Jewish Identity of the Kaifeng Jews

Type:

Book Chapter

Author:

Xu Xin

Published:

2017

Publisher:

Routledge

The history of the Kaifeng Jewish community can be traced back to as early as the 11th century. By the mid-19th century, however, the last rabbi of the community had died without a successor. The synagogue was then unattended and diminished, and the community virtually ceased to exist, although individual Jewish descendants still live in Kaifeng. This chapter examines the attitudes, beliefs, and the ritual practices which conditioned their identities, based on an analysis of documents to see to what extent the Jews were able to retain their faith intact. For a Jewish community, especially during medieval times, one of the major concerns is the attitude towards the "House of Worship." The great devotion of the Kaifeng Jewry to their religious life can be seen from their enthusiasm shown in building or renovating their "House of Worship." The Kaifeng Jews deliberately inscribed the Shema in Hebrew.

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