Having an (one)Jewish ancestor a few hundred years ago does not make one Jewish, there is far more Chinese blood running in their veins. To say more is wishful thinking at best. If we all search our ancestors , many Jews may find one non-Jewish ancestor in our history - would that make us that ancestors nationality???? We have to be real.

No matter the passage of time, the Jewish neshama comes out!!

It would be wonderful if these descendants of Jews converted and rejoined our people.

so if not 1000, how many jews does it take to be wrong? just wondering.

A small community of Jews lived in China since the 2nd Century BCE, and they followed pre-Talmudic customs (pre 300 BCE) They preserved those customs for over 1500 years and RETURNED to China in the Song (960- 1127) after being expelled briefly during the Tang Dynasty. Much of the misinformation about the inscriptions was due to mistranslations of the inscriptions which contained little history and much Biblical Judaism. For an updated history of the Jews in Kaifeng and a new annotated translation of the 4 stone inscriptions in Jewish and Chinese historical context, see Tiberiu Weisz, The Kaifeng Stone Inscriptions (iUniverse 2006)- available on Amazon.

community, which are of Russian Ashkenazi background. It's really quite remarkable that there is one in Kaifeng that has managed to hold, then assimilate, and then rediscover their roots again. It just goes to show you can't take the Jew out of the Jew. Not even assimilation, as can be attested with the Anousim and Conversos.

#4: Clearly Jews mixed with the local population. That does not make them not Jewish. Ashkenazi Jews are also mixed. Isn't it obvious? And I am sure some Mizrahi Jews also.

#1. I am sure you and I have a non Jewish relative in the past 2,000 years since our exile. Who knows? And if they want to be Jewish they should be accepted.

An attempt at humour? Or perhaps you'd like to explain, while not using Nazi terminology, how people look Jewish?

punchline of a very old joke

The wonderful thing of being part of the Jewish people. We are ethnic, religious, cultural, traditions. I wish them well and hope they continue the process to converting to Judaism to really learn what Judaism is about and why it is so wonderful.

It is outrageous that I as an American can't be recognized as a Jew but all those Chineese who even don't know Jesus can claim their heritage at will. Does it make any sense?

Unfortunately, I think the FM is using that as an excuse to reject these people, even while allowing in Russians (inarguably even more dangerous to any country politically) who have little connection to Israel & Judaism other than hatred ingrained by many years of assimilation.

not to be over looked. While I can understand about assimilation, we must be careful how far it goes. If we take it to the extreme we will go the way of the dodo bird.

It's not easy being Jewish...and yet how marvelous the fact that these people "choose" to be part of, associated with and identified as...Jews! Mazeltov! May their spirit and desire rub on to the many American assimilated Jews.

others are jewish by faith.

The following is a true story. In 1985, I took a guided tour of the Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv. We were making our way through the models of synagogues around the world and when we reached the model of he Kaifeng synagogue the guide told us the following story. She told us that two weeks before our visit, she guided a group of non-Jewish Americans through the museum. As they approached the model of the Kaifeng synagogue, a young American of Chinese descent became very agitated and kept repeating that he recognized the building. Although he said he had never been to China and the guide told him the building had been destroyed in the 19th century, he was very insistent. It was a family joke, he said; every Friday night when he was growing up, his grandmother would take a photograph of that building out of a drawer and light two candles in front of it. The grandchildren never knew the significance of this act and laughed at it. It was only upon seeing the model that he realized that she had been Jewish.

It is inspiring to hear that the dormant Judaism of Kaifeng is again coming back to life. Bruchim habaim !!!!

and dry cleaning

by telling them to "convert". what you mean is that they must abandon their thousands year-old tradition and instead adopt Polish Talmudic barbarism which is the only "real" judaism, so you say. they are ALREADY jewish, as were the Beta Israel (ethiopians) who were also treated abominably (kudos however to R' Ovadiah Yosef who is a good man to our Ethiopian brothers and sisters). the thing is - the rabbis don't like them because 1. they believe in the torah definition of who is a jew - the son of a jewish father 2. they look foreign, wouldn't want one of them marrying into a hassidish community!

