The Chinese-Jewish Exchange
Exploring shared values and cultural wisdom through respectful dialogue.
INTRODUCTION • FREE HERITAGE MONTH EDUCATIONAL DISPLAY • EDUCATION, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY DIALOGUE • PRE-RELEASE BOOK FOR COMMUNITY REVIEW • CHINESE-JEWISH RESOURCES • ACADEMIC PROGRAMS & RESEARCH • ORGANIZATIONS & COMMUNITY INITIATIVES • HISTORICAL OVERVIEWS • PERSONAL STORIES & SCHOLARSHIP • CULTURAL REFLECTIONS & IDENTITY • HISTORICAL & SCHOLARLY PERSPECTIVES • VIDEO RESOURCES • BOOKS
INTRODUCTION
At a time of rising anti-Asian hate and increasing antisemitism, when social and cultural shifts can foster suspicion and division, the Chinese and Jewish communities share both a challenge and an opportunity. In moments like these, traditions that emphasize moral formation, learning, and responsibility offer an essential counterweight to fear and fragmentation.
Both traditions place strong emphasis on character development, education, personal discipline, and moral responsibility. The Chinese–Jewish Exchange seeks to bring our communities together in a spirit of mutual respect, curiosity, and common purpose.
The Exchange exists to foster conversation and connection that may, over time, strengthen understanding between our communities, promote safety and fairness in public life, and highlight the civic and cultural contributions of Chinese and Jewish individuals. We explore areas of shared wisdom while honoring the distinct histories and experiences of each tradition.
We warmly invite members of the Chinese and Jewish communities, as well as allies who share these values, to participate. By joining our mailing list, you will receive updates about talks, educational resources, cultural initiatives, and opportunities for thoughtful engagement.
Free Heritage Month Educational Display
Cosponsored by Doctors Against Racism and Antisemitism and Allied Voices for Israel
In the link below, we provide a free Asian Heritage Month / Jewish Heritage Month printable display. The display highlights the civic contributions of notable Chinese and Jewish individuals and is designed for schools, libraries, universities, and community centers.
By sharing this resource, you help foster learning, appreciation, and respectful dialogue in public spaces. Click here for materials you can use when you submit this display to a local library or school, with your request that the display be posted in May, Asian Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month.
Education, Culture, and Community Dialogue
Programming associated with the Exchange will include lectures, conversations, and educational materials of interest to both communities. Over time, the Exchange may also provide a space for articulating shared concerns and aspirations through respectful, values-based dialogue.
Pre-Release Book for Community Review
Subscribers may also receive access, on select dates permitted by Amazon’s distribution platform, to a free digital pre-release edition of Weaving the Way: Chinese and Jewish Wisdom to Heal a Fractured World by Annette Poizner.
This book, called a living document, awaits the input of members of both the Jewish and Chinese communities, any who would offer comments, corrections or suggestions. Feedback received will help strengthen the work prior to final publication. Newsletter subscribers will be notified when free downloads are available specifically for the purpose of garnering feedback and input.
Together, through learning, dialogue, and mutual respect, we hope to lay the groundwork for deeper understanding between our communities and contribute positively to the wider society we share.
Chinese-Jewish Resources
Academic Programs & Research
• Yeshiva University — Chinese-Jewish Conversation (CJC Programs)
A formal academic initiative offering MA programs, certificates, and courses exploring Chinese-Jewish history, culture, and dialogue.
➡️ https://www.yu.edu/cjc/programs
Organizations & Community Initiatives
• Chinese Jewish Institute
A student-led global initiative dedicated to research, education, and preservation of the heritage of Jewish communities in China.
➡️ https://www.chinesejews.com
• Jewish Community of China
A long-running organization dedicated to preserving and documenting the history of Jewish presence in China, across cities like Kaifeng, Harbin, Shanghai, Tianjin, and more.
➡️ https://www.jewsofchina.org
• Sino-Judaic Institute
An international nonprofit fostering Sino-Jewish scholarship, cultural exchange, and historical preservation projects.
• Jewish Community of China
A long-running organization dedicated to preserving and documenting the history of Jewish presence in China, across cities like Kaifeng, Harbin, Shanghai, Tianjin, and more. ➡️ https://www.jewsofchina.org
• GlobalJews — Opportunities Page
A portal listing global fellowships, grants, and opportunities relevant to Jews worldwide — useful for students or researchers interested in Jewish-diaspora and cross-cultural studies. ➡️ https://globaljews.org/opportunities
• TCM Israel
An organization (or community) connecting Chinese-medicine traditions and Jewish/Israeli culture — reflecting growing cultural and interfaith exchange between Jewish and Chinese communities.
➡️ https://www.tcmisrael.org/en/
• Shenzhen Jewish Center — History Page
A local Jewish community resource page highlighting Jewish history and presence in the Shenzhen region.
