@@Ivri616 no, it was my grandfather's mother, my grandfather was 1/2 Jewish and 1/2 Mongolian. thank you for telling, but still, I'd like to be a citizen of Taiwan.
@@TheExoGames Thank you again. Most of my local friends in Taiwan feel wear why I support Israel so enthusiastically, but they understand after I tell them my family roots. Also, I'd like to share with you a funny story, you probably had noticed that most Eastern Asian males have little body hair, but I have heavy body hair. You can imagine the first time I showered in the military boot camp, everybody just stared at me as if I were some kind of gorilla.
@@lichang-l3m that's not how it works in Judaism. According to Judaism, If your mother is Jewish, you're completely Jewish. And the state of Israel grants citizenship for everyone with a Jewish grandfather. Right now, Taiwan is quiet. But god forbid something happens, it's good to have a backup plan.
Another Win for Unpacked. I am orthodox jew I also have Asian roots too so i have been watching the Kaifeng Jews with optimism and hope over the years, Thank you!
So foreign merchants settled in small community, fully self contained and no doubt sufficient as you claimed or suggested are entitled to 'independence'. So I agreed with your premise. Then all Jewish communities in EU have the same rights!!!! 😅😅
Wow I'm ethnically Chinese but I never knew about this AT ALL! This channel teaches me so much about everything since I subscribed. Thank you so so much @UNPACKED. I love you guys
I was trying to catch the last names of Chinese with Jewish ancestry, but I couldn’t. Please, if it’s possible, write it to me, because I have so many Chinese students and friends and I became very curious.
@@privateprivate22 The Jews of Kaifeng, a community that has existed in China for many centuries, were known to have integrated with the local Chinese population over time. As they assimilated, they adopted Chinese surnames. The eight surnames traditionally associated with the Jews of Kaifeng are: 艾 (Ài) 石 (Shí) (lit. stone) 赵 (Zhào) 张 (Zhāng) 金 (Jīn) (lit. gold) 高 (Gāo) 李 (Lǐ) 周 (Zhōu) These surnames were often chosen based on phonetic similarity to their original Hebrew names or in some cases to align with prominent local families. Over generations, the Jewish heritage of these families became less distinct as they further integrated into the broader Chinese society. ps : there are a lot of Zhou , li and zhangs around in china , that doesnt mean they have jewish ancestry .....i wouldn't think so , it probably applies to people who are from kaifeng.
Hi there. I live in a "Little Asia" community that's right next to a Jewish neighborhood. There's that old joke about Jewish and Chinese folks ending up in each other's restaurants during Christmas. It's kinda true here! Yes, the Kaifeng are interesting. Jews ere kinda special in how, for centuries, they've been an ethno-religious groups that has blended into countless other ethnic groups. I always thought that was kinda cool, if a little mysterious. How is stitch a small group so resilient over so many centuries? Most aren't! In any event, despite being neither Chinese nor Jewish, I have both in my extended family through various marriages. It makes for interesting family gatherings - particularly when food is involved!
@@rivlew7025 I agree.Many people have Jewish blood in them and have no idea.One of most closest friends comes from Vietnam and she found out she is part Jewish.
small correction. You said China is weary of anything that might challenge main stream Chinese culture, but I think it would be more accurate to say that the CCP is weary of anything that might challenge their authority. Traditional Chinese culture I believe would be much more open and free outside that influence.
It makes me want to cry. Even after generations, they had that yearning to return home, and talk about returning to Jerusalem. They shouldn't feel bad about having to convert to Judaism. What they practice is a mixture of two cultures. Now they are in the process of learning and understanding practices lost throughout the generations. 😊 they are reconnecting to their roots, regaining lost knowledge. Keeping them in our prayers.
European Jews practice two cultures. Well He said to me "Praise all those who believe in The Yeshua." The Yeshua. Think on that. He isnt Yehoshua (God is Salvation) he is The Anointed. The Anointing is for men only. The Anointing has the freedom of speech (His tongue) All others are failed. YhWh never anointed His body. He does not need anointing. There is only One God. We is the Heavens Elohim Father El and Sanhedrin Israel were praying as Moslems do today "be called". Islam is older than Muhammad and written Quran Lamentations 2.10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground in silence. They threw dust on their heads and girded themselves with sackcloth. The maidens of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. [the daughters of Zion are not girls it is figurative] 2 Chronicles 7:3 When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever.” Ezra 9:5 At the time of the evening offering, I rose up from my self-abasement with my garment and robe torn, then I bowed down on my knees and spread out my hands to Adonai my God. Nehemiah 8:6 Ezra blessed Adonai, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, amen!” as they lifted up of their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped Adonai with their faces to the ground. Ancient language. aa or ah = existence i or ee = direction of Power from Heaven to Earth e or eh = direction of Power from the Earth to Heaven U or oo = arrival Hu = essence Sa = adding S covering also salvation from existence Him, others sa se si so su Ahu = mound mount the Y is nonexistent it is actually developed from a combination of i and a (ia him her he she) Iahu opposed to Iehu (Iesahua) YhWh Spirit of and El and the Anointed Person. Israel = I sa ra El(iLa or iLu) Islam = I sa ra m' (ma?) ma = coming Ram meaning G-d. Yeshua held up a coin in Palestine and said, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesars". It was called Palestine a transliteration on Philistine. Jerusalem is in Palestine. Was never called Israel except in the North. The people in Egypt were said to be Israel. You cant understand the biblical texts. Palestine exists on maps. Go google them. Many Palestinian Israelites converted to Islam and Christianity. Islam is older than the Quran and Mahammad. They are the people attacked from the north. Ashkenazi come from the north.
Yeah, that pisses me off. Just because they can't prove that every mother in their lineage was Jewish doesn't mean that there aren't just as Jewish as any other jew. They kept the identity throughout centuries of disasters and assimilation and deserve to be recognized as Jews. The rabbnim in Israel are just snobs.
Awesome video, thank you! Just a slight "correction" (if you even want to call it that) is that just because someone has a surname listed among the surnames at 2:02 does not automatically mean that they have Jewish ancestry. For one, the last name 金(Jin) is actually the same Chinese character used when writing the Korean last name Kim (김/金). But then we would have to say that 30% of Koreans, including Kim Jong-un, has Jewish ancestry, which is preposterous! So a Kaifeng Jew would likely have one of those last names, but just because someone has one of those as a last name does not automatically mean they have Jewish ancestry.
@@Awakening_Sunshine It makes a lot more sense when you realize that Mandarin underwent transformation over centuries where the g sound eventually became the j sound in certain cases. The same character is pronounced “gam” in Cantonese.
Approx. 11 years, I was able to visit the site of the former Kaifeng synagogue and see a special Jewish related exhibit (which includes some Jewish tombstones) in the Kaifeng Municipal Museum.
Henry Abramson also has a fascinating video about the history of Chinese Jews. His covers the older history whereas this one describes more modern times, so the two contributions are complimentary.
Im Jewish from Israel. I always get so emotional when i see those ALIYA stories from all around the world,and i understand how lucky i am to be born here. Am Israel Hai !❤🇮🇱
May G-d keep you and your family and friends always safe in Israel.Israel is the most wonderful best country in the world.Kol Tov v Shalom aleichem ! indeed Am Israel Chai ! Od Aveinu Chai !
