We refer to the tiniest Torah in our ark as the Shanghai Torah. Originally from Czechoslovakia it was smuggled out of Europe around the time of the German invasion of that country. The story is that it was wrapped around the rescuer’s body as he sought to bring the Torah to freedom. Carried for thousands of miles, the sacred scroll found itself resident among Jewish expatriates in Shanghai. It survived for several decades until it was gifted to Rabbi Zeldin for use at Stephen Wise Temple.
The story of the Torah is, in itself, amazing. That thousands of Jews found safe haven in a number of cities in China is astounding. Jews first settled in Shanghai in the late 19th century and many more found safe haven there during the Bolshevik Revolution, as did several families of Baghdadi Jews. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, it’s estimated that another 20,000 Jews from Germany and other European nations took refuge in that city. The occupying Japanese forced many of the stateless Jews into concentration camps at the urging of their Nazi allies—similar to the very camps in which the United States interned West Coast Americans of Japanese descent after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, the Jews were released and many continued to live in China or dispersed to other locales.
Harbin, China—famous for its winter ice sculptures—was also home to thousands of Jews fleeing the Russian Revolution. Along with their non-Jewish compatriots, they created a Russian-style town that provided a taste of home on foreign soil. By the 1960s, nearly all Jewish families had left.
Currently there are several dozen Chabad centers throughout Asia, including Cambodia (1), China (13), Japan (4), Thailand (9), and Vietnam (3). That Thailand has nine shouldn’t be a surprise given the number of falafel shops one finds in Bangkok!
While the history of Jews in Asian countries is recent and the numbers are small, it’s fascinating to recognize that in this particular part of the world, antisemitism is rare and admiration of the Jewish people is more common. Though it tends to be more reflective of positive stereotypes than reflective of the diversity of our community.
The month of May marks the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and though we don’t expect that many American Jews trace their own roots to Asian nations, they—like our tiny Torah—have also made their way to this country’s shores, where they’ve found refuge. During this time of rising violence against Jews, Asian Americans have also experienced an exponential growth in hate crimes. As fellow immigrants whose paths have crossed in some surprising and uplifting ways, it is vital that we stand together to push back against those who would undermine our shared stake in a tolerant and welcoming USA.
—Rabbi Ron Stern