➡️ https://shenzhenjewishcenter.com
Historical Overviews
• Jewish Virtual Library — China Virtual Jewish History Tour
A detailed virtual overview of Jewish life in China across the centuries, covering major communities like Kaifeng, Harbin, and Shanghai.
➡️ https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/china-virtual-jewish-history-tour
• JewishGen KehilaLinks — “China’s Jews”
A narrative history tracing Jewish settlement in China from ancient times through the 20th century, including the Shanghai ghetto era.
➡️ https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/shanghai/Chinas_Jews.html
Personal Stories & Scholarship
Personal Journeys & Contemporary Voices
• From the Western Wall to war sirens: A Chinese traveler’s unexpected Israeli journey
A Chinese traveler’s visit to Jerusalem turns unexpectedly dramatic when a quiet moment at the Western Wall is interrupted by war sirens, transforming a simple trip into a vivid firsthand encounter with the realities of life in Israel.
My Journey from Chinese to Jewish (Aish.com)
A deeply personal narrative of a young woman from Tianjin whose spiritual searching leads her to explore the Bible, encounter Judaism, and ultimately convert after years of intellectual and emotional exploration.
➡️ https://aish.com/my-journey-from-chinese-to-jewish/
• A Chinese Celebrity’s Conversion to Judaism (Aish.com)
The remarkable story of a Chinese TV journalist whose professional curiosity inspires her to investigate Jewish texts — a journey that leads to profound identification with Judaism and a full conversion.
➡️ https://aish.com/a-chinese-celebritys-conversion-to-judaism/
• Meet Miriam Pineles — An Acupuncturist in NYC (ChaionLife Magazine)
A profile of Miriam Pineles, a Chinese-medicine practitioner and observant Jewish woman whose training in Eastern healing traditions has prompted nuanced insights about Jewish spiritual life and the mechanisms of healing.
➡️ https://chaionlifemag.com/meet-miriam-pineles-acupuncturist-in-nyc/
• A Chinese Jew’s Journey to Israel (The World of Chinese, Nov 2023)
A recent feature tracing the life of a Chinese Jew who made aliyah, discussing identity, heritage and the modern Chinese-Jewish diaspora in Israel.
➡️ https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2023/11/a-chinese-jews-journey-to-israel/
• First-Year Student Creates Website for Chinese Jews (Dartmouth College / Chinese Jewish Institute)
A first-year student at Dartmouth created a dedicated website documenting the history and heritage of Jewish communities in China, aiming to preserve and share Chinese–Jewish cultural memory.
➡️ https://jewish.dartmouth.edu/news/2020/10/first-year-student-creates-website-chinese-jews
Cultural Reflections & Identity
• The Similarities Between Jewish and Chinese Cultures Based on Our Shared Identity
A youth-written reflection highlighting parallel values in Jewish and Chinese cultures — including family loyalty, education, discipline, and respect for tradition — through the eyes of a Jewish-Chinese teen.
➡️ https://azabbg.bbyo.org/post/the-similarities-between-the-jewish-and-chinese-cultures-based-on-our-shared-identity
• Connecting Jewish and Chinese Identities (Hillel International)
A campus-focused piece exploring how students of mixed or dual heritage navigate belonging, cultural pride, and community while embracing both Jewish and Chinese dimensions of identity.
➡️ https://www.hillel.org/connecting-jewish-and-chinese-identities/
What We Can Learn from Chinese-Jewish Comparisons
A reflective essay comparing Confucian and Jewish worldviews, showing how both traditions use ritual, ethics, and communal norms to cultivate moral character and social harmony.
➡️ https://www.yu.edu/news/cjc/what-we-can-learn-chinese-jewish-comparisons
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Minds: The Blogs (Times of Israel)
A collection of essays exploring the bridge between Jewish mysticism, Torah, Chinese medicine, and Chinese philosophical traditions.
➡️ https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/annette-poizner/
Finding Adler: The music and mystery of the Jewish refugee who shaped the lives of a Chinese family
A radio feature about a Jewish refugee violinist who fled Nazi Europe to wartime Shanghai, taught music to orphans, and decades later became central to a Chinese family’s search for identity and memory.
➡️ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-18-2018-1.4710466/finding-adler-the-music-and-mystery-of-the-jewish-refugee-who-shaped-the-lives-of-a-chinese-family-1.4710506
A Talmudic Tale Gets a 12th‑Century Chinese Twist
Covers a children’s book that retells a classic Talmudic story in the context of 12th-century Kaifeng, offering a bridge between Jewish tradition and Chinese culture.
➡️ https://www.jta.org/2023/09/12/global/a-talmudic-tale-gets-a-12th-century-chinese-twist-in-childrens-book-aimed-at-diverse-jewish-readers Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Historical & Scholarly Perspectives
• Encounters Between Chinese and Jewish Civilizations (Education About Asia / AAS)
A scholarly overview examining centuries of interaction between the two civilizations, from ancient Silk Road exchanges to modern diplomatic and cultural encounters.