@user-pb1rz4xu3x To live in Israel came into existence as a refuge Jews around world. A safe homeland they can escape too so the horrors of the past will.never happen again. Youtibe will not let me mention them all but know the horrors stared long before ww2. Thus to be a citizen of Israel one must be one of the following. .1. Be Jewish, .2. Be born in Israel thus Israel has a population of 2 million Muslims and a bunch of other religions such as Christians and people of the Druze faith. And finally . 3. To serve in the military as Israels neighbours want the full eradication of the country and its people. The the Chinese Jews problem was the definition of being Jewish. As acording to the Jewish faith to be Jewish you must be born to a jewish mother. Unlike Christianity where the faith is passed from the father. So tecnically according to the religion they are not Jewish and due to how the beaurcracy works the legal definition of being Jewish is the exact one of the religion itself thus they couldn't become Israeli citizens unless they were to either convert to Jewdism to be considered Jewish according to the Beaurcracy or serving in the army as they were not born in Israel.
Thanks for highlighting the story of the Kaifeng Jews. It's a tragic story. Singapore has a sizeable Jewish community and Sulawesi in Indonesia has a small one. Penang in Malaysia used to have one.
So now I know where my craving for chinese food on sundays come from...😂 Love to learn about this, I am a Jew and I didn't know, thank you for bringing this knowledge to me❤
Are you Ashkenazi Jewish? I recommend you read next about the Southern Chinese maternal haplogroup M33c which is found in about 0.34 percent of Ashkenazi Jews, stemming from a Chinese woman who converted to Judaism before the 15th century. Because of endogamous marriage, every Ashkenazi today whose ancestors come from East-Central Europe and Eastern Europe must be her descendant.
I think if the Israeli government used different words, they could convince people to get a formal conversion: calling it a REAFFIRMATION as part of JOINING ISRAEL. It would go a long way.
İ'd actually heard of the historical Kaifeng Jews but had no idea that they still exist. Thank you for opening my eyes! 😊 and bravo for pronouncing the chinese words! 🏆 İ take a chinese course last year and know what a challenge it can be. İt is sad to see how they're not accepted even by the jewish law. 😢 İ on the other hand have a jewish great grandmother (my mother's mother's mother). But apparently you don't talk about it in my family. İn fact İ was already 16 when İ found out about it.
I would love videos on every Jewish community globally if possible I know that’s a lot but I think it would be super interesting from South America to Kazakhstan to Romania and every other place. (I’m Romanian American my dad is a Romanian Jew, son of Holocaust survivors)
In India's north-east state Mizoram, we have a village called 'Keifang', I wonder if it has anything to do with 'Kaifeng'. (North-east India is where we have the Bnei Menashe community).
I am Jewish on my father's side and Colombian Swedish on my mother's. My Gentile mother made sure that I stayed grounded and connected to my Jewish roots! She is the reason why I am a Proud Jew ✡️ today. Moses, Joseph, and even King Solomon all married non-Jewish women, yet their children were still Jewish, and we as Jews see them as heros!! Being Jewish is a matter of Ethnic and Cultural Pride for many of us. Israel needs to remember that it's founders were Secular and returning to the land of our ancestors was both Spiritual and Cultural, and I would also like to remind Israel in case they have forgotten that before the Kingdom of Israel fell, you were Jewish on your father's side! Also, reform Judiasm excepts those like myself who are proud Jews ✡️ from their father's! A Jew is a Jew! Let that be enough, if you want those of us living in the Diaspora to return to ancestral homeland then you are going to have to except those of us with Gentile Mothers like mine!! Regardless of what Israel says or what the religious secs say! I will always be a proud Jew ✡️ and I will always stand by Israel 🇮🇱 but that doesn't mean I will except your rules or opinions regarding Jewishness because I know what I am, who I come from and the place I call home!! I am a Jew, Judea is my ancestral homeland and I don't need religious laws to tell me otherwise! And neither should anyone else, be proud to be Jewish ✡️ and don't let anyone take that Jewish Pride away from you because of who your mother is, what matter is you staying connected to your Jewish roots and Judiasm is more than a religion it is a way of life, we are Jews ✡️ we make the most of and best of we got! And what got is Jewish Pride!! ✡️ AM YISRAEL CHAI
Yes they are Jewish and imo any East Asian or South East Asian who becomes Jewish is a fellow Jew and should be treated as Jewish like any other type of Jew.
Im Jewish and imo Jews who live in isolated areas like this , a conversion according to Jewish law should be a formality at best and would validate thier Jewish identity beyond a shadow of a doubt.
@@Markjameslevy I find the matriarchy of Judaism to be a bit dumb, especially in the modern day and age. The most common theory on how it came to be is that a long time ago people weren't always able to tell who the father of oneself is but the mother was much easier to find, thus the status of Jewish was passed down from the mother. If it wasn't already obvious that isn't an issue today, which is why I still consider myself Jewish, even though it comes from my mothers' fathers' side.
we Mexicans should covert to Judaism and take over Israel and then hand the country back to Palestinians, crazy how people with no genetic links to the levant can occupy a region simply for being "jewish". I think Israel needs especially the women of Mexicans LOL
@@Markjameslevy Its a shame the children of/with Jewish grandparents and/or one only Jewish parents/father are not recognized by Jewish law after all Hitler recognized their Jewish ancestry for generations back and dealt with them accordingly . They were give the same fate in the death camps of Europe as any other Jew.
Very interesting and informative! I must add, the main problem all ancient communities who have lived in difficult locations face is - conversion. This should not be taken as an insult to their lifelong observance, but rather, as a result of their steadfast connection to Judaism throughout their lives a process was put in place by the Rabbis which would allow the so called 'hidden ' Jews to marry the open proclaimed Jews. Being certified a Jew is a process repeated every time a couple decides to get married, for everyone! For the Jews of Kaifeng that process is called conversion, a welcome home to our people with no rejection as the Rabbinate does with other candidates. Yes, it may feel like excess scrutiny and insult, but it is the only way to secure a Full Jewish identity for all our children and when their children will face marriage they will proudly be able to present their parents' certificate of inclusion to the Jewish people, something they were unable to do for thousands of years....
if u are interested in obscure jewish history u should check out J. F. R. Jacob. An Indian jew, who is considered one of the founding fathers of bangledesh.
Very interesting and sad. My grandparents came to the states from Germany. One drop of Jewish blood got you sent to the gas chambers. So the fact that their are people who love being Jewish is very heart warming. But being Jewish is very complicated especially when Israeli citizenship is involved. I don't know what is entailed in converting to Judaism since both my parents were Jewish. Personally if you can demonstrate that you know Hebrew and show you were bat or bar mitzvahed, I would say that should do it. But so many people hate us. I get being cautious is probably needed.
It does not matter how "hurt" anyone is that their Jewish identity is not accepted. It was not accepted in china and not in Israel until proper conversion. They married non Jews, stopped following halacha, who knows what they are... but if they convert properly they are Jews in Israel. We are a nation of laws, not of personal feelings. And that is the way it always has been.
true. but i'm sick that the only accepted standard is orthodox Judaism, which for me has very little to do with judaism, has more to do with islam. (in the sense most of their belief is outward like in islam) they neglect spirituality and realism, without those judaism is just a religion and not a very wise one at that. (please debate me)
If they follow the laws of the torah why should they have a formal conversion? I'm sick of the catholic church wanabee rabbinate trying to gatekeep people from God. Like the Jews of china, India, Ethippia and Uganda who were rejected by the rabbinate we should only submit to God, not men.
