in Kaifeng who know the history of that city’s Jewish community, no Chinese are conscious of Jews as different from other westerners.
A typical encounter: Accompanying an American Jewish Congress tour group to China, this correspondent took advantage of an at-liberty Shabbat to wander the streets of Beijing. Near TianAmMen Square, a 40 year old Chinese student of English (with a Master’s degree) approached and asked if he could practice conversation. His English was excellent, until he was thrown by the words “Jewish” and “religion.”
Opening my pocket-sized English-Chinese dictionary, I discovered that “Jewish” and “Judaism” were not there. When I pointed to the Chinese characters next to the word “religion,” the student said: “Now I know — like praying on Sunday. Do you believe in this?” Trying to further explain proved futile.
MOST LEFT FOR ISRAEL AND THE U.S.
In addition to the remnants of the Kaifeng community, there is a very small group of Western Jewish businessmen and diplomats in Beijing, the capital. Of the 18,000 to 25,000 German, Austrian and Polish Jews who sought refuge in Shanghai during the Holocaust, only a few isolated old and sick people remain. Most left for Israel or America after the war. In 1954, the Joint Distribution Committee, responsible for aid to this community, closed its Shanghai office.
The AJCongress tour did not visit Shanghai’s former Jewish cemetery (destroyed during the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution). Nor did we visit the sites of several former synagogues, which now are used for other purposes, and the former ghetto, where Jewish refugees were forced to live under occupation by the Japanese. A generally uncooperative local government guide did not help this correspondent to locate these sites, even after several specific requests.
In Beijing, a Jewish man attached to a Western Embassy said that the community of Jewish Westerners in the capital was “non-cohesive.” He said that an attempt at a community seder fizzled last Passover, and that his family obtained two boxes of matzoh from the Hong Kong Jewish community. He was at a loss for names of leaders of the community. At the special school for children of English-speaking embassy personnel, his children are in a “completely Christian” atmosphere, he said.
A Jewish woman at a Western embassy said there were anti-Israel attitudes linked with anti-Semitism here, but not among the Chinese. Explaining why she never wore her Star of David necklace in public, she said: “There are so many Third World people around here that it’s unbelievable. And they’re all anti-Israel.”
“The Chinese have no conception of what is going on in the Middle East,” she continued. “But they’re anti-Israel because they’re pro-Arab, pro-Third World and pro-PLO.” The PLO maintains a Beijing headquarters.
Questioned about reports of the presence of Israeli experts in China, and doors opening for trade, she said: “The Chinese will take their help wherever they can get it. But they will never open relations with Israel. They’re in too thick with the Third World.”
A request to speak with a member of China’s Foreign Ministry got lost in the logistics of scheduling and language barriers. But evidence of China’s links with the Arab world were apparent, even on a superficial level. Candy bars and cookies packaged for export were labeled in English and Arabic. Free informational literature prepared by the government was available in English, French, German and Arabic. In Shanghai, several stores displayed Arabic signs.
GROUP DYNAMICS OF JEWISH TOURISTS
Traveling with a group of Western Jews through this huge country that holds one-quarter of the world’s population, virtually none of it Jewish, was an interesting experience for many reasons. The group dynamics were almost as fascinating as the Chinese history and arts.
As the trip progressed, members of the group became more overtly Jewish. They sang Yiddish and Hebrew songs on the bus, told Jewish jokes and taught Yiddish words to the Chinese guides.
Many Western Christians whom I encountered spoke of feeling isolated in this totally alien culture. Being Jewish magnifies this feeling here. Nearly all of the tour participants were from big cities with large Jewish populations — New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami. Never before had they visited a country where there are virtually no Jews or Jewish culture. Being with other Jews provided comfort and familiarity in this completely foreign and totally non-Jewish atmosphere.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