➡️ https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/encounters-between-chinese-and-jewish-civilizations/
• China’s Jews (Springer / Academic Chapter)
An academic chapter analyzing the development, decline, and later rediscovery of Jewish communities in China — especially Kaifeng and Shanghai — situating them within global diaspora history.
➡️ https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-13761-7_2
• The Jews of Kaifeng: China’s Only Native Jewish Community (My Jewish Learning)
A clear and accessible introduction to the Kaifeng Jewish community, their origins, traditions, gradual assimilation, and modern efforts to rediscover or reclaim Jewish identity.
➡️ https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-jews-of-kaifeng-chinas-only-native-jewish-community/
• Essays by Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin
A set of writings by the first Chinese-American ordained rabbi, reflecting on multicultural identity, diaspora history, and what it means to inhabit both Chinese and Jewish worlds.
➡️ https://reformjudaism.org/author/rabbi-jacqueline-mates-muchin
Video Resources
Chinese-Jewish / Jewish-China Themes
An interview with the first Chinese-American rabbi: she shares her life story, family background, and work in bridging Jewish identity with Chinese heritage:
A documentary-style video profiling five women of Chinese-Jewish descent who emigrated to Israel — reflecting on heritage, identity, and their journey rooted in China:
A personal, first-person story about a family whose Jewish identity was hidden in China for generations — a powerful account of memory, survival and reconnection:
A short-form (shorts) video clip related to the above story — a compact glimpse into a family’s hidden Jewish heritage over centuries in China:
Books
The Jews of China: Historical and Comparative Perspectives
A foundational interdisciplinary volume (edited by Jonathan Goldstein & Benjamin I. Schwartz) tracing Jewish presence, migration, acculturation, and community life in China from roughly AD 1100 through 1949. It covers everything from the ancient community in Kaifeng to 19th–20th century refugee waves in Harbin, Shanghai, and beyond.
https://www.amazon.ca/Jews-China-Historical-Comparative-Perspectives/dp/0765601044
A Universe Made for Two
A book (from Mosaic Press) that reflects on the intersection of Jewish and Chinese civilizations, identity, and history — exploring themes of dual-heritage, coexistence, and cross-cultural resonance.
https://www.amazon.ca/universe-made-two-genesis-creation/dp/1946351474
Bridge Across Broken Time — Chinese and Jewish Cultural Memory by Vera Schwarcz
An eloquent cross-cultural study comparing Chinese and Jewish traditions of historical memory, this book explores how both civilizations — separated by geography and language — maintain identity and moral continuity through “chains of remembrance.” It weaves together personal history (as the author is the daughter of Holocaust survivors), Chinese intellectual history, and Jewish memory traditions, showing how memory, storytelling, and cultural resilience bridge seemingly disparate worlds.
https://www.amazon.ca/Bridge-Across-Broken-Time-Cultural/dp/0300066147
Jews in China: A History of Struggle
A modern history book detailing the experiences of Jewish communities in China across different waves of migration, focusing on their struggles and survival in a foreign land.
https://www.amazon.ca/Jews-China-Struggle-Nicholas-Zhang/dp/1916103707
Stateless in Shanghai – Liliane Willens
A personal memoir of a Jewish girl born and raised in cosmopolitan Shanghai during WWII and the early Communist era, offering vivid insight into daily life among Jewish refugees and immigrants.
https://www.amazon.ca/Stateless-Shanghai-Liliane-Willens/dp/9881815487
The Jews of Kaifeng, China: History, Culture, and Religion
A definitive academic work on the historic Kaifeng Jewish community, drawing on archaeological, textual, and ethnographic evidence to trace centuries of Jewish presence in China.
https://www.amazon.ca/Jews-Kaifeng-China-History-Religion/dp/0881257915
Jews in Old China: Studies by Chinese Scholars
A collection of essays by Chinese and international scholars analyzing Chinese–Jewish interactions, the history of Jewish communities in China, and how Judaism has been understood in Chinese contexts.
https://www.amazon.ca/Jews-Old-China-Studies-Scholars/dp/0781808332
Ghetto Shanghai – Jewish Refugees in Wartime China
An in-depth historical account of the “Shanghai Ghetto” years: the lives, struggles, and resilience of Jewish refugees who found shelter in Shanghai during the Holocaust.
Once Upon a Time in Shanghai: A Jewish Woman's Journey through 20th Century China
A personal narrative covering decades of Jewish life, moving across war, exile, and adaptation — giving a human face to the broader history of Jews in China.
https://www.amazon.ca/Once-upon-Time-Shanghai-Journey/dp/7508513444
My China: Jewish Life in the Orient 1900–1950
A historical survey of Jewish migrants’ lives in early-to-mid 20th-century China, covering issues of migration, identity, community building, and diaspora life in the East.
https://www.amazon.ca/My-China-Jewish-Orient-1900-1950/dp/9652291714/