Orthodox Judaism was a movement to preserve the beliefs and practices of traditional Judaism as many other Jews were dropping many fundamental Jewish beliefs and practices as a result of the enlightenment spreading to the Jewish community. That’s what distinguishes Orthodox Judaism from other sects of Judaism in that it attempt to preserve and maintain traditional Judaism
@@nurkkr I am a secular person but I do not agree with you. Orthodox Judaism is not similar to Islam and should not even be compared. I have communicated and communicate with many Orthodox Jews and I can clearly see the difference. And if we take the so-called "reform Judaism", then there is nothing left of Judaism there and it is essentially a completely different religion and therefore many people stop identifying themselves as Jews at all and now we can clearly see this when among the reformists there are so many leftist fanatics who hate everything Jewish and advocate the destruction of Israel. Among the Orthodox, with the exception of small sects such as, for example, Neturei Karta (there are only 5 thousand of them and their community in Iran does not observe Shabbat and in fact they also have nothing to do with Judaism because observing Shabbat is one of the most important commandments so they are mummers) there is no such thing and people consider themselves part of the Jewish people and understand the importance of having a Jewish country.
Thank you for sharing the story. The tradition in China is the children follow their father's heritage. I have never been to my dad's birth place but I was registered as such in all the official documents before I left China.
Im north Asian and fully Jewish living in Israel most of my class mates are also Asian from different ears we actually read a book about this called the Jew of china it’s very interesting
@@imperiald3864Siberian people often identify themselves as Russian, Mongolian will not specific mention they are north Asian, they will say they are Mongolian rather than north Asian. Either this guy is lying or that he do not want to real lots of information 😊
First of I’m a girl so hi second the term north Asian is the term they use for true Russia, Mongolia anything that’s on the top part of Asia, including Kazakhstan Pakistan anywhere in the Middle East and lining south Asia on the top or on the top of south east Asia is considered northern Asian so yeah there you go hope this helps if not take a geography course☺️
I grew up in Uzbekistan , there was a big community of "Bukharian " Jews . They live in the ancient city of Bukhara, spoke farsi, must come from Persia !
The government actually created a separate ethnic identity of Han Chinese who were Muslim, and called them Hui people. They were fully Han looking but because they were Muslim, they branded them as a separate ethnic group. But the Jewish people among the Han didn’t get the same treatment. And were not even recognized as an official religion inside China.
Their history of intermarriage is what makes them not halachic Jews. This is also the reason why many in the reform movement and some in the conservative movement are not halachic Jews. Intermarriage rates are extremely high in North America and now even in Israel.(a large population there are secular and among them is a high intermarriage rate) To call it a second holocaust is harsh, but the damage this does to the Jewish people is extremely troubling.
I really hope they come here to Israel and go through the conversion process. While I understand why it may hurt individuals it is a necessary prosses for things like marriage to be possible.
pls look upto my people also ( Kuki and Mizo) from Northeast India. A section of our community follow Judaism. Many moved to Isreal, while others are still in India. According to our oral history we migrated from Isreal to Iran to China and then to India in a span of 2700 years. I follow Christianity. But I have cousins who follow Judaism. The thing is before we converted to Christianity , our traditions have many similarities with Judaism. And also the DNA test proved that a tiny percent about 4/5 % of the women carried the ancient Jews DNA. The rest beingChinese, Tibetan, Burmese
0:02 showing Om as Buddhist symbol?! Didn’t except that from this channel. Lack of knowledge! Om is a Hindu symbol, as Buddhism appeared from Hinduism some Buddhist may use Om but Chakra or wheel is more appropriate to refer Buddhism☸️. Pin this comment or mention this in your comment or this will create misconception among Non-Hindus.
The Kafeng Jews are known. However,why is everyone converting to the Ashkenazi Europeans customs to be recognized as a Jew? One is a Israelite/Jew according to Their Paternal/Father's lineage according to Torah,The Bible,& The Gospels of Yahawashi ha Mashayach/The Savior Jesus
From Iodaios to iodaerum to iewes to Jews, we're supposed to be talking about the specific people autochtonous to Judah. How then the term jew, have come to identify the 12 tribes of biblical Israélites indifferently, is a remarkable feat. The related religion judaism is not different. Only coined by Josephus to pit it against hellenism, it's christian's littérature adoption and généralisation of the term that led the jewish community accept it and use it. They recognised the Torah, the ways of Yah, wasn't called such in ancient biblical times, nor in talmudic and pharisaic times. That's if you ask any renowned jew scholars from early 20th century. Nowadays they will be flagged as antisémites.......
I admit that the capabilities of the Jewish and Chinese diaspora are the best. They always had Hebrew and Chinese names even though they lived and grew up in foreign lands. Their ability to pass down traditions and history from generation to generation is also very good. By the way, I like unique historical stories like this. Thank You so much🙏
The Jews of Kaifeng have always fascinated me. So split off from the rest of the Jewish world, and yet thriving. It’s sad to see the community slowly abandoned, and then the law of return being so biased against them.
I'm an anglo Indian from South India, and I have Jewish ancestors on my dads side, though my dad's side is Catholic, he has a Jewish ancestor who became outwardly Catholic during the Goan inquisition and he married a Catholic Portuguese woman. I grew up personally secular/agnostic but I'd have dreams since I was a kid where a voice would tell me once a year that "You are Israel" I didn't know much about the word or about Israel, I had a bad allergy to pork and shellfish, so I would not eat those foods. One day when I was travelling to the US I learnt that Jews didn't eat pork, shellfish and the like, turns out I had been kosher without knowing I was kosher. I'm not a Catholic but a born again Christian and when Yahusha returns He'll bring back the lost of Israel from outside of Israel, I won't go through the rabbinic process.
Cool episode. Actually, until the Roman Empire, Jews were considered Jews according to the father. So any rational rabbinate recognizes Jews who wish to be Jews, not only based on their mother.
Due to our last names “Zhu” being pronounced “Jew” in Chinese, my older brother joked that we would be the only Chinese Jews to tour in former Nazi Germany
I was actually recently wondering whether there were any East Asian Jewish communities, there was something about the mental image of a Chinese Haredi with perfectly straight forelocks that I found somewhat amusing.
It is so infuriating that the rabbinate does not follow the Halacha. The Halacha says that even if a person is not Jewish, but is of the seed of Israel, we must make it easy for him and help him return to Judaism if that is what he requests.
It's not discrimination. If you say that you have Korean roots, should you be accepted as a citizen of South Korea merely on the basis of your word? Which country would do that? Besides, if you are who you claim you are, it should be easy for you to pass the test.
Jews must have become very skilled at hiding themselves in communities over the centuries. Thank God they have their own country of Israel today where they do not have to hide despite still having to defend their very survival courageously.
There is so much wrong with this video: certainly true that there were Jews in Kaifeng but the enormous fuss made about this lost community is ludicrous. The Chinese claiming to be Jews today are no more so than the President of China. There are lost Jews all over Europe - in Spain, in Portugal, in Italy, etc . ... for historical reasons they married out and so ceased to be Jews. This is the case here too. You mention an Italian traveller hading back to Italy - no he did not; he sent letters to Rome as very few of the Jesuits who visited China ever returned there. In Kaifeng some so-called Jews were swift to recognise the opportunities offered first by Catholic missionaries and then Protestant missionaries and ultimately Jews from Shanghai who also heard of this "lost" community. In the past thirty years eager American Jews, fascinated - rather like you - by these "exotic" Jews - have fetishised them and they, these "Jews", are now milking the opportunities offered by gullible tourists and, sorry to say, Jews for Jesus, who also see an opportunity. Let's please keep things in perspective. The "Jews" of Kaifeng are NOT Jewish, no more than the thousands of Spanish and Portuguese of Jewish descent are.
