Kaifeng Suppression Update

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The Kaifeng Suppression:  Update

Anson Laytner, Editor, Points East

In 2015, the Chinese authorities cracked down on the Jewish community in Kaifeng for reasons best known only to them although it is assumed to be part of the government's crackdown on unauthorized religions.  They closed the Jewish school, expelled  the foreign teachers, prohibited communal gatherings, took down all historical signs and markers, shut down access to the three museum exhibits, sealed off the well on the ancient synagogue site, and forbade group tours by foreign Jews.  Only small family observance was still allowed and individual/family visits by foreign Jews were still permitted.

News of the crackdown in Kaifeng gained worldwide attention after Chris Buckley, a New York Times reporter, based in Beijing wrote two articles, the first of which reported the current situation (“Chinese Jews of Ancient Lineage Huddle Under Pressure” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/25/world/asia/china-kaifeng-jews.html?emc=eta1&_r=0 ) and the second, an in-depth interview with Moshe Yehuda Bernstein, gave background and context (“Jewish and Chinese: Explaining a Shared Identity” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/world/asia/china-kaifeng-jews-moshe-bernstein.html ).  It was the paper's most-emailed international news story on a second day, and was reprinted in many local papers.

Michael Freund, of Shavei Israel, wrote an op-ed in The Jerusalem Post, which called on the Israeli government to intercede and ask Beijing to stop the crackdown, noting that "There is no excuse for Israel to be turning its back on Kaifeng Jewry, who are a living link between our two civilizations."  

(http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/FUNDAMENTALLY-FREUND-Stop-the-crackdown-on-Chinas-Jews-467140 )

Sam Kestenbaum at The Forward wrote a follow-up article on the situation  (http://forward.com/news/349913/who-are-the-kaifeng-jews-and-why-is-china-cracking-down-on-them/? ) and both The Times of Israel (www.timesofisrael.com/chinese-authorities-crack-down-on-tiny-jewish-community/#.V-fd9z0jQpE.email ) and the Jewish News Service (www.jns.org/.../chinese-crackdown-on-jewish-practices-in-ancient- community-of-kaifeng ) ran shorter articles.

In other places, Mattias Messmer, in Germany, wrote on the subject (http://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/article/view/id/26451 ) and Kenneth Tan publicized the issue on Shanghailist  (http://shanghaiist.com/2016/10/03/kaifeng_jews_crackdown.php ) while What’s on Weibo (http://www.whatsonweibo.com/jews-in-shanghai/ ) contrasted how China is developing Shanghai as a Jewish tourist site with a mention of the crackdown in Kaifeng.

The news brought out well-intentioned folk who want to know how to communicate their concerns respectfully to the Chinese authorities and zealots who are all for a worldwide Jewish boycott of China.

SJI both respects China’s sovereignty and wants the Kaifeng Jews to be able to flourish. The Chinese national policy on the status of the Kaifeng Jews can remain what it is (if need be), but the national authorities should permit Henan and Kaifeng the flexibility to adapt things to fit the facts on the ground.  In other words, no recognition as a national minority, but recognition as a local minority.  Give the Kaifeng Jewish descendants a chance to survive!