Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Jews of the Far East H) David C. Gross This New ^ ear fimost of the world's Jews participating in a fierce struggle against darkness and to talitarianism which threatens to en gulf them. And this y ear the Jews of the Orient, hitherto somewhat remote from the struggle, have been plunged directly into the maelstrom of war. It is interesting, therefore, to take a look at these far Eastern Jewish communities, about which \er\ little lias been heard. Jews first started to settle in Japan after the Russian-Japanese War in the earlv part of the century, hut the\ made up an insignificant minority. Only in the past few years has there been a comparatively large influx of Jews to the shores of Japan: from Idacked-out Poland came the bearded rabbit and the ycshiva students; from other Nazi-occupied territories came other Jews. However, these twentieth century wanderers did not oversta\ their “welcome” in the Nipponese Kinpire, and almost all of them moved on either to Palestine or America. There are small communities of Jews in “independent” Manchukuo and Korea, and these unfortunate souls, it goes without sa\ ing. are in imminent danger almost always. The largest Jewish community of the Far Fast is Harbin, which de- spite its youngness in \ears lit was established in UW8. and augmented after the first World War I, has a well- organized cultural, religious, and Zionist foundation. Japanese penetra- tion notwithstanding, the Harbin Jew ish communiU has maintained its in tellectual solidarih and material well being unusually well. As far back as 1027. Harbin counted close to thirteen thousand Jews. Nevertheless. Japanese Imperial designs on Harbin and the surrounding districts made jtarnassah channels slightly clogged for the Jews, and many decided to make their wa\ to Shanghai. Ten or so years ago it was easy for a Jewish immigrant to iron out his financial difficulties in interna tional. teeming Shanghai. I he rich Sephardic-Jewish kehillah went out of its wav to extend helping hands to those brethren in need. This com munity was established in the fifties of the last century. The first Jew to settle in Shanghai was Klijah David Sassoon, of the fabulously w ealthy Sas soons of India (the so-called “Roths childs of the Fast** •. He opened up a branch of the family’s business house, attracting thereby Jews from Baghdad and India to come and pitch their tents in Shanghai. In the years following, Shanghai saw the advent of Jewish immigrants from Austria. Germany, Russia and Poland. The Shanghai Sephardic congrega tion really got under way in the late 1870*s. As a primary step towards organization, the community hired a hall in which to hold services. Later lhe\ were enabled to build two syna gogues, and a third was added re centh when a wealthy Jewish philan thropist. I). J. Abrahams, erected one. I p until a few years ago. the Ash kenazic Jews held services in a hall hired only for the High Holy Days. Names like Sassoon, Ezra, and La duri give testimony to the fact that the Sephardic-Jewish community i* far from being pauperish. The gen erous inheritance that Caduri left to the schools of Fret/ Israel also proves that Shanghai's Jews have their hearts, as a wa\ of saying, in the right place. Opium and banking are the kehillah's two chief sources of wealth. On the other hund. German refugee Jews have practically mo nopolized the fur-treating industry. Skins from the 1 nited States are brought to the International Lity of the Fast, are treated by the refugee Jews, and are then reshipped Fast- ward. In addition to the already men tioned Jewish groups in Shanghai, there are also a number of original Chinese Jews in the city, who left their native kai-feng-fu in the late seventies to seek better conditions in the big city. Shanghai's Jews took them in with open arms, caring for them as for brothers, and not onl feeding and clothing them but even teaching them Hebrew and religious laws. These Chinese Jews have always aroused the interest of travelers and explorers. Not one but a great many have theorized that these backward hapless Hebrews are descendants of the lost Ten Tribes. However, scien tific proof to bolster that conjecture has ever been lacking, leading the majority of Jews to believe that the K’ai-feng-fu Jews are simply de scended from Persian Jews, and due to their centuries-long isolation, they have degenerated culturally as well as materially. Despite all this, it is a fascinating exj>erience to meet these Chinese Jews with their unmistakably Chinese features. Before the present outbreak of hostilities in the Far Fast. Shanghai ( Please turn to page 151 APPLETON COMPANY ★ MILLS IN ANDERSON, S. C. ★ MANUFACTURERS OF OUTING FLANNELS AND SOFT FILLED SHEETINGS ★ SELLING AGENTS CONE EXPORT & COMMISSION CO. 59 WORTH STREET NEW YORK, N. Y. BAG GOODS CORDUROYS DENIMS DOBBIES DRILLS EXPRESS AND HICKORY STRIPES NAPPED FLANNELS SHEETINGS ★ MADE BY ALABAMA MILLS INCORPORATED OFFICES: Birmingham, Alabama MILLS IN: Haleyville, Ala. Clanton, Ala. Greenville, Ala. The Southern Israelite [H]