Ep. 112 | The Kaifeng Jews

The China History Podcast

Laszlo Montgomery

Places & Travel, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2013

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week we look at a topic many have heard about but aren’t familiar with the details. We look at the early origins of the Jewish people in China and the time of the settlement in Kaifeng, Henan. Although you’d be hard-pressed to find a minyan amongst the native Jews in Kaifeng today, there are efforts being made to revive Judaism in that ancient city. It’s an interesting story that spans a millennium and offers a look at Chinese history from another angle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, Lasla Montgomery here with another China history podcast episode,
0:04.8	handcrafted for your pure sonophistic enjoyment.
0:09.1	Today's story concerns the rise and fall of the Jewish community in China centered in the city of Kaifung,
0:16.0	Henan province.
0:18.0	The Jews in China went way back.
0:21.2	No one knows for sure just how far back that was, although there's plenty of speculation.
0:26.0	To quote a certain former U.S. cabinet official from the Bush 43 administration, quote,
0:32.0	There are no knowns, there are things we know we know.
0:36.4	There are also known unknowns, that is to say we know there are some things we do not
0:40.8	know.
0:41.8	But there are also unknowns, the ones we don't know we don't know."
0:47.0	I couldn't have said it any better myself. And as I dug deeper into their history, I concluded you could say the same thing about the Kaifung Jews, too.
0:57.0	But it's a great story, so let's look at what was up with that.
1:01.0	I guess it's part urban legend and part common knowledge that
1:04.3	there was this lost colony of Chinese Jews and China or that there was this thriving
1:11.5	native Jewish community there.
1:14.0	Those more schooled in Chinese history
1:16.4	might know this Jewish center in China
1:18.4	was in the city of Kaifeng,
1:20.6	but not necessarily knowing where Kaifeng was and certainly not knowing why Kaifeng of all places and not the usual suspects of Beijing, Chang'an, or Loyang.
1:33.0	So the purpose of today's episode is simply to try and sort everything out and give you the main idea.
1:40.0	A lot of people have heard of the Kaifung Jews, but other than that, they can't say much about the subject at a cocktail party or even a sater.
	...

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