As this video says, a small number of Kaifeng Jewish descendants have formally returned to Judaism through a conversion ceremony. This is also true for some descendants of the Jews of Spain and Italy. For example, I know a Mexican descended from a Sephardic Converso in his direct paternal line who converted to Orthodox Judaism.
You have shortened perfectly a longer subject, and no errors occur in this narrative. Re the question if the Chinese Kaifeng are Jewish - technically no. However the occurance of ancient communities who lost ties w/other Jewish communities is an old story, And the Torah opinion is that: "בונה ירושלים ה' נדחי ישראל יכנס" Palsm 147 And so the Rabbis know that 'Returning' comes w/process of Jerusalem Rebuilt, already happened, ... But they just do not have the formula to rise above the Halachic restrictions by using other Halachic principles, which alude them, at this time. But distant Jews should have patiance and practice the religion on your own - and in your particular community - since this needs persistance on your part and a certain Sage's opinion which can correct this, if the Rabbis collectively agree to reinstall the minority opinion. AND its too complex to explain to non Talmud scholars. (this solution) but I've just tried giving those needing Jewish ID solution, some hope.
I'm honestly always confused if Jewish is supposed to be a religion thing or an ethnic thing. If it's an ethnic (or family) thing, then why God is mentioned?
It's an ethnoreligion. Basically, both at the same time. That's why it's possible to be an (ethnically) Jewish atheist or a (religiously) Jewish convert. That's also what makes the question of who is Jewish so complicated and have so many different answers. Personally, I'm a fan of David Ben-Gurion's definition: "I consider as Jewish anyone who is meshuge (crazy) enough to call themselves ‘Jewish.’"
@@MagicScientist If you accept and live by Jewish law, then the question of who is Jewish is simple, : A Jew is a person who is born of a Jewish mother or who converts to Judaism (per Jewish law).
All Kaifeng Jewish descendants are Israelites/Hebrews. This has been proven genetically as I describe in my article "Genetic Confirmation: The Jews of Kaifeng Descend from Mizrahi Jews" in the July 2024 issue of Points East: A Publication of the Sino-Judaic Institute on pages 1 and 5. But their Israelite ancestry is through their paternal lines. This means that according to Talmudic law they must convert to Judaism to be accepted as Jews by the world Jewish community.
@@user-jr4kc6lu9q pls look upto my people also ( Kuki and Mizo) from Northeast India. A section of our community follow Judaism. Many moved to Isreal, while others are still in India. According to our oral history we migrated from Isreal to Iran to China and then to India in a span of 2700 years. I follow Christianity. But I have cousins who follow Judaism. The thing is before we converted to Christianity , our traditions have many similarities with Judaism. And also the DNA test proved that a tiny percent about 4/5 % of the women carried the ancient Jews DNA. The rest beingChinese, Tibetan, Burmese
I had a friend who is a child’s move from the area to Australia, and although as far as he knew his parents and his grandparents or Buddhist, but he always said that he felt in his bones that he was Jewish he was ethnically Chinese and encountered cruel racism and his adopted country, but it struck because he always mentioned his suspicion of being a Jew with the kind of pride, but also anxiety that Jews carry generational trauma display
The scholar said it best - this is a community that has surfed off of the fumes of Ashkenazi Jewish culture... but isn't really Jewish. Judaism tends to win out in many cultural arm wrestling matches. But it does not win against Han Chinese culture in post-Mao china.
What a world we would have, if all religions were allowed to be practiced in every land...People would flourish in all good things. Peace would prevail, and wickedness would be but a bad memory.
what you don't take into account is that socialism sets as replacement of religion and pushes religion away eventually but don't mistake religion with say.. is-lame, which is more like socialism than anything else
This is actually cool. I also found out recent that their is a rare Jewish group that starts with a "B" I think. Somewhere East of Georgia? West of Kazakhstan? Somewhere there. I also found out West Iran has many Jewish. I think they are part Kurdish? So cool.
my great grandmother was a Jewish from Kaifeng, I am a proud 1/8 Jewish.
That means your grandfather is fully Jewish.
You are eligible for Israeli citizenship.
@@Ivri616 no, it was my grandfather's mother, my grandfather was 1/2 Jewish and 1/2 Mongolian.
thank you for telling, but still, I'd like to be a citizen of Taiwan.
@Ivri616 and more then welcome in Israel as our brother.
@@TheExoGames Thank you again.
Most of my local friends in Taiwan feel wear why I support Israel so enthusiastically, but they understand after I tell them my family roots.
Also, I'd like to share with you a funny story, you probably had noticed that most Eastern Asian males have little body hair, but I have heavy body hair. You can imagine the first time I showered in the military boot camp, everybody just stared at me as if I were some kind of gorilla.
@@lichang-l3m that's not how it works in Judaism. According to Judaism, If your mother is Jewish, you're completely Jewish. And the state of Israel grants citizenship for everyone with a Jewish grandfather.
Right now, Taiwan is quiet.
But god forbid something happens, it's good to have a backup plan.
Another Win for Unpacked. I am orthodox jew I also have Asian roots too so i have been watching the Kaifeng Jews with optimism and hope over the years, Thank you!
yeah the west is fed up with ya again
So foreign merchants settled in small community, fully self contained and no doubt sufficient as you claimed or suggested are entitled to 'independence'. So I agreed with your premise. Then all Jewish communities in EU have the same rights!!!! 😅😅
So come Home already!
@sinalbertckwong6406Self sustaining before evil people change laws and make obstacles to limit freedoms. Welcome Home already!
Wow I'm ethnically Chinese but I never knew about this AT ALL! This channel teaches me so much about everything since I subscribed. Thank you so so much @UNPACKED. I love you guys
I was trying to catch the last names of Chinese with Jewish ancestry, but I couldn’t. Please, if it’s possible, write it to me, because I have so many Chinese students and friends and I became very curious.
@@privateprivate22 they participated in the opium trade and the destruction of China
@@privateprivate22 The Jews of Kaifeng, a community that has existed in China for many centuries, were known to have integrated with the local Chinese population over time. As they assimilated, they adopted Chinese surnames. The eight surnames traditionally associated with the Jews of Kaifeng are:
艾 (Ài)
石 (Shí) (lit. stone)
赵 (Zhào)
张 (Zhāng)
金 (Jīn) (lit. gold)
高 (Gāo)
李 (Lǐ)
周 (Zhōu)
These surnames were often chosen based on phonetic similarity to their original Hebrew names or in some cases to align with prominent local families. Over generations, the Jewish heritage of these families became less distinct as they further integrated into the broader Chinese society.
ps : there are a lot of Zhou , li and zhangs around in china , that doesnt mean they have jewish ancestry .....i wouldn't think so , it probably applies to people who are from kaifeng.
it's pretty well known
Hi there. I live in a "Little Asia" community that's right next to a Jewish neighborhood. There's that old joke about Jewish and Chinese folks ending up in each other's restaurants during Christmas. It's kinda true here!
Yes, the Kaifeng are interesting. Jews ere kinda special in how, for centuries, they've been an ethno-religious groups that has blended into countless other ethnic groups. I always thought that was kinda cool, if a little mysterious. How is stitch a small group so resilient over so many centuries? Most aren't!
In any event, despite being neither Chinese nor Jewish, I have both in my extended family through various marriages. It makes for interesting family gatherings - particularly when food is involved!
This channel has made me learn so much about Judaism it inspired me to start learning Hebrew 😅 keep it up guys!! Love from your Arab cousin ❤🇵🇸
that is amazing! so many jews in israel know arabic, it means a lot to us when people want to learn our language too🥰
Your last name has some Jewish in it....test your blood you will be amazed...
