Kaifeng Jews (Chinese: 開封猶太人; pinyin: Kāifēng Yóutàirén; Hebrew: יהדות קאיפנג, romanized: Yahădūt Qāʾyfeng) are a small community of descendants of Chinese Jews in Kaifeng City, Henan of China.

Jews have lived in Kaifeng, a city in central China’s Henan province, for over 1,000 years. This makes the Kaifeng Jews the oldest Jewish community in China. The exact time Jews arrived in Kaifeng is not entirely certain.

Kaifeng Jew, member of a former religious community in Henan province, China, whose careful observance of Jewish precepts over many centuries has long intrigued scholars. Matteo Ricci, the famous Jesuit missionary, was apparently the first Westerner to …

While Jewish communities have lived in various parts of China, the best-documented one is that of Kaifeng, a historic trade city along the Yellow River. Three stone tablets, dating from 1489, 1512, and 1663, tell the story of Kaifeng’s Jewish community, describing their beliefs and lifestyle, and recording key historical events.

Aug 15, 2012 · Unlike many of their medieval co-religionists, the Jews of Kaifeng, it appears, were largely unscathed by discrimination or persecution. The Song Emperors, based in Kaifeng, held the Jews in...

Dec 1, 2022 · Without a rabbi since the early 1800s and lacking a synagogue since the mid-1800s, the Kaifeng Jews managed to survive floods, wars, dynastic changes, rebellions, and revolutions to make it to the present day when, sadly, it is suffering the first suppression in its long history. In Ancient Times.

The Jewish community of Kaifeng, a city in southwest China, dates as far back as the 9th century. While the history of the community is sketchy, it is believed that Jewish merchants from...

The first Jews arrived in Kaifeng, one of the capitals of imperial China, over a thousand years ago, when Jewish merchants from Persia settled in the area. At its height, in the Middle Ages, Kaifeng’s Jewish community numbered as many as 5,000 people, with rabbis, synagogues and various communal institutions.

May 23, 2011 · Legend holds that a Jewish community existed in the city of Kaifeng, China from the time of the Northern Song Dynasty (c. 960 – 1127 C.E.) until the late 19th century. It is believed that the...

Thus started one of the most remarkable stories of a Jewish community that existed totally isolated from any outside Jewish contact. Completely unknown to the western world, the Jews of Kaifeng maintained a synagogue, mikvah, kept kasruth and practised the rite of circumcision for nearly 1000 years.