China's Tiny Jewish Community in Fear as Beijing Erases Its History

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has waged a brutal campaign against foreign influence and "unapproved religion" since 2015, part of a push to 'Sinicise' faith, which included detaining over a million Muslims in the Xinjiang region. China's suppression has hit the nation's tiny congregation of Jews, whose ancestors settled over a millennium ago along the Yellow River in Kaifeng. The crackdown has now spread to the roughly 1,000 people in Kaifeng who claim Jewish heritage, of which only about 100 practicing Jews. The community has survived without a rabbi for more than 150 years. "It's government policy – China doesn't want to recognize us as Jews," one anonymous man disclosed to the Telegraph. "Their goal is to make sure the next generation doesn't have any Jewish identity." The government has paved over synagogue ruins, installed cameras at historic Jewish landmarks, and Hebrew schools established by foreign nationals have been forced to close.

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The views and opinions expressed in here are the commentators' own and do not reflect the official position of Atheist Republic.

[puraLusa]

I would like to point out the very unknown history of Belmonte: more than 500 years of practicing jews in hiding. It might not work acording to this very real story.

[dorarie]

Oops! I had paused the video, and then Susanna said exactly what I just wrote below.

[puraLusa]

The rule is harmony, which implies in many cases, homogenity. I think it's less about religion and more about rewriting history so power can be justified. It's empirial and nothing new, it's just getting worst because now the party has money and tecnology to impose what has been defending since the beguining.

[dorarie]

I recall seeing a programme on the Kaifeng Jews a few years ago because they had applied for Jewish status in Israel, but had been rejected. If they are not considered real Jews by the Chief Rabbi, will Israel launch a rescue mission or allow them to immigrate?

[IshaqIbrahim]

I have a theory regarding the way China is behaving which may not be correct.
I think the top law makers in Chinese government are probably old people. Their actions are probably reaction out of fear of losing power or getting defeated due to lack of unity in the society as it happened in the past.
So in order to prevent that from happening, they want to make the country have a common culture that will force unity among the people and make it difficult for outside forces to infiltrate and divide the people into groups. Groups that could make it difficult for the government to control the citizens.

[Free-SpokenMedia]

Why are atheists worried about Judaism in China anyway? I don't get it.