@@rivlew7025 I agree.Many people have Jewish blood in them and have no idea.One of most closest friends comes from Vietnam and she found out she is part Jewish.
@rivlew7025 A lot of palestinians are actually come from different semitic groups like cananites samaritans and Assyrians.
@@Maus_122Actually most of them are Jewish
small correction. You said China is weary of anything that might challenge main stream Chinese culture, but I think it would be more accurate to say that the CCP is weary of anything that might challenge their authority. Traditional Chinese culture I believe would be much more open and free outside that influence.
Bro has never heard when some guy claimed to be the brother of Jesus to try and create a rebel kingdom
I always look forward to your videos.
Thank you for this video.
I like learning about Jewish history.
Manashantii The Christian
It makes me want to cry. Even after generations, they had that yearning to return home, and talk about returning to Jerusalem.
They shouldn't feel bad about having to convert to Judaism. What they practice is a mixture of two cultures. Now they are in the process of learning and understanding practices lost throughout the generations. 😊 they are reconnecting to their roots, regaining lost knowledge.
Keeping them in our prayers.
European Jews practice two cultures.
Well He said to me "Praise all those who believe in The Yeshua."
The Yeshua. Think on that. He isnt Yehoshua (God is Salvation) he is The Anointed. The Anointing is for men only. The Anointing has the freedom of speech (His tongue) All others are failed.
YhWh never anointed His body. He does not need anointing.
There is only One God. We is the Heavens Elohim Father El and Sanhedrin
Israel were praying as Moslems do today "be called". Islam is older than Muhammad and written Quran
Lamentations 2.10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground in silence. They threw dust on their heads and girded themselves with sackcloth. The maidens of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. [the daughters of Zion are not girls it is figurative] 2
Chronicles 7:3 When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever.”
Ezra 9:5 At the time of the evening offering, I rose up from my self-abasement with my garment and robe torn, then I bowed down on my knees and spread out my hands to Adonai my God.
Nehemiah 8:6 Ezra blessed Adonai, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, amen!” as they lifted up of their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped Adonai with their faces to the ground.
Ancient language.
aa or ah = existence
i or ee = direction of Power from Heaven to Earth
e or eh = direction of Power from the Earth to Heaven
U or oo = arrival
Hu = essence
Sa = adding S covering also salvation from existence Him, others sa se si so su
Ahu = mound mount
the Y is nonexistent it is actually developed from a combination of i and a (ia him her he she)
Iahu opposed to Iehu (Iesahua) YhWh Spirit of and El and the Anointed Person.
Israel = I sa ra El(iLa or iLu)
Islam = I sa ra m' (ma?) ma = coming Ram meaning G-d.
Yeshua held up a coin in Palestine and said, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesars". It was called Palestine a transliteration on Philistine. Jerusalem is in Palestine. Was never called Israel except in the North. The people in Egypt were said to be Israel. You cant understand the biblical texts. Palestine exists on maps. Go google them. Many Palestinian Israelites converted to Islam and Christianity. Islam is older than the Quran and Mahammad. They are the people attacked from the north. Ashkenazi come from the north.
Yeah, that pisses me off. Just because they can't prove that every mother in their lineage was Jewish doesn't mean that there aren't just as Jewish as any other jew. They kept the identity throughout centuries of disasters and assimilation and deserve to be recognized as Jews. The rabbnim in Israel are just snobs.
Beautiful video. Great work as always
Bro, this is SO COOL!!! Glad I found this vid!
Awesome video, thank you!
Just a slight "correction" (if you even want to call it that) is that just because someone has a surname listed among the surnames at 2:02 does not automatically mean that they have Jewish ancestry. For one, the last name 金(Jin) is actually the same Chinese character used when writing the Korean last name Kim (김/金). But then we would have to say that 30% of Koreans, including Kim Jong-un, has Jewish ancestry, which is preposterous!
So a Kaifeng Jew would likely have one of those last names, but just because someone has one of those as a last name does not automatically mean they have Jewish ancestry.
I thought that was the same character as Kim! It’s interesting that in Mandarin it’s pronounced Jin
@@Awakening_Sunshine It makes a lot more sense when you realize that Mandarin underwent transformation over centuries where the g sound eventually became the j sound in certain cases. The same character is pronounced “gam” in Cantonese.
Approx. 11 years, I was able to visit the site of the former Kaifeng synagogue and see a special Jewish related exhibit (which includes some Jewish tombstones) in the Kaifeng Municipal Museum.
I hope this community can get the support, love and safety it deserves. We all all joined in one world 🙂
If the Chinese government will allow it.
No. We are not. Hence the point of this video.
The irony is that the missionary was showing him an artist's interpretation of a Jewish family... And that his own faith is rooted in Judaism.
Henry Abramson also has a fascinating video about the history of Chinese Jews. His covers the older history whereas this one describes more modern times, so the two contributions are complimentary.
Im Jewish from Israel.
I always get so emotional when i see those ALIYA stories from all around the world,and i understand how lucky i am to be born here.
Am Israel Hai !❤🇮🇱
By the Prophets, YHWH promised to gather Israel again, the 12 tribes! Is He not wonderful?
May G-d keep you and your family and friends always safe in Israel.Israel is the most wonderful best country in the world.Kol Tov v Shalom aleichem ! indeed Am Israel Chai ! Od Aveinu Chai !
@@Baruch-q4n Amen!
God bless you to😇
Hi, do you know why they need to convert to become Israeli?
@user-pb1rz4xu3x To live in Israel came into existence as a refuge Jews around world. A safe homeland they can escape too so the horrors of the past will.never happen again. Youtibe will not let me mention them all but know the horrors stared long before ww2. Thus to be a citizen of Israel one must be one of the following. .1. Be Jewish, .2. Be born in Israel thus Israel has a population of 2 million Muslims and a bunch of other religions such as Christians and people of the Druze faith. And finally . 3. To serve in the military as Israels neighbours want the full eradication of the country and its people.
The the Chinese Jews problem was the definition of being Jewish. As acording to the Jewish faith to be Jewish you must be born to a jewish mother. Unlike Christianity where the faith is passed from the father. So tecnically according to the religion they are not Jewish and due to how the beaurcracy works the legal definition of being Jewish is the exact one of the religion itself thus they couldn't become Israeli citizens unless they were to either convert to Jewdism to be considered Jewish according to the Beaurcracy or serving in the army as they were not born in Israel.
Very interesting! Can You make a film about Iranian Jews ❤ or Azerbaijan,Bukhara Jews,as Christian and the Jewish ✡️ people has place in my! Thanks!
And the general Caucasus region. There was an ebb and flow due to the silk road and empire shifts.
Ken Blady's book "Jewish Communities in Exotic Places" includes chapters about Jews from Bukhara and the Caucasus and Kaifeng too.
@@user-jr4kc6lu9q thanx
This was hard to take on board but fascinating. I’ve shared it with Jewish channels and groups. Thank you. Baruch HaShem. Shalom 🙏✡️🇮🇱✡️💙🤍💛
Glad to see Unpacked finally cover the Kaifeng Jews.
I saw your video
And I really appreciate your knowledge and the fact that you explain to the world why Hamas is not good, so thank you
It's amazing how you get the knowledge and awareness of all the Jews all over the 🌎
HaShem strengthen you.
Thanks for highlighting the story of the Kaifeng Jews. It's a tragic story. Singapore has a sizeable Jewish community and Sulawesi in Indonesia has a small one. Penang in Malaysia used to have one.
