Jews living in Asia gathered near the Great Wall of China for the first-ever Limmud Jewish learning event held in the region. Sunday's program, run by Limmud International, drew nearly 100 Jews from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Israel, Britain and the United States. Limmud has already held events in some 60 communities on five continents. The organization is committed to a cross-communal, volunteer-led approach to open Jewish learning in its widest sense.
Sessions at the China event included Torah and Talmud text study; the role of women in Jewish community life; Chinese interest in Jews and Jewish communities; the history of the Bene Israel in India; the future of Jewish life in Asia, and a workshop on Asian-Jewish cooking.
About 20,000 Jews live in East Asia. In China, an estimated 5,000 Jews live on the mainland and 4,000 in Hong Kong. Historically, Jews have lived in China for many centuries throughout the country, but the situation there is marked by each community’s relative isolation from the other communities in the country, the region and world Jewry.
Asia is made up both of long-standing, organized communities like those in India, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, and newer communities comprised largely of businesspeople and diplomats. Many Jewish organizations are active in Asia, and the Limmud event in China was supported by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).
“This inaugural Limmud event in China is a powerful tribute to the determination of Jews throughout Asia to engage with Jewish learning and with Jewish community, overcoming vast distances and other hurdles,” said Limmud International Co-Chairwoman Helena Miller.
Judy Amit, gobal director of JDC’s international development program, told the ‘Times of Israel’: “With so many Jews in this part of the world, we wanted to contribute to the growing sense of connectivity among these Jewish populations. We at JDC believe that by harnessing the passion, dedication and creativity of Jews in Asia, and working together to create Limmud China, we’re contributing to the Jewish renaissance in Asia.” JDC is the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization. It is represented in more than 70 countries to alleviate hunger and hardship, rescue Jews in danger, create lasting connections to Jewish life, and provide immediate relief and long-term development support for victims of natural and man-made disasters.