Unlike Shavei Yisrael, the Sino-Judaic Institute (www.sino-judaic.org) is a non-denominational, non-political and non-profit organization, which was founded in 1985 by a group of international scholars and lay persons for the purpose of promoting understanding between Chinese and Jewish peoples, and to encourage and develop their cooperation in matters of mutual historic and cultural interest. SJI serves as a vehicle for the study and preservation of Jewish history in China, focusing on the ancient Jewish community in the city of Kaifeng and the later immigrant Jewish communities of Shanghai, Harbin, Tianjin, and Hong Kong. SJI has also assisted with the establishment of Jewish studies centers in several Chinese cities, encouraged conferences for Chinese scholars, promoted the translation into Chinese of basic works, and helped bring Chinese scholars to Israel and the U.S.A. Our journal, Points East, appears three times a year with a world-wide distribution. It is now in its 23rd volume. We also have a travelling exhibit in the U.S. "The Jews of Kaifeng" is a display of photographs, documents, maps and drawings curated by the Sino-Judaic Institute, which provides educational and cultural information that bridges local Chinese and Jewish communities. Archival material donated to the Sino-Judaic Institute concerning the Jewish communities in China is housed with the Hoover Institution Archives, Stanford University. The Sino-Judaic Institute makes travel grants to Chinese scholars to enable them to attend meetings or to undertake research outside of China, often either in Israel or the U.S. and, on occasion, SJI will provide financial support for scholarly colloquia, films and books in our field of endeavor. We invite those of you interested in promoting better Chinese-Jewish relations and in helping the Kaifeng Jewish descendants be as Jewish as they want to be (without the ulterior motive of promoting aliyah and settlement in the West Bank) to join as members of SJI. For more information, please go to our website: www.sino-judaic.org. Thanks, Anson Laytner President Sino-Judaic Institute

If you don't think there's a stereotypical Jewish appearence perhaps you should look at Der Strumer or Arab political cartoons for an idea.

The only orgins of the Talmud as I understand them are Palestinian and Babylonmian? Do you mean to say that the Talmud is not important to the Sephadim and Mizrachim as well? Are you even Jewish?

sorry bill, it's just an emotional topic. "polish talmudical barbarism" is what the yekkes would call the backwardness of shtetl life. i have great respect for the aggada and wisdom contained in the talmud (and the traditions of my ancestors who lived in the pale), but personally i take great issue with some of the legal/social positions today advocated based on the talmud. i did not mean to offend you. of course the talmud is as dear to the sephardim and mizrahim as it is to ashkenazim. but the sad fact is that sephardi gedolim have to submit before ashkenazi gedolim as they are the most powerful in the haredi movement, as ultra-orthodoxy is essentially a modern (19th C) abreaction to the enlightenment and emancipation.

Much of the trouble associated with ultra-Orthodox Jewish practices in the name of the Torah have their source in Eastern European twisting of the religion and culture to something perceived as hateful, freakish, and racist.

Michael Freund, who is a religious Ashkenaz, leads the organization for bringing lost Jews from South America and Asia. Meanwhile Shas rabbi Benizri once complained in 2001 of a "slant-eye" serving him in a Tel-Aviv restaurant. It's true that Ovadiah Yosef, who refered to victims of Katrina as 'Kushim' (a racial slur) was quickest to recognize the Falashas as Jewish but trying proving that wasn't simply to bolster the number of Shas supporters in Israel. Incidentally, how many of his Ethiopian brethren has Yosef appointed to represent him in the Knesset so far? None. Spare me the Sephadic Jews are the good guys speech please.

Chinese Christian Israel loving pastors and intercessors are highly interested in this article. Although China did demonstrate anti-semitism, our emperors did force them to marry non-Jewish people in Ming Dynasty when the Han people came back to power after Yuan Dynasty when the minority people were governing the nation. By law, we actually forced all national minorities people to not use any foreign language except Madarin, not to wear any foreign dresses and not to marry any people of the same tribe or ethnic group, which led to loss of the Hebrew language, the marital holiness, and eventually the assimilation of the Chinese Jews, including the Qiang peole, the lost tribe of Manasse mainly in Sichuan Province. We Israel loving Christians are still repenting for our ancestoral sins that we committed against the Jews with absolute identification. We understand the concerns from the Israeli foreign relation analysts, with regard to the Chinese national minorities problems and the Sino-Israeli relationship. And we will pray for it. It is our prayer that both the KF Jews and Sichuan Qiang people will eventually recognized by two nations and free aliyah back to Israel is possible for any Israeli descendants in China.