So now I know where my craving for chinese food on sundays come from...😂
Love to learn about this, I am a Jew and I didn't know, thank you for bringing this knowledge to me❤
Are you Ashkenazi Jewish? I recommend you read next about the Southern Chinese maternal haplogroup M33c which is found in about 0.34 percent of Ashkenazi Jews, stemming from a Chinese woman who converted to Judaism before the 15th century. Because of endogamous marriage, every Ashkenazi today whose ancestors come from East-Central Europe and Eastern Europe must be her descendant.
😅
I think if the Israeli government used different words, they could convince people to get a formal conversion: calling it a REAFFIRMATION as part of JOINING ISRAEL. It would go a long way.
Good point!
This is awesome. Thanks for the great educational content! ❤❤
İ'd actually heard of the historical Kaifeng Jews but had no idea that they still exist.
Thank you for opening my eyes! 😊
and bravo for pronouncing the chinese words! 🏆
İ take a chinese course last year and know what a challenge it can be.
İt is sad to see how they're not accepted even by the jewish law. 😢
İ on the other hand have a jewish great grandmother (my mother's mother's mother). But apparently you don't talk about it in my family. İn fact İ was already 16 when İ found out about it.
I know this community, they are the best ❤
I am a Israeli Jew living in the U.S, and married to a Chinese (Hunan) wife. Would love to be in touch with this community.
So you have a Chinese fetish?
This video is fascinating, thank you.
I would love videos on every Jewish community globally if possible I know that’s a lot but I think it would be super interesting from South America to Kazakhstan to Romania and every other place.
(I’m Romanian American my dad is a Romanian Jew, son of Holocaust survivors)
Here you go 😁 ruclips.net/p/PL-DNOnmKkUabBNl0Aee06VGSKbeJkrI6F
@@UNPACKED thank you!!!
In India's north-east state Mizoram, we have a village called 'Keifang', I wonder if it has anything to do with 'Kaifeng'. (North-east India is where we have the Bnei Menashe community).
As a Chineses myself, i didnt even know there are jewish people in China...
I am Jewish on my father's side and Colombian Swedish on my mother's. My Gentile mother made sure that I stayed grounded and connected to my Jewish roots! She is the reason why I am a Proud Jew ✡️ today. Moses, Joseph, and even King Solomon all married non-Jewish women, yet their children were still Jewish, and we as Jews see them as heros!! Being Jewish is a matter of Ethnic and Cultural Pride for many of us. Israel needs to remember that it's founders were Secular and returning to the land of our ancestors was both Spiritual and Cultural, and I would also like to remind Israel in case they have forgotten that before the Kingdom of Israel fell, you were Jewish on your father's side! Also, reform Judiasm excepts those like myself who are proud Jews ✡️ from their father's! A Jew is a Jew! Let that be enough, if you want those of us living in the Diaspora to return to ancestral homeland then you are going to have to except those of us with Gentile Mothers like mine!! Regardless of what Israel says or what the religious secs say! I will always be a proud Jew ✡️ and I will always stand by Israel 🇮🇱 but that doesn't mean I will except your rules or opinions regarding Jewishness because I know what I am, who I come from and the place I call home!! I am a Jew, Judea is my ancestral homeland and I don't need religious laws to tell me otherwise! And neither should anyone else, be proud to be Jewish ✡️ and don't let anyone take that Jewish Pride away from you because of who your mother is, what matter is you staying connected to your Jewish roots and Judiasm is more than a religion it is a way of life, we are Jews ✡️ we make the most of and best of we got! And what got is Jewish Pride!! ✡️
AM YISRAEL CHAI
Love this!❤
Yes they are Jewish and imo any East Asian or South East Asian who becomes Jewish is a fellow Jew and should be treated as Jewish like any other type of Jew.
Thats not the issue; its are they Jewish according to Jewish law
Im Jewish and imo Jews who live in isolated areas like this , a conversion according to Jewish law should be a formality at best and would validate thier Jewish identity beyond a shadow of a doubt.
@@Markjameslevy I find the matriarchy of Judaism to be a bit dumb, especially in the modern day and age. The most common theory on how it came to be is that a long time ago people weren't always able to tell who the father of oneself is but the mother was much easier to find, thus the status of Jewish was passed down from the mother. If it wasn't already obvious that isn't an issue today, which is why I still consider myself Jewish, even though it comes from my mothers' fathers' side.
we Mexicans should covert to Judaism and take over Israel and then hand the country back to Palestinians, crazy how people with no genetic links to the levant can occupy a region simply for being "jewish". I think Israel needs especially the women of Mexicans LOL
@@Markjameslevy Its a shame the children of/with Jewish grandparents and/or one only Jewish parents/father are not recognized by Jewish law after all Hitler recognized their Jewish ancestry for generations back and dealt with them accordingly . They were give the same fate in the death camps of Europe as any other Jew.
Very interesting and informative! I must add, the main problem all ancient communities who have lived in difficult locations face is - conversion. This should not be taken as an insult to their lifelong observance, but rather, as a result of their steadfast connection to Judaism throughout their lives a process was put in place by the Rabbis which would allow the so called 'hidden ' Jews to marry the open proclaimed Jews. Being certified a Jew is a process repeated every time a couple decides to get married, for everyone! For the Jews of Kaifeng that process is called conversion, a welcome home to our people with no rejection as the Rabbinate does with other candidates. Yes, it may feel like excess scrutiny and insult, but it is the only way to secure a Full Jewish identity for all our children and when their children will face marriage they will proudly be able to present their parents' certificate of inclusion to the Jewish people, something they were unable to do for thousands of years....
Thank you. You said it well.
There are DNA tests these days which indicate Jewish ancestry.
@@edmurks236 it's got very little to do with genetics.
Finally! 👍🏻 Thank you ❤
First time I've ever heard of them, it's like discovering a new planet or valuable mineral
if u are interested in obscure jewish history u should check out J. F. R. Jacob. An Indian jew, who is considered one of the founding fathers of bangledesh.
Исключительно интересно!
Very interesting and sad. My grandparents came to the states from Germany. One drop of Jewish blood got you sent to the gas chambers. So the fact that their are people who love being Jewish is very heart warming. But being Jewish is very complicated especially when Israeli citizenship is involved. I don't know what is entailed in converting to Judaism since both my parents were Jewish. Personally if you can demonstrate that you know Hebrew and show you were bat or bar mitzvahed, I would say that should do it. But so many people hate us. I get being cautious is probably needed.
WOW!!!😮😯😲I'm not Chinese but this is a VERY interesting topic for me.🤔🤩👍😍💯
Thanks for sharing, mate!!😊💚🙏🍀
This is such a cool video!
It does not matter how "hurt" anyone is that their Jewish identity is not accepted. It was not accepted in china and not in Israel until proper conversion. They married non Jews, stopped following halacha, who knows what they are... but if they convert properly they are Jews in Israel. We are a nation of laws, not of personal feelings. And that is the way it always has been.
true.
but i'm sick that the only accepted standard is orthodox Judaism, which for me has very little to do with judaism, has more to do with islam.
(in the sense most of their belief is outward like in islam)
they neglect spirituality and realism, without those judaism is just a religion and not a very wise one at that. (please debate me)
Let Israel do its thing like it's been doing for a long time. If they want to do an immigration by descent thing, let them do it THEIR way.
If they follow the laws of the torah why should they have a formal conversion? I'm sick of the catholic church wanabee rabbinate trying to gatekeep people from God.
