Customer Reviews

The Jews of China: Historical and Comparative Perspectives Vol. 1

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This is the long-awaited publication of a selection of papers originally delivered at the 1992 Harvard conference on "Jewish Diasporas in China." (While only 19 selections are printed here, drafts of all the papers have been deposited and can be consulted at the Harvard-Yenching Library, 2 Divinity Ave., Cambridge Mass, 02138). After examining Kaifeng, the work turns to the late 18th, 19th, and early 20th century Jewish experiences in China with emphasis on Hong Kong, Harbin, and Shanghai. The concluding section deals with Zionism, the Holocaust, and the Judaic exodus from China following the end of World War II. Three very interesting papers, by Shirley Berry Isenberg, Barbara C. Johnson and Nathan Katz, compare and contrast the history of the Kaifeng Jews with that of Jews in India, site of the one-other, long-lived Jewish Diaspora of Asia. Jonathan Goldstein's historical introduction provides a clear and succinct overview of the subject. A future publication, Volume Two of this work, will be a sourcebook and research guide

The book detailed only a few famililys ans failed to provide the scope of activity among the broader jewish families at largre. An index of sur- nnames would have bee usseful.