TheJewsfirstarrivedinChinaduringtheTangdynasty(618-907AD)andsettledasbusinessmen,civilservantsandprofessionals.TheyassimilatedintoChinesesocietyandlosttheirJewishcharacter.Thenextwavecameinthemid-19thcenturywiththeopeningofthetreatyportsandsettledinShanghai.Theywentintotrading,especiallyopium,anddiversifiedintoproperty,manufacturing,finance,publictransportandretail.AnotherJewishcommunitysettledinHarbinaftertheopeningoftheChinaEasternRailwayin1903.Theyalsoprosperedintradingandbusiness.Bothcommunitiesbuiltsynagogues,schools,socialclubsandwelfareinstitutions.DuringWorldWarTwo,25,000JewsfromNazi-occupiedEuropetookrefugeinShanghai,oneofthefewcitiesintheworldopentothem.ManyreceivedvisasfromAsiandiplomatswhodefiedtheirgovernmentstoissuethem.TheJapanesemilitaryrefusedtheNazidemandtocarryout‘thefinalsolution’oftheJewsinShanghai.After1945,inflation,civilwarandCommunistrulemademostJewsleaveChinafornewhomesinIsrael,NorthAmerica,Australiaandelsewhere.ThenewstateofIsraelworkedhardtoestablishdiplomatictieswiththePeople’sRepublic;itbecameanimportantsupplierofweaponsinthe1980s.Butittook42yearsforthetwocountriestosigntheties,in1992.Sincethen,relationshaveblossomedandChinahasbecomeoneofIsrael’sbiggestforeigninvestors.Inthereformandopen-doorera,JewishpeoplehavereturnedtoChinaandformimportantcommunitiesinBeijing,Shanghai,Guangzhouandothercities.PartofthisnarrativeareremarkableindividualswhohaveleftadeepimprintonChina–KarlMarx,SirVictorSassoon,SilasHardoon,theKadooriefamily,HenryKissingerandSigmundFreud.
Totellthisextraordinarystory,MarkO’Neillconductedmanyinterviewswithrabbis,businessmen,entrepreneurs,professorsandjournalistsinBeijing,Shanghai,HongKongandIsrael.Itis,largely,ajoyfulpageinJewishhistory.
“IbelieveinGodandthehandofprovidence.Sometimes,ifwearelucky,wecanseeGod’sguidinghand,andthestoryoftheJewsinChinaisoneofthoseluckytimes.WeseeGod’sguidinghand,wehaveseenprovidence”
–RabbiAsherOserofOhelLeahsynagogue,HongKong
finance INFLATION HONGKONG MANUFACTURING SCHOOLS CHINA SILICON SOMETIMES ITIS