Like the Jews of china, India, Ethippia and Uganda who were rejected by the rabbinate we should only submit to God, not men.
Orthodox Judaism was a movement to preserve the beliefs and practices of traditional Judaism as many other Jews were dropping many fundamental Jewish beliefs and practices as a result of the enlightenment spreading to the Jewish community. That’s what distinguishes Orthodox Judaism from other sects of Judaism in that it attempt to preserve and maintain traditional Judaism
@@nurkkr I am a secular person but I do not agree with you. Orthodox Judaism is not similar to Islam and should not even be compared. I have communicated and communicate with many Orthodox Jews and I can clearly see the difference. And if we take the so-called "reform Judaism", then there is nothing left of Judaism there and it is essentially a completely different religion and therefore many people stop identifying themselves as Jews at all and now we can clearly see this when among the reformists there are so many leftist fanatics who hate everything Jewish and advocate the destruction of Israel. Among the Orthodox, with the exception of small sects such as, for example, Neturei Karta (there are only 5 thousand of them and their community in Iran does not observe Shabbat and in fact they also have nothing to do with Judaism because observing Shabbat is one of the most important commandments so they are mummers) there is no such thing and people consider themselves part of the Jewish people and understand the importance of having a Jewish country.
Amazing video!!
So interesting. Thank you
The fact that Orthodox Christianity is not recognized is just a crying shame!
God bless them! ❤
Very intresting, and very good information. Thank you for your time again on this educational experience 🇮🇱😍👍👍👍
Thank you for sharing the story. The tradition in China is the children follow their father's heritage. I have never been to my dad's birth place but I was registered as such in all the official documents before I left China.
Im north Asian and fully Jewish living in Israel most of my class mates are also Asian from different ears we actually read a book about this called the Jew of china it’s very interesting
what is north asian? Mongolian? Russian? I've never heard that term.
@@imperiald3864Siberian people often identify themselves as Russian, Mongolian will not specific mention they are north Asian, they will say they are Mongolian rather than north Asian. Either this guy is lying or that he do not want to real lots of information 😊
First of I’m a girl so hi second the term north Asian is the term they use for true Russia, Mongolia anything that’s on the top part of Asia, including Kazakhstan Pakistan anywhere in the Middle East and lining south Asia on the top or on the top of south east Asia is considered northern Asian so yeah there you go hope this helps if not take a geography course☺️
Also there’s a term called north west Asia if that’s easier to understand
I have an excellent book “city of light” by rabbi before Marco Polo who went to china from italy
Thank you
Wow what a great video! Thank you.
I grew up in Uzbekistan , there was a big community of "Bukharian " Jews . They live in the ancient city of Bukhara, spoke farsi, must come from Persia !
Mostly in Hongkong , shianghai , & harbin , But anyway Jewish in China kinda have Persian Bloodline too so now not a good time for them .
I knew about them, but what about today? Hava they built a copy of their synagogue in Singapore or Taiwan?
How great. Thank you
The government actually created a separate ethnic identity of Han Chinese who were Muslim, and called them Hui people. They were fully Han looking but because they were Muslim, they branded them as a separate ethnic group. But the Jewish people among the Han didn’t get the same treatment. And were not even recognized as an official religion inside China.
Their history of intermarriage is what makes them not halachic Jews. This is also the reason why many in the reform movement and some in the conservative movement are not halachic Jews. Intermarriage rates are extremely high in North America and now even in Israel.(a large population there are secular and among them is a high intermarriage rate) To call it a second holocaust is harsh, but the damage this does to the Jewish people is extremely troubling.
I did not know China had any Jewish following :o
Thanks for sharing.....1st time hearing this....goos information 😊
Amazing revelation. Thank u .
Dude what are the odds, I'd just watched your old video about it yesterday
2:04 艾甘金李张 are chinese characters; but what you present as shi and gao are mangled, idk if it's a.i.
possibly you mean 石 and 高
I really hope they come here to Israel and go through the conversion process. While I understand why it may hurt individuals it is a necessary prosses for things like marriage to be possible.
pls look upto my people also ( Kuki and Mizo) from Northeast India. A section of our community follow Judaism. Many moved to Isreal, while others are still in India. According to our oral history we migrated from Isreal to Iran to China and then to India in a span of 2700 years. I follow Christianity. But I have cousins who follow Judaism. The thing is before we converted to Christianity , our traditions have many similarities with Judaism. And also the DNA test proved that a tiny percent about 4/5 % of the women carried the ancient Jews DNA. The rest beingChinese, Tibetan, Burmese
No u PPL aren't Jewish lol 😂 u did for israel citizenship
0:02 showing Om as Buddhist symbol?! Didn’t except that from this channel. Lack of knowledge! Om is a Hindu symbol, as Buddhism appeared from Hinduism some Buddhist may use Om but Chakra or wheel is more appropriate to refer Buddhism☸️.
Pin this comment or mention this in your comment or this will create misconception among Non-Hindus.
The Kafeng Jews are known. However,why is everyone converting to the Ashkenazi Europeans customs to be recognized as a Jew? One is a Israelite/Jew according to Their Paternal/Father's lineage according to Torah,The Bible,& The Gospels of Yahawashi ha Mashayach/The Savior Jesus
From Iodaios to iodaerum to iewes to Jews, we're supposed to be talking about the specific people autochtonous to Judah. How then the term jew, have come to identify the 12 tribes of biblical Israélites indifferently, is a remarkable feat. The related religion judaism is not different. Only coined by Josephus to pit it against hellenism, it's christian's littérature adoption and généralisation of the term that led the jewish community accept it and use it. They recognised the Torah, the ways of Yah, wasn't called such in ancient biblical times, nor in talmudic and pharisaic times. That's if you ask any renowned jew scholars from early 20th century. Nowadays they will be flagged as antisémites.......
I admit that the capabilities of the Jewish and Chinese diaspora are the best. They always had Hebrew and Chinese names even though they lived and grew up in foreign lands. Their ability to pass down traditions and history from generation to generation is also very good. By the way, I like unique historical stories like this. Thank You so much🙏
0:02 use ☸️ this for Buddhism please.
The Jews of Kaifeng have always fascinated me. So split off from the rest of the Jewish world, and yet thriving. It’s sad to see the community slowly abandoned, and then the law of return being so biased against them.
Long story short... they were once jewish, but by blood, they have not been jewish since the 12th century 😂
Exactly
I'm an anglo Indian from South India, and I have Jewish ancestors on my dads side, though my dad's side is Catholic, he has a Jewish ancestor who became outwardly Catholic during the Goan inquisition and he married a Catholic Portuguese woman.
I grew up personally secular/agnostic but I'd have dreams since I was a kid where a voice would tell me once a year that "You are Israel"
I didn't know much about the word or about Israel, I had a bad allergy to pork and shellfish, so I would not eat those foods. One day when I was travelling to the US I learnt that Jews didn't eat pork, shellfish and the like, turns out I had been kosher without knowing I was kosher.
I'm not a Catholic but a born again Christian and when Yahusha returns He'll bring back the lost of Israel from outside of Israel, I won't go through the rabbinic process.
Cool episode. Actually, until the Roman Empire, Jews were considered Jews according to the father. So any rational rabbinate recognizes Jews who wish to be Jews, not only based on their mother.
Due to our last names “Zhu” being pronounced “Jew” in Chinese, my older brother joked that we would be the only Chinese Jews to tour in former Nazi Germany
I will never understand how the Haderis think they can decide who is jewish and who is not. If their mothers tell them they are jewish, so they are.
I like this channel even though this is my second vid on ur channel that I’m watching
Thanks! Make sure to subscribe so you can watch more!
I was actually recently wondering whether there were any East Asian Jewish communities, there was something about the mental image of a Chinese Haredi with perfectly straight forelocks that I found somewhat amusing.
It is so infuriating that the rabbinate does not follow the Halacha. The Halacha says that even if a person is not Jewish, but is of the seed of Israel, we must make it easy for him and help him return to Judaism if that is what he requests.
身為一個有猶太血統的猶太人並不容
如果一個男人有純猶太血統，娶了一個非猶太人的女人，他的孩子也會成為猶太人猶大就是這樣的情況
同時，如果猶太婦女嫁給非猶太男子，她的孩子將不再是猶太人這是雅各的女兒迪娜嫁給其中一位國王的例子
I haven't seen your other videos but a video on Karaite Jews would be nice.
My best friend Nick would love this video.
Wow China is one of the most difficult nations to maintain a separate identity. It's pretty remarkable that they were able to do that.
Shalom!
I'm not sure how Israel would treat them as Kaifeng Chinese or Kaifeng Jewish . Would there be any discrimination?
It's not discrimination. If you say that you have Korean roots, should you be accepted as a citizen of South Korea merely on the basis of your word? Which country would do that?
Besides, if you are who you claim you are, it should be easy for you to pass the test.
Name one ethnic minority in a country that has not had at least some small level of discrimination. You can’t
Whenever I hear or read about Chinese Jews, Pearl S. Buck's novel "Peony" immediately springs to mind.
Thank you.
It might be safer for Kaifeng Jews to not be a presence. A small candle light shines brighter in the dark.
Jews must have become very skilled at hiding themselves in communities over the centuries. Thank God they have their own country of Israel today where they do not have to hide despite still having to defend their very survival courageously.
I imagine they must also go to a Chinese restaurant on Dec 25th.
There is so much wrong with this video: certainly true that there were Jews in Kaifeng but the enormous fuss made about this lost community is ludicrous. The Chinese claiming to be Jews today are no more so than the President of China. There are lost Jews all over Europe - in Spain, in Portugal, in Italy, etc . ... for historical reasons they married out and so ceased to be Jews. This is the case here too. You mention an Italian traveller hading back to Italy - no he did not; he sent letters to Rome as very few of the Jesuits who visited China ever returned there. In Kaifeng some so-called Jews were swift to recognise the opportunities offered first by Catholic missionaries and then Protestant missionaries and ultimately Jews from Shanghai who also heard of this "lost" community. In the past thirty years eager American Jews, fascinated - rather like you - by these "exotic" Jews - have fetishised them and they, these "Jews", are now milking the opportunities offered by gullible tourists and, sorry to say, Jews for Jesus, who also see an opportunity. Let's please keep things in perspective. The "Jews" of Kaifeng are NOT Jewish, no more than the thousands of Spanish and Portuguese of Jewish descent are.
As this video says, a small number of Kaifeng Jewish descendants have formally returned to Judaism through a conversion ceremony. This is also true for some descendants of the Jews of Spain and Italy. For example, I know a Mexican descended from a Sephardic Converso in his direct paternal line who converted to Orthodox Judaism.
All true@@user-jr4kc6lu9q
at 2:45 that's Joseph not John the Baptist you're pointing to.
Halachicly they would require a proper Jewish conversion to clear possible doubt.
You have shortened perfectly a longer subject, and no errors occur in this narrative.
Re the question if the Chinese Kaifeng are Jewish - technically no. However the occurance of ancient communities who lost ties w/other Jewish communities is an old story, And the Torah opinion is that:
"בונה ירושלים ה' נדחי ישראל יכנס" Palsm 147
And so the Rabbis know that 'Returning' comes w/process of Jerusalem Rebuilt, already happened, ...
But they just do not have the formula to rise above the Halachic restrictions by using other Halachic principles, which alude them, at this time. But distant Jews should have patiance and practice the religion on your own - and in your particular community - since this needs persistance on your part and a certain Sage's opinion which can correct this, if the Rabbis collectively agree to reinstall the minority opinion. AND its too complex to explain to non Talmud scholars. (this solution) but I've just tried giving those needing Jewish ID solution, some hope.
can you make a video about jews from yemen?
I'm honestly always confused if Jewish is supposed to be a religion thing or an ethnic thing. If it's an ethnic (or family) thing, then why God is mentioned?
The Jews are an ethnicity with its own religion: Judaism is the religion of the Jews. Only Jews are Jews (!)
It's an ethnoreligion. Basically, both at the same time. That's why it's possible to be an (ethnically) Jewish atheist or a (religiously) Jewish convert. That's also what makes the question of who is Jewish so complicated and have so many different answers. Personally, I'm a fan of David Ben-Gurion's definition: "I consider as Jewish anyone who is meshuge (crazy) enough to call themselves ‘Jewish.’"
@@MagicScientist If you accept and live by Jewish law, then the question of who is Jewish is simple, : A Jew is a person who is born of a Jewish mother or who converts to Judaism (per Jewish law).
All Kaifeng Jewish descendants are Israelites/Hebrews. This has been proven genetically as I describe in my article "Genetic Confirmation: The Jews of Kaifeng Descend from Mizrahi Jews" in the July 2024 issue of Points East: A Publication of the Sino-Judaic Institute on pages 1 and 5. But their Israelite ancestry is through their paternal lines. This means that according to Talmudic law they must convert to Judaism to be accepted as Jews by the world Jewish community.
@@user-jr4kc6lu9q pls look upto my people also ( Kuki and Mizo) from Northeast India. A section of our community follow Judaism. Many moved to Isreal, while others are still in India. According to our oral history we migrated from Isreal to Iran to China and then to India in a span of 2700 years. I follow Christianity. But I have cousins who follow Judaism. The thing is before we converted to Christianity , our traditions have many similarities with Judaism. And also the DNA test proved that a tiny percent about 4/5 % of the women carried the ancient Jews DNA. The rest beingChinese, Tibetan, Burmese
I had a friend who is a child’s move from the area to Australia, and although as far as he knew his parents and his grandparents or Buddhist, but he always said that he felt in his bones that he was Jewish he was ethnically Chinese and encountered cruel racism and his adopted country, but it struck because he always mentioned his suspicion of being a Jew with the kind of pride, but also anxiety that Jews carry generational trauma display
The scholar said it best - this is a community that has surfed off of the fumes of Ashkenazi Jewish culture... but isn't really Jewish. Judaism tends to win out in many cultural arm wrestling matches. But it does not win against Han Chinese culture in post-Mao china.
But they're 100% Jews, proud to have them as part of the family.
It's the same with the Benai Anusim, they aren't considered Jews...
I hope that this can start to change in our global age. I think we Jews need to stick together.
The Rabbinut is horrible, especially how it treats converts or those with obvious jewish identity but "muddled" ancestry
What a world we would have, if all religions were allowed to be practiced in every land...People would flourish in all good things. Peace would prevail, and wickedness would be but a bad memory.
what you don't take into account is that socialism sets as replacement of religion
and pushes religion away eventually
but don't mistake religion with say.. is-lame, which is more like socialism than anything else
Brave, sturdy people.
We haven’t had a very good time in communist countries so I’m not surprised there is a VERY low populace in China. Still loved seeing this video
This is actually cool. I also found out recent that their is a rare Jewish group that starts with a "B" I think. Somewhere East of Georgia? West of Kazakhstan? Somewhere there. I also found out West Iran has many Jewish. I think they are part Kurdish? So cool.
Bukharian